The Dangers of Narcotics
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Q5: We refer to your Eminence regarding the current preparations by security agencies to launch a comprehensive security campaign under the title "Speed and Narcotics." What is your advice against this grave calamity (narcotics) in terms of consumption, distribution, and trafficking? Please explain the consequences for the individual and society.
A5: It is not hidden from the observer that many societies in this era have been afflicted by the spread of narcotics and the severity of the damages resulting from it. One who follows what is written and published by scientific research centers and various media outlets in all countries of the world regarding the dangers of narcotics and the destruction they inflict on both the individual and society is struck with astonishment.
How can it be that all these consequences follow from their consumption, and that one with the slightest intellect consumes them or distributes them? It is appropriate, before discussing their ruling regarding consumption and trafficking, to point out the most important damages resulting from them: 1- Their damage to the intellect: The intellect is the most important attribute by which Allah distinguished man from other creatures. By it, after Allah (Mighty and Majestic), man was able to subject much of what is in the universe to his will and achieve his interests. Due to the importance of the intellect in man, Allah made it the basis of religious obligation. Narcotics leave a great impact on the intellect; they may remove it entirely or limit its capacity in one way or another. They cause: madness, delirium, inability to act correctly, inability to concentrate and pay attention, inability to perceive things as they are and judge them, to varying degrees depending on the type of narcotic, the amount consumed, and the nature of the user. 2- The damage of narcotics to honor: Honor is of great importance in the view of every sane, sound person. Therefore, we find that a person offers his life cheaply to protect his honor and defend it. Consuming narcotics kills the jealousy for honor in the user, as he suffers from much numbness and loss of sensation, which leads him to not defend his honor or the honor of his protected relatives, but rather to offer it in most cases in exchange for a dose of the narcotic
or some money to buy a narcotic. Then, by his shameful action and bad behavior, he exposes himself to the talk of people, and they continue to expose him by mentioning his actions, his disgrace, and what his affair has come to. 3- The damage of narcotics to health: Narcotics have far-reaching damages to human health, and many of these damages are difficult to treat. They may lead the user to death or permanent or partial disability. Among the most prominent are: brain damage, lung cancer, heart clots, liver inflammation and failure, kidney failure, coma, muscle spasms, trembling of the limbs, drop in blood pressure, stomach and pancreas inflammation, palpitations, rapid heartbeat, body poisoning, sudden death, sexual weakness, curvature of the bones, high temperature, increased fat levels in the blood, disturbance of the senses, especially hearing and sight, imbalance when sitting and walking, poor digestion and constipation, skin inflammations, decreased immunity against infectious diseases, miscarriage, disturbance of the menstrual cycle in women, acute psychological disorders, weakness and deformity of offspring, as stated in medical research. 4- The damage of narcotics from the family and financial aspect: Consuming narcotics has a great impact on the user's family, as it leads to
the disintegration of the family and the loss of its members, and their falling into what the user has fallen into, especially if the user is the head of the family. This deprives the family members of a good role model, which leads them in many cases to follow his bad path. In addition, this family lives in anxiety and disturbance, fearing what the user may commit as a result of the narcotic's effect on his mental powers. Also, consuming narcotics leaves a great impact on the user and his family financially, due to the high price of narcotics, which drives the user to spend most of his income to obtain the narcotic substance. This results in the neglect of many of the family's needs. Furthermore, consuming narcotics often leads the user to physical incapacity, making him unable to provide what his family needs financially, which makes his family a burden on others. The one who reflects on the damages resulting from consuming narcotics finds that they are among the greatest of the forbidden things and the most severe in sin. The texts from the Book and the Sunnah have indicated the prohibition of intoxicants and things that cause stupor, as well as the consensus of the Ummah. Narcotics are more harmful and more dangerous than all types of intoxicants and things that cause stupor. Narcotics are evil; indeed, they are among the most evil and the most harmful. Our Lord has forbidden all types of evil things. He the Exalted says:[Al-A'raf 7:157] the verse.
In the hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud from Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her):Musnad Ahmad 1254Da'if (Darussalam) , and when hashish appeared in the Islamic lands, the scholars of that era stated its prohibition, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah , al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi , al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Qastallani , Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi , 'Alish , and al-Bahuti, and the rest of the scholars after them, regarding its prohibition to this day. It is forbidden to trade in narcotics, or to promote them, or to assist in that by any means, because of the spread of corruption, the propagation of evil, and the assistance in committing sin and cooperation in sin and aggression. Trading in them is more sinful and more forbidden than a person consuming narcotics alone; because the harm in the case of consumption is a specific harm, while the harm in the case of trading is a general harm that does not limit its effects to a specific individual, but extends to many individuals. Based on this, the earnings that a trader of narcotics obtains are haram (forbidden); it is not permissible to take them or spend them in any field, even if that field is one of pure righteousness. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Sahih Ibn Hibban 26:35 , and Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Indeed, Allah does not erase the bad with the bad, but He erases the bad with the good. Indeed, the evil does not erase the evil. It is incumbent upon every Muslim to stay away from narcotics and everything that leads to falling into them, directly or indirectly, so as not to expose himself to destruction and loss in this world and the Hereafter. It is incumbent upon all members of society, rulers and ruled, to fight narcotics and eliminate them by all means and ways. If non-Islamic countries wage an unrelenting war against the consumption, distribution, and trading of narcotics, and the harshest punishments result from that—although those countries do not give weight to the halal and the haram—then Muslims are more entitled to that than anyone else.
A5: It is not hidden from the observer that many societies in this era have been afflicted by the spread of narcotics and the severity of the damages resulting from it. One who follows what is written and published by scientific research centers and various media outlets in all countries of the world regarding the dangers of narcotics and the destruction they inflict on both the individual and society is struck with astonishment.
How can it be that all these consequences follow from their consumption, and that one with the slightest intellect consumes them or distributes them? It is appropriate, before discussing their ruling regarding consumption and trafficking, to point out the most important damages resulting from them: 1- Their damage to the intellect: The intellect is the most important attribute by which Allah distinguished man from other creatures. By it, after Allah (Mighty and Majestic), man was able to subject much of what is in the universe to his will and achieve his interests. Due to the importance of the intellect in man, Allah made it the basis of religious obligation. Narcotics leave a great impact on the intellect; they may remove it entirely or limit its capacity in one way or another. They cause: madness, delirium, inability to act correctly, inability to concentrate and pay attention, inability to perceive things as they are and judge them, to varying degrees depending on the type of narcotic, the amount consumed, and the nature of the user. 2- The damage of narcotics to honor: Honor is of great importance in the view of every sane, sound person. Therefore, we find that a person offers his life cheaply to protect his honor and defend it. Consuming narcotics kills the jealousy for honor in the user, as he suffers from much numbness and loss of sensation, which leads him to not defend his honor or the honor of his protected relatives, but rather to offer it in most cases in exchange for a dose of the narcotic
or some money to buy a narcotic. Then, by his shameful action and bad behavior, he exposes himself to the talk of people, and they continue to expose him by mentioning his actions, his disgrace, and what his affair has come to. 3- The damage of narcotics to health: Narcotics have far-reaching damages to human health, and many of these damages are difficult to treat. They may lead the user to death or permanent or partial disability. Among the most prominent are: brain damage, lung cancer, heart clots, liver inflammation and failure, kidney failure, coma, muscle spasms, trembling of the limbs, drop in blood pressure, stomach and pancreas inflammation, palpitations, rapid heartbeat, body poisoning, sudden death, sexual weakness, curvature of the bones, high temperature, increased fat levels in the blood, disturbance of the senses, especially hearing and sight, imbalance when sitting and walking, poor digestion and constipation, skin inflammations, decreased immunity against infectious diseases, miscarriage, disturbance of the menstrual cycle in women, acute psychological disorders, weakness and deformity of offspring, as stated in medical research. 4- The damage of narcotics from the family and financial aspect: Consuming narcotics has a great impact on the user's family, as it leads to
the disintegration of the family and the loss of its members, and their falling into what the user has fallen into, especially if the user is the head of the family. This deprives the family members of a good role model, which leads them in many cases to follow his bad path. In addition, this family lives in anxiety and disturbance, fearing what the user may commit as a result of the narcotic's effect on his mental powers. Also, consuming narcotics leaves a great impact on the user and his family financially, due to the high price of narcotics, which drives the user to spend most of his income to obtain the narcotic substance. This results in the neglect of many of the family's needs. Furthermore, consuming narcotics often leads the user to physical incapacity, making him unable to provide what his family needs financially, which makes his family a burden on others. The one who reflects on the damages resulting from consuming narcotics finds that they are among the greatest of the forbidden things and the most severe in sin. The texts from the Book and the Sunnah have indicated the prohibition of intoxicants and things that cause stupor, as well as the consensus of the Ummah. Narcotics are more harmful and more dangerous than all types of intoxicants and things that cause stupor. Narcotics are evil; indeed, they are among the most evil and the most harmful. Our Lord has forbidden all types of evil things. He the Exalted says:
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them
الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالأَغْلالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْIn the hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawud from Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her):
It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (ﷺ)
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم نهى عن كل مسكر ومفترWhen Allah forbids something, He forbids its price.
إن الله إذا حرّم شيئًا حرّم ثمنهBy Him in whose hand is my soul, no servant earns wealth from what is forbidden and spends from it that he will be blessed with it, nor gives charity from it that it will be accepted from him, nor leaves it behind him except that it will be his provision for the Fire.
والذي نفسي بيده لا يكسب عبد مالاً من حرام فينفق منه فيبارك له فيه ولا يتصدق منه فيقبل منه ولا يتركه خلف ظهره إلا كان زاده إلى النار
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.