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Showing posts with label Prohibition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prohibition. Show all posts

Monday, 2 July 2018

Prohibition of intoxicants


There are few things that Muslims have been asked to avoid or to completely stay away from. One of the things not to be taken in any cost is the pork or meat of animal T the time of slaughter of which name of Allah has not been taken or the meat of the dead animal. This subject has been adequately covered in one of our previous posts titled Prohibition of Pork.


Today this post concerns all intoxicants including wine and alcohol which may temporarily incapacitate one's ability to think clearly and act wisely. We all know when under the influence of intoxicants, people tend to take actions for which they are later ashamed of.

In Islam, the prohibition of intoxicants came in stages since an outright rejection might have had a rather heavy sacrifice for the newly converted Muslims who were heavy drinkers as per the prevailing norms of Arabia. Thus in the first instance, the Muslims were asked not to offer prayers when under the influence of intoxicants as they would not be able to abide by the etiquettes of standing and praying in front of their lord, and to respect the monologue between a Muslim and Allah:
"O ye who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when ye are drunken, till ye know that which ye utter." (Al-Qur'an Surah An Nisa 4:43)
Allah's Messenger has been quoted, as reported by Abdullah ibn 'Umar, in At-Tirmidhi, as saying, "If anyone drinks wine God will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents God will forgive him. If he repeats the offense God will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents God will forgive him. If he again repeats the offense God will not accept prayer from him for forty days, but if he repents God will forgive him. If he repeats it a fourth time God will not accept prayer from him for forty days, and if he repents God will not forgive him, but will give him to drink of the river of the fluid flowing from the inhabitants of Hell."
The explicit and exclusive commandments came from Allah to outrightly reject intoxicants. The prohibition of intoxicants is clearly stated in the Holy Qur'an:
"They question thee about strong drinks and games of chance. Say: In both is great sin, and (some) utility for men; but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness." (Al-Qur'an Surah Al Baqarah 2:219)
“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.” (Al-Qur’an Surah Al Ma'idah 5:90)
Although the word "Avoid" has been used in the commandment from Allah, this clearly means that anything that Allah has asked its followers to avoid has some wisdom behind it and must therefore be avoided in true letter and spirit. 

In the Bible too, though the word prohibition is not used, the following verses spell out why wine or other intoxicants are to be avoided:
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” [Proverbs 20:1]
And be not drunk with wine.” [Ephesians 5:18]
From the above verses it is clear that a small quantity leads to over drinking and causes harms much beyond the expectations of the drinker. When under the influence of intoxicants, one loses control of one's senses and people are more often than not are seen loudly abusing, sexually assaulting, urinating ( as they lose control over the restraining instincts and ability). In many cases females are given high doses of intoxicants to sexually abuse when they lose control over their thinking ability.It is only when the effect of intoxication is over, one is ashamed of one's acts which later become a lifetime source of remorse and regret.




It may be added here that In Qur'an, the word wine or alcohol is not specifically used. Instead the word "Kham'r" is used. Kham'r is any substance or emotion or feeling that covers one's judgment and reasoning about right from wrong. It can be defined as a state of "intoxication", a state of "altered consciousness", a state of "stupor".

Adding to the explanation of the above referred verses of the Holy Qur'an, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been quoted as saying:
Alcohol is the mother of all evils and it is the most shameful of evils.” (Sunan Ibn-I-Majah Volume 3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3371.)

and

Anything which intoxicates in a large quantity, is prohibited even in a small quantity.” Thus there is no excuse for a nip or a tot. (Sunan Ibn-I-Majah Volume 3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3392)

Al-Hakim narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said : "He who commits adultery, fornication, or drinks wine, Allah removes that person's faith from him in the same way as one takes off one's clothing."
Anything that has been prohibited or asked to be avoided by Allah may certainly have been done so in good for the mankind. It is the science and development of medicine science which has lately covered the ill effects of intoxicants on the health of humans. Some of the intoxicant related diseases include:
1. Cirrhosis of Liver
2. Cancer of Oesophagus, Cancer of Head and Neck, Cancer of Liver (Hepatoma), Cancer of Bowel, etc.
3. Oesophagitis, Gastritis, Pancreatitis and Hepatitis
4. Cardiomyopathy, Hypertension, Coronary Artherosclerosis, Angina and Heart Attacks
5. Strokes, Apoplexy, Fits and different types of Paralysis 
6. Peripheral Neuropathy, Cortical Atrophy, Cerebellar Atrophy 
7. Wernicke – Korsakoff syndrome with amnesia of recent events,confabulations and retainment of memory to old events with different types of paralysis 
8. Beriberi and other deficiencies are not uncommon among alcoholics. Even Pellagra occurs in alcoholics.
9. Delerium Tremens is a serious complication that may occur during recurrent infection of alcoholics or post operatively. 
10. Numerous Endocrine Disorders ranging from Myxodema to Hyperthyroidism and Florid Cushing Syndrome.
11. Hematological ill effects are long and variable. Folic acid deficiency, however, is the most common manifestation of alcoholic abuse resulting in Macrocytic Anemia. Zeive’s syndrome is a triad of Hemolytic Anemia, Jaundice and Hyperlipaedemia that follows alcoholic binges.
12. Thrombocytopenia and other platelet abnormalities 
13. The commonly used tablet metronidazole (flagyl) interacts badly with alcohol.14. Recurrent infection is very common among chronic alcoholics. The esistance to disease and the immunological defense system are compromised by alcohol intake.
15. Chest infections are notorious in alcoholics. Pneumonia, Lung Abcess, Emphysema and Pulmonary Tuberculosis are all common in alcoholics.
16. During acute alcoholic intoxication, the drunk person usually vomits, the cough reflexes which are protective are paralyzed. The vomitus thus easily pass to the lung causing Pneumonia or Lung Abscess. Occasionally it may even cause suffocation and death.
17. Females are more vulnerable to alcohol-related Cirrhosis than men. During pregnancy alcohol consumption has a severe detrimental effect on the fetus. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is being recognized more and more in the medical profession.
18. Skin diseases are also related to alcohol indulgence.
19. Eczema, Alopecia, Nail Dystrophy, Paronychia (infection around the nails) and Angular Stomatitis (inflammation of the angle of the mouth) are common diseases among alcoholics.
The commandments of Allah are always for the benefit of the mankind and though ills of every type exist around us, it is only those who fear Allah who save and protect them from those which have been asked to be avoided. All such commandments thus be taken seriously for own sake and sake of the society which are badly influenced and effects by individual acts of misuse by indulging into alcoholism and intoxication.

May Allah guide us to be always on the righteous path and may He save us from all ills prohibited for us. Aameen 

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Saturday, 5 May 2018

Prohibition of Pork


Prohibition of pork or pig / swine's flesh in Islam is taken as something strange by the non Muslims as they find it no harm to eat it in abundance without ever knowing its prohibition not by Islam alone but all other religions who received prophets and messengers with heavenly scriptures. Now that is a different thing that following religion in its true letter and spirit is dwindling due to liberal view of life and setting aside commandments of the Allah Almighty, God to other religions.

As a Muslim, I know foe sure it has been forbidden by Allah for Muslims to consume pork in any measure as it is strictly forbidden.
[So] O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to God if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.  He has only forbidden to you the flesh of swine, dead animals, blood, and that which has been dedicated to other than God.  But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him.  Indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful. Surah Al Baqarah 2:172 - 173
And isn't this commandment enough to desist from eating pork? Remember when Allah forbade Adam (and Eve) not to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. And when they did, how the wrath and anger of Allah befell on them and they were expelled from the Heavens. So going by the same logic, if Allah forbids eating of pork, it should be taken in the same spirit and desisted from under any circumstances.

Although the swine or the pig is from the goat family with divided hoof, it is the only animal which has been forbidden to eat by the Muslims. But is it only Quran that carries such commandment from Allah or other heavenly scriptures like Torah and Bible too have commandments from Allah as regard prohibition of pork? I had to look around and came across references from Torah and Bible to this effect, substantiating the similar commandment from Allah in the Holy Quran: 
"And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you." Leviticus 11:7-8
"And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass." Deuteronomy 14:8
Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you.” [Leviticus 11:7-8] 
In Bible, an incident has been quoted wherein Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) sent demeans or evil spirits to a herd of pigs - this rises no doubt as an unclean and detestable animal was chosen for evil spirits.

Here this incident is quoted in Matthews 8:28-34:
When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
Now a question arises why Allah has forbidden pork specifically and we know that no Heavenly Commandment can be without any reason. Allah has given his knowledge and wisdom to find the why of this prohibition. I looked around on the INTERNET to find out the reason why and here is a gist of my findings:
  • Pigs are known to be unclean and "unethical animals.' For they show cannibalistic behaviors by eating carrion, their own dead carcasses as well as consuming food scraps, insects and their own fecal matter. Pigs are even known to kill and eat their own young.
  • Pork contains more fats than  other  meats. Therefore, people  who  are  fond  of  pork are more obese  than others.  Cholesterol  is higher  in their blood thus making them more  prone  to  asthereosclerosis  cardiovascular accidents and sudden  death.
  • The pigs lack sweet glands that allow flushing out the poison in the blood stream. Thus these poisons get enriched into pork and thus harms human health.
  • Pigs harbor large concentrations of viruses and parasites because of their scavenger lifestyle. These pathogenic organisms create dangerous health complications. Pigs are the primary hosts or carriers of viruses and parasites like Menangle virus, Hepatitis E virus (HEV), Nipah virus, Taenia solium tapeworm and PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome) which are known to cause gastrointestinal stress leading to fever and possibly a fatal infection
  • Pork is also held responsible for the onset of damamagiong and dangerous diseases like Hepatitis E, , Liver Cancer and Cirrhosis Multiple Sclerosis and Yersinia

There is so much material available that gives an insight into the harmful effects of pork. The Holy commandment from Allah has not been a mere warning - the wisdom and research in science has given the answer. It is for us to know that Allah does not forbid man of any of its gifts. While Allah's commandment is enough for the believers to desist from eating pork, science gives answers for those with weak conviction and faith.

Listen to a learned Islamic scholar on prohibition of pork:

Read more from these References: | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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