✍🏻 Children, youth, and elders of our society are afflicted with deadly diseases like alcoholism and drug addiction. Alcohol, Corex, bidis, cigarettes, gutka, and khaini have become their favorite pastimes.
Whereas the prohibition of alcohol and drug addiction is proven by definitive texts. Alcoholism is such an addiction that once someone gets involved in it, getting out of this act is like bringing milk from a lioness. Although alcoholism is harmful to one's own life and wealth, alcohol impairs the intellect. Alcoholism destroys the entire household. The life of all the members of a household becomes miserable if even one person becomes addicted to alcohol.
It is explicitly stated in the Holy Quran!
They ask you about alcohol and gambling. Say, "In both of them is great sin and [some] benefit for people. But the sin is greater than the benefit."
(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 129 )
Alcohol is mentioned in four verses. Initially, in Surah An-Nahl, it is stated in a very gentle manner that from the fruits of dates and grapes, you prepare intoxicants and excellent provision. Surah An-Nahl, Verse 67. In this verse, 'sukran' (with a fatha on seen and kaf) is used, which comes first, and then 'rizqan hasana' (excellent provision) is used. (Sukran means intoxicant).
Allama Baghawi has written that 'sukran' refers to 'khamr' (alcohol), and 'rizqan hasana' refers to 'rub' (date syrup) and raisins. This ruling is before the prohibition of 'khamr' (alcohol). (The revelation of this verse was before the prohibition of alcohol). This is the saying of Hazrat Ibn Masood, Hazrat Ibn Umar, Saeed bin Jubair, Hasan, and Mujahid.
(Tafsir Mazhari, Surah An-Nahl, Verse 67)
In Surah An-Nisa, it is stated: "O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated."
(Surah An-Nisa, Verse 43)
""In this verse, the etiquette of prayer is explained, that do not pray while intoxicated because in a state of intoxication, a person does not know what he is reciting in prayer, before whom he is standing, and what he is presenting. This ruling was in effect until the prohibition of alcohol was revealed. The reason for the revelation of this verse is that some companions gathered at a feast before alcohol was prohibited. They drank alcohol, and the time for Maghrib (evening prayer) arrived. They stood for prayer in the same state, and Hazrat Abdul Rahman bin Auf led the prayer and recited 'A'budu ma ta'budun' instead of 'La a'budu ma ta'budun' in a state of intoxication, which completely changed the meaning. Upon this, Allah Almighty revealed this verse and strictly forbade approaching prayer in a state of intoxication. After the revelation of this verse, the companions stopped drinking alcohol during prayer times.""
(Ma'arif-ul-Quran, Idreesi, Volume 2)
In Surah Al-Ma'idah, it is stated: "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah ], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful (90)."
"Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist? (Verse 91)"
(Bayan-ul-Quran, Volume 1)
In this verse, the Noble Lord, declaring alcohol as the work of Satan, has absolutely forbidden it.
Narrated by Ibn Umar: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Every intoxicant is khamr (alcohol), and every intoxicant is forbidden. Whoever drinks alcohol in this world and dies while he is addicted to it without repenting, he will be deprived of it in the Hereafter." (Reported by Muslim)
Narrated by Ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "An addict to alcohol, if he dies, will meet Allah like a worshiper of idols." (Reported by Ahmad)
(Taken from Ma'arif-ul-Hadith)
The aforementioned verses and hadiths have been narrated regarding the prohibition of drinking alcohol.
The Holy Quran gradually prohibited alcohol. Firstly, alcohol was declared undesirable and disliked. In the second verse, it was declared a sin, and in the third verse, alcohol was prohibited during prayer times. In the fourth verse, alcohol was completely declared the work of Satan and forbidden.
Due to alcohol, relationships are disrupted, abuse begins, and the person himself becomes heedless of the remembrance of the Noble Lord. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden here.
And severe warnings have been mentioned in the hadiths regarding it. Thus, it is mentioned in the aforementioned hadiths that if someone persists in drinking alcohol and departs from this world without repentance, it has been stated about him that he will be deprived of the pure drink in the Hereafter.
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that the presentation of one who persists in drinking alcohol before God will be like that of a polytheist and idol worshiper. The reason for this is that when a person drinks alcohol, the sound intellect is transformed into a diseased intellect, and the ability to distinguish between guidance and misguidance is lost. He becomes distant from the remembrance of Allah and the commands of Allah, and this is what sometimes leads him to the path of polytheism and idol worship because drinking alcohol stops the intellect (which is a great blessing due to which man controls many things and distinguishes between health and disease in everything) from functioning. This great wealth loses its senses due to drinking alcohol, and great sins come into existence that are not conceivable in a normal state. This is why it has been called the root of sin.
Our society is on the brink of destruction:-
Nowadays, the speed at which this epidemic is spreading in our society is indescribable. Addiction is common not only among young people but also among children and middle-aged people. This not only causes harm in the Hereafter but also worldly harm in abundance. Alcoholism destroys a good society, deprives it of progress, hatred and enmity take root, people start hating it, marital life is endangered, children are adversely affected, family members distance themselves from it, and daily disputes and conflicts destroy the peace of the entire society. Alcoholism poses a threat to life.
A few years ago, while passing through the market, I saw a person lying on the side of the road. When I got close to him, I saw that he was someone I knew. When I met him after two or three days, I inquired about it, and he said that some friends had persuaded him to do it, so he agreed.
I was very saddened that he preferred disobeying Allah for the sake of pleasing friends, whereas this was the occasion where he should have said! "There is no obedience to any creature in disobedience to Allah."
When will the ignorance of our nation be able to pay attention to this?
Our tragedy is that we are silent on this, due to which evil gets a chance to flourish.
The writer has repeatedly observed with insight that those who were prosperous in their early life, had a good income, but got involved in alcoholism by establishing wrong friendships, due to which today their family is suffering from poverty, misery, and financial crisis - Allahumma Ahfazna Minhu.
Failed efforts of the government:
No action is being taken at the government level in this regard either, because the government tries to dissuade people from addiction by maintaining the original foundation, which is a failed attempt. The government should stop people; the way to do this is not just to make laws on it and punish them, or to tell the harms on TV etc., but the way to do this is to close down the companies and factories that make alcohol and intoxicants and all their causes and reasons, and seal them completely. Legal action should be taken against all the workers of this kind, and if someone still does not give up drinking alcohol, then legal action should be taken against them. This action will be effective because it can save the lives of thousands of people, and thousands of children can get education because there are many children in the house who do not get education only because that innocent child himself takes care of the household, and his father has no news of the house, but here the government and its supporters do not have time from religious hatred, conspiracy and deception against Islam, they consider it necessary to take time out for taunting and spreading poison.
Those actors and actresses who make films against Islam, how good it would be if they made films on the harmful effects of alcoholism and played their part in eradicating this epidemic from the society.
But alas, we no longer have humanity left, the result of which is that we never take stock of where our society is going, how people's lives are going.
May Allah guide us all to the path of guidance and protect us completely from alcoholism and other sins. Amen.
✍🏻٭٭٭﴿Khaama Bardar﴾٭٭٭📖
Muhammad Gul Raza Rahi bin Ayub Alam Arariawi
Student: Arabic Fifth
Jamia Islamia Arabia Jamia Masjid Amroha UP Al-Hind
5th Muharram al-Haram 1446 AH corresponding to 12th July 2024
Friday after Asr prayer