Intoxicants of all kinds have a devastating impact on the lives of millions of people. Nabî has said: “Abstain from intoxicants – for it is the source of all evil.” (Hâkim). It has led to a sordid underworld, contributed to an alarming rate of accidents, family breakdowns, loss of life and crime. It leads to permanent brain damage, incoherence, impotence and depression. Drugs and alcohol are but natural reverberations of an impoverished society!
THE CONSUMPTION SYNDROME: This is an age of chemical consumption, in which people use various substances to cope with whatever upsets them. We are constantly bombarded with the message that there is a pill to solve every problem. “Drugs will help you escape stress”, “Drugs will relieve pain!” are slogans that storm an unwary public all the time. Senator Frank once stated: “The drug culture finds its fullest flowering in the portrait of American society which can be pieced together out of the hundreds of thousands of advertisements and commercials. It is advertising which mounts the message that pills turn rain to sunshine, gloom to euphoria, solve problems and dispel doubts. Not just pills, cigarette and cigar ads, soft drinks, coffee, tea and beer ads, all portray the key to happiness as things to swallow, inhale, chew, drink and eat.”
It is reported that a man brought a cask of wine to Nabî as a gift. Nabî informed him that Allâh had prohibited it. “Shall I not sell it?” asked the man. “The One who prohibited drinking it has also prohibited selling it”, replied Nabî . “Shall I not give it as a gift to a Jew?”, asked the man. “The One who has prohibited it has also prohibited that it be given as a gift to a Jew”, said Nabî . “Then what shall I do with it”? The man asked. “Pour it on the ground”, replied Nabî. (Al-Hâmîd in his Musnad).
THE COLLAPSE OF THE FAMILY UNIT: The family had previously served as the “great shock absorber” of society. The place to which bruised and battered individuals return after doing battle with the world. It served as the one stable point in an increasingly flux society. Unfortunately the family has to a large extent lost its:
Protective function
Educational and social function
Religious identity
Recreational function
Children as a result, have become vulnerable, lonely and depressed. They have no reason to respect adults, religion or authority. They learn from their peers, spend time with them, respect and trust them. They develop their own bonds, “families” and even gangs. It gives them a sense of belonging, which is patently absent from their real homes.
AN INDIFFERENT ATTITUDE: People often tend to think, “It happens to other peoples’ families”. How many times have we heard parents say, “My child will never take drugs”. We need to remove the blinkers and acknowledge that it can happen to our children. A survey conducted by SANCA (1986) revealed the following: “An addict to (any) intoxicant is like a worshipper of idols.” (Ahmed)
Twenty five percent of pupils at four High schools in Natal had used drugs, of which 8% were regular users. At nine schools in East London 69% of High school pupils admitted drinking at least once weekly and 8% were addicted to drugs. An “Indian” school revealed similar patterns but with more acceptance to drug taking. The survey revealed that drinking generally started in standard seven, whereas smoking dagga was found to begin as early as standard five in some cases.
SOME HAIR RAISING INCIDENTS IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY:
An intoxicated youth molested his own mother, she became insane and died shortly thereafter.
An addict who could not settle his “debt” was forced to become a “merchant”. When he failed to settle his debt he had to offer his wife’s “services” as payment.
An addict brought friends home and after they became “high” allowed his wife to be gang raped right before his eyes.
A primary school girl was recently caught selling drugs at school.
Most of the divorces in recent months are drug related.
“Shaitân’s plan is to incite enmity and hatred between you, through intoxicants and gambling and hinder you from the remembrance of Allâh and prayer. Will you not desist!” (Al-Mâ’idah, âyah 92)
INTOXICANTS – AN ACCURSED INDUSTRY: The Nabî of Allâh cursed ten categories of people saying: “Allâh has cursed intoxicants and has cursed the one who produces it, the one for whom it is produced, the one who drinks it, the one who serves it, the one who carries it, the one for whom it is carried, the one who sells it, the one who earns from it, the one who buys it, and the one for whom it is bought.” (Tirmithi)
Abû Hurairah (RA) narrates that Nabî has said: “An addict to (any) intoxicant is like a worshipper of idols.” (Ahmed)
Ibn ‘Umâr (RA) narrates that Nabî has said: “Every intoxicant is (regarded as) “khamr” and all types of “khamr” are harâm. He who consumes “khamr” in this world and dies without repenting will be deprived of it in the Âkhirah (deprived of Jannah)” (Muslim).
He further stated: “Allâh does not accept any good deed of one who consumes “khamr”.
SHUN THE DENS OF VICE!
‘Umâr (RA) states that he heard Nabî say: “Whoever believes in Allâh and the Last Day should not sit at a table at which khamar (intoxicants) are consumed.” (Tirmithi)
Caliph ‘Umâr ibn Abdul-Aziz once ordered that a group of people caught drinking at a party be flogged. He was told that among them was a person fasting. He said, “Begin with him, have you not heard the Qur’ân say “He has indeed revealed to you (the following injunction) in the book, that when you hear the verses of Allâh, held in defiance and ridicule do not sit with them until they turn to a different theme, For if you do so you will be like them…” (Sûrah Al-Nisâ, âyah 140).
ENMITY AND HATRED: “Shaitân’s plan is to incite enmity and hatred between you, through intoxicants and gambling and hinder you from the remembrance of Allâh and prayer. Will you not desist!” (Sûrah Al-Mâ’idah, âyah 92)
Drink has drained more blood,
Sold more homes
Plunged more people into bankruptcy
Armed more civilians
Snapped more wedding rings
Blinded more eyes
Twisted more limbs
Dethroned more intellects
Dishonoured more women of womanhood.
Broken more hearts
Blasted more lives
Dug more graves … than any other poisoned scourge that swept its death-dealing waves across the world. (General Evangeline Booth)
CONCLUSION: It has been reported by Ibn Mas’ûd (RA) that Nabî said: “The decline and fall of Bani Isra’îl started thus: when the pious among them saw certain sins being committed by the transgressors, they forbade them from doing the same; but when the sinners did not repent, the pious because of their relationship and friendship continued to mix with them. So, when this state of affairs began to prevail, Allâh caused their hearts to be accursed in the same manner.” (i.e. the hearts were also affected with the disobedience of the transgressors). Then in support of this, Nabî recited a verse of the Holy Qur’ân, which says: “The disobedient and the transgressors among the Bâni Isra’îl were accursed by Allâh.” On this, Nabî r emphatically instructed his companions: ‘(To avoid such decline) you people must enjoin upon others to do good deeds and prevent them from doing forbidden things; you should restrain every tyrant from tyranny and invite him towards truth and justice.’
WE NEED TO EDUCATE SOCIETY TO SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY BOYCOTT THE DRUG TRAFFICKERS. WE NEED TO DEVELOP A MORAL VALUE SYSTEM WHICH WOULD TREAT DRUG MERCHANTS AS THE SCUM OF SOCIETY, WHO DESERVE NO RESPECT OR SYMPATHY. NABÎ HAS SAID: “DO NOT SOCIALIZE WITH THE ADDICTS OF INTOXICANTS, DO NOT VISIT THEIR SICK, NOR ATTEND THEIR FUNERALS.” AS MUSLIMS WE ARE BOUND TO FIRST WARN AND PREVENT THE PEOPLE FROM INDULGING IN THOSE EVILS AND IF THEY PERSIST THEN TO OSTRACIZE THEM, AND SEVER ALL TIES WITH THEM UNTIL THEY REPENT.
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