Notes and Clarifications Regarding the Ruling on Eating Qat
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The question: The following message was sent by one of the brothers. He says: Yahya Muhammad 'Atiyyah, a Yemeni resident in the Kingdom. Our brother is asking about qat and lists a number of its characteristics and its effect on those who consume it. If you would be so kind, Your Eminence the Shaykh?
The Shaykh: If you would read it.
The presenter: Yahya Muhammad 'Atiyyah says: I previously sent a message before this one asking about qat. Now I say: In Yemen, everyone eats a tree called qat, which is forbidden according to the scholars. This happens during the month of Ramadan at night, while they are reciting the Qur'an during the day, and they are sleeping with the qat in their mouths. Is this forbidden or permissible? And they continue in this manner, Your Eminence the Shaykh?
Answer: Qat is known among the people of knowledge. It is a well-known tree in Yemen, and its people consume it, except for those whom Allah protects. What has been established for us from the words of those who know it is that it is harmful and that it causes much neglect of good works and earnings. It also causes things that harm the one who consumes it. A group of scholars from Yemen and others have written about its prohibition, stating that it may cause drowsiness and lethargy, and may cause intoxication at times by altering sensation. In addition to this, it causes its user to neglect a long period of time, not working because of storing it in his mouth. So it is a vile, harmful tree.
A conference was held in Madinah to look into narcotics and study them, and the attendees agreed unanimously on the prohibition of qat, that it is harmful to its users, and that it is not permissible to consume it. A group of scholars wrote about this, and our Shaykh, the distinguished scholar Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-'Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him), wrote about it, mentioning its prohibition and citing some of the words of the scholars who knew it.
Therefore, the believer should beware of it and not be lax in consuming or using it, and not be deceived by those who consume it.
My advice to all my brothers in Yemen is to leave it and to fight this tree, to stay away from it, and to eradicate its trees.
My advice to the state in Yemen—may Allah grant it success—is to fight this tree and to urge the Yemeni people to fight it and leave it, in order to protect the Muslims in Yemen from its harm and damage, and to protect them also from wasting their time without benefit, and to protect them also from consuming things that are not fitting, were it not that they consume this qat and store it in their mouths.
The point is: its harm is great and its evil is immense, according to the information provided by those who know it, from the scholars of Yemen and others. We ask Allah for success and guidance for everyone.
The presenter: O Allah, accept it. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh: If you would read it.
The presenter: Yahya Muhammad 'Atiyyah says: I previously sent a message before this one asking about qat. Now I say: In Yemen, everyone eats a tree called qat, which is forbidden according to the scholars. This happens during the month of Ramadan at night, while they are reciting the Qur'an during the day, and they are sleeping with the qat in their mouths. Is this forbidden or permissible? And they continue in this manner, Your Eminence the Shaykh?
Answer: Qat is known among the people of knowledge. It is a well-known tree in Yemen, and its people consume it, except for those whom Allah protects. What has been established for us from the words of those who know it is that it is harmful and that it causes much neglect of good works and earnings. It also causes things that harm the one who consumes it. A group of scholars from Yemen and others have written about its prohibition, stating that it may cause drowsiness and lethargy, and may cause intoxication at times by altering sensation. In addition to this, it causes its user to neglect a long period of time, not working because of storing it in his mouth. So it is a vile, harmful tree.
A conference was held in Madinah to look into narcotics and study them, and the attendees agreed unanimously on the prohibition of qat, that it is harmful to its users, and that it is not permissible to consume it. A group of scholars wrote about this, and our Shaykh, the distinguished scholar Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-'Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him), wrote about it, mentioning its prohibition and citing some of the words of the scholars who knew it.
Therefore, the believer should beware of it and not be lax in consuming or using it, and not be deceived by those who consume it.
My advice to all my brothers in Yemen is to leave it and to fight this tree, to stay away from it, and to eradicate its trees.
My advice to the state in Yemen—may Allah grant it success—is to fight this tree and to urge the Yemeni people to fight it and leave it, in order to protect the Muslims in Yemen from its harm and damage, and to protect them also from wasting their time without benefit, and to protect them also from consuming things that are not fitting, were it not that they consume this qat and store it in their mouths.
The point is: its harm is great and its evil is immense, according to the information provided by those who know it, from the scholars of Yemen and others. We ask Allah for success and guidance for everyone.
The presenter: O Allah, accept it. May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.