Intoxicants and Drugs نشہ آور اشیا اور منشیات

Alcohol (khamr) was prohibited in stages, ending with the decisive command: 'Intoxicants, gambling... are an abomination of Satan's handiwork, so avoid it' (5:90). The Prophet ﷺ explained the scope: 'Every intoxicant is khamr and every khamr is haram' (Muslim 2003), and 'Whatever intoxicates in a large amount, a small amount of it is haram' (Abu Dawud 3681, Tirmidhi 1865, hasan). He cursed ten people connected with wine: the one who presses it, the one for whom it is pressed, the drinker, the carrier, the one to whom it is carried, the server, the seller, the one who consumes its price, the buyer and the one for whom it is bought (Tirmidhi 1295, Ibn Majah 3381).

The majority of scholars, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali and the later Hanafi position adopted for fatwa, hold that every intoxicating drink is haram whether made from grapes, grain, honey or anything else, and in any quantity. This covers beer, wine, spirits, alcopops and cocktails. Cooking with wine where alcohol remains is also avoided. Sitting at a table where alcohol is being drunk is prohibited (Tirmidhi 2801).

Drugs: scholars agree that narcotics such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and similar substances are haram, by analogy with alcohol and because they cause serious harm. Allah says: 'Do not throw yourselves into destruction' (2:195), and the Prophet ﷺ said: 'There should be no harm and no reciprocating harm' (Ibn Majah 2341, hasan). Trading in them is also forbidden.

Smoking and vaping: earlier scholars differed on tobacco, some considering it makruh and others haram. Today, given clear medical evidence of serious harm, most contemporary scholars and fatwa councils consider smoking haram, while some still classify it as strongly makruh. E-cigarettes and vaping are judged similarly: nicotine vaping is generally considered harmful and discouraged or forbidden, and any vape containing intoxicants is clearly haram. Smokers should strive to quit gradually and seek help.

Medicines: Muslims should use halal medicines where available. The Prophet ﷺ said of using wine as medicine: 'It is not a cure, it is a disease' (Muslim 1984). Where there is no halal alternative and a doctor advises it, scholars permit necessary medicines that contain small amounts of alcohol as a solvent or ingredient that does not intoxicate, and medically prescribed painkillers or anaesthetics, based on necessity (6:119). Synthetic or denatured alcohol used in perfumes, sanitisers and cleaners is considered permissible for external use by most contemporary scholars, as it is not a drink.