The Reasons for the Ruling on the Prohibition of Qat

This is a letter we received from the People's Republic of South Yemen from Muhammad Uthman Nu'man. He says in his letter: On Thursdays, I chew qat from 2:00 PM until 1:00 AM, and then I perform the 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha' prayers all at once. Is this permissible or not? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: First: Qat is among the forbidden things; because of the great harm in it, according to what a group of knowledgeable scholars who are aware of it have informed us. You should, my brother, leave it because of the many harms in it.
Second: The fact that it leads its users to chew for a long period, which results in leaving the prayer at its proper time, is also a reason for its prohibition; because it leads to falsehood and to what is wrong. If one leaves the prayer at its time, it is a wrong and forbidden act. A group of scholars have held that if a servant intentionally leaves the prayer until its time passes, he becomes a disbeliever; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah with a sound chain, from the hadith of Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him).
Muslim narrated in the Sahih from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) , from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said: And the period of storage is from two o'clock until one o'clock at night. This is a long time; it causes the loss of the 'Asr prayer, the Maghrib prayer, and the 'Isha' prayer. This is a great abomination. It is obligatory for you, O servant of Allah, to abandon that and to beware of this leaf or this plant that has harmed you and necessitated this evil deed. The point is that qat in itself is an abomination, according to what the knowledgeable scholars who are aware of it have mentioned.
A conference was held in Madinah two or three years ago regarding narcotics, and the members of the conference agreed that it is forbidden, I mean: qat. Although some of our brothers among the scholars of Yemen hesitated on this point, but you should, my brother, at least stay away from it as a precaution, even if you do not hold that it is forbidden, and even if you are not convinced of its prohibition. You should leave it and stay away from it; because of the great harm in it, and also because of the leaving of the prayers. Chewing has led you to this bad action. It is obligatory to perform the prayer at its time, and also in congregation with the Muslims in the mosques. So beware of it, O servant of Allah! Fear Allah! Leave this affliction and this wrong action, and pray the prayer at its time with your Muslim brothers in the houses of Allah. May Allah guide you, grant you success, and protect you from the evil of your self and your desires. And may He protect our brothers in Yemen from the evil of this qat, and help them to leave it. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.