Friday Special: Fight Against Drug Addiction Is Islamic Obligation

In an era where drug addiction has ravaged families, destroyed futures, and fueled crime across societies, the Islamic position on intoxicants stands as a timeless and unambiguous safeguard. The Quran and Hadith do not merely discourage drug abuse; they declare it a grave sin, a satanic abomination, and a path to individual and collective destruction. For the Muslim believer, this prohibition is not a matter of opinion but a divine command demanding absolute obedience. The Quran delivers its most decisive verdict on intoxicants in Surah Al-Ma’idah: “O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, idols, and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid them that you may be successful” (5:90). The language is striking. Intoxicants are termed rijs—defilement, filth, an abomination. The command is not to moderate or limit but to avoid completely. The purpose is success, both in this world and the Hereafter. No ambiguity remains. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) reinforced this absolute prohibition with the clearest of warnings. He declared: “Every intoxicant is forbidden. Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small quantity of it is also forbidden” (Sunan Abi Dawud). This principle eliminates any attempt to rationalise moderate use. Whether it is alcohol, heroin, cocaine, prescription opioids, or synthetic drugs—if it alters the mind and impairs judgment, it is categorically haram. The wisdom behind this prohibition is profound. Intoxicants attack the very faculty that distinguishes humans from animals: the intellect. A person under the influence loses control, says what they would not say, does what they would not do, and harms whom they would not harm. The Prophet (PBUH) warned that “intoxicants are the mother of all evils” (Sunan an-Nasa’i), linking them to obscenity, violence, broken families, and societal decay. Islam also protects the honour and safety of others. The one who sells drugs, facilitates their use, or profits from this trade shares in the sin. The line between the substance and the soul is clear: drugs have no place in a Muslim’s life. The fight against drug addiction is not only a government campaign; it is an Islamic obligation. Every parent who warns their child, every imam who speaks from the pulpit, every government that enforces laws against trafficking—all are fulfilling a divine mandate. To protect the mind is to protect faith. To save a generation from addiction is to answer the call of the Quran. The poison is forbidden. The duty to resist is sacred.