Maulana Nurul Amin Qasimi

A whole lot of deadly maladies are leading the society towards a bleak future. There has been a lot of talk about the involvement of Muslim youth in various criminal activities including drug abuse. Thus, Islam as well as Muslims have lately been facing hatred of all the people. In this piece, I will discuss the stance of the Islamic scriptures -- the Holy Quran and Hadith -- and Islamic institutions on drugs and criminalization.

In Islam, punishment for crime is deadly. Islam is very stringent against crime and criminals. Islam commands the eradication of crime to build a healthy society. And, it also says that all sections of society have equal responsibility in eradicating crime. A Hadith (the words of the Prophet) says: Each of you is like a responsible guardian. You will be asked about this on the Day of Judgment. (Bukhari, Muslim)

Another Hadith says: If one of you sees someone doing something wrong, prevent him with your action, and if you cannot do that try to dissuade him with words not to do so. If you can't do that too, you should hate the person's action. (Muslim)

The organs of the human body must be healthy and active to lead a healthy and peaceful life.

Allah has given man a sound brain to lead his life properly and has described many principles in this regard in the Holy Quran and Hadith which are used as guidelines for life.

The Holy Quran states:

Do not push yourselves to the brink of destruction. (Sureh al-Baqarah: 195)

It is well known how addictive substances like alcohol and drugs are pushing our younger generation towards destruction. Still, such destructive substances are openly traded in our shops. Unfortunately, some of us are consuming it voluntarily and others are supplying it indifferently day and night. Are these people pushing themselves toward destruction?

No matter how busy a Muslim maybe with any activity related to this world or the Hereafter, it is his first duty to take care that his body remains healthy and active. A healthy society can only be expected with healthy human beings. Therefore, Islam pays attention to the physical and mental health of the person first.

Despite instructions in Hadith to be kind and caring towards their bodies, some of our Muslims are far from caring for it, they are pushing life into the clutches of destruction only for temporary pleasure and entertainment, by consuming various drugs which are described as complete haram (forbidden) in the Islamic Shariah. They seem to be axing their own feet and ruining themselves both their world and the Hereafter. They are also destroying society and future generations.

However, Islam is quite strict in this regard. In addition to the guidelines of the Holy Quran and Hadith, Islamic institutions have repeatedly expressed their tough position in this regard.

The fatwa of the world-famous Islamic educational institution, Darul Uloom Deoband, is noteworthy in this regard. There are several fatwas issued by Darul Uloom Deoband on crime and drugs published on its website:

Fatwa No 1176:

Whether one is intoxicated by a drop of alcohol or not, it is haram (forbidden) to drink a drop of the prevailing ‘alcohol’. 

Fatwa No 1367:

It is completely haraam (forbidden) to consume alcohol and its concomitant drugs which after consumption the person is not in his normal state, experiencing many internal changes. These include drugs, marijuana, opium, cannabis, and similar others.

Fatwa No 1020:

According to Islamic Shariah, the consumption of substances that harm the heart, brain, and other organs is completely forbidden. (Darul Iftah, Darul Uloom Deoband)

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Now the question is why are some Muslims involved in these despite the restrictions of Islam? This is a matter of great concern. To find a solution, we must eradicate illiteracy among us, build human resources after giving birth, and not build vote banks according to the jargon of politicians. Awareness must be created at the rural level to explain the seriousness of these and their religious and social impacts.

Let us all start this movement together. Let us try to take society in a positive direction by preventing crime and drug abuse.

(The author is the President of Tezpur-based Islamic Study & Research Academy Assam)