Published on Jan 03 2012 

 

Assalamu Alaikum – Brothers I hope to find you in the best of health. I am writing to give you a brief overview of the discussion that took place this week.

As is customary, the meeting commenced at 8.15pm allowing people to arrive from Ishaa prayer and those who may have been travelling.

Attendance measured 18-20 people this time a bit less than prior weeks, however this did not deduct from the quality of conversation as we had many new faces and new opinions.

We began with a silent prayer, and introduced the topic of stimulants, alcohol and drugs, referring to what a stimulant is and what it might do to one’s body.

One young Khadim explained of its effects on the nerves and mind, at which point we began to ask why one would need his mind to experience such a feat.

People began to explain that some drown there sorrows or escape reality in this sense, one young Khadim said at this point that in such a discussion Sir Zafrullah Khan would split the attendance in two – and make a team for and against the topic being discussed.

The table was divided down the middle, and the for side initiated an assault by asking why is it so wrong that people may want to escape reality or numbing emotional pain.

The ‘against’ team felt inclined to suggest that, it was not really dealing with the problem rather it was prolonging it. I felt inclined to suggest that in actual fact sometimes the problem may not be able to be dealt with e.g. I know a man who uses morphine for medicinal purposes to ease the pain of internal bleeding.

The ‘against’ side decided to yield and suggested Islam recognises the good in such stimulants when it will be beneficial to the body and eloquently suggested it was wrong to use them recreationally.

I felt inclined to point out the hadith ‘intoxication even in a small amount is an evil’.  Surely this would be a contradiction of the medicinal purpose – as intended we heard that Prophet Jesus (as) and the companions of the Holy prophet (saw) were at one point in the early days in the habit of drinking wine. However after the Holy prophet (saw) had the revelation of the prohibition of Alcohol everyone stopped. One reason for this rule was the example of the companion who was asked to recite the Holy Qur’an in an intoxicated state and was not able to.

We looked at the benefits of the use of such drugs – I gave the example of Watson and Crick who would discuss the mapping of the genome over Ale in the Eagle not far from Cambridge University.

The question arouse had they not been in this relaxed atmosphere there is a vast chance that they may not have progressed in this scientific discovery. The against side were quick to point out that this habit which has proven good in this particular example doesn’t apply to thousands of others who may have made scientific discoveries and not used Alcohol.

One Khadim felt inclined to point out that actually the West has benefited from the Eastern Knowledge which were built on Muslim morals and values – the for side rallied however again by using the previous example of the seeking of knowledge – the hadith ‘ go forth and seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China ‘ came into play.  I decided to compound this point by pointing out great works of Fiction have been created whilst people are under the influence of Marihuana – I mentioned Frankenstein the famous book and the films Fight Club and Inception.  A young Khadim shocked us by saying that most Walt Disney movies are said to have been constructed in a similar way.

The against side once more championed Islam by saying that the same ideas and thoughts can be found without the use of such substances, University students gave the example that many times they have seen those Asian origin Ahmadi children university who would be isolated in terms of the social drinking / drugs aspect but would be at the forefront of every lecture gaining extraordinary marks.

However the for team felt the need to point out that actually many individuals are able to achieve many good marks whilst indulging in these stimulants. The point came back to accountability and how Islam teaches that self-harm is a sin we explored the idea that the liver is vastly damaged in the intake when fatty acids are stored on the organ.

A young Khadim felt the need to point out that these seemingly ‘relaxed indulgences’ are actually responsible for an extreme number of deaths.  Against strongly condemned the idea of low morals in this society that are attributed to stimulants, shamelessness, forgetfulness, and in terms of hardcore drugs – paranoia.

I felt inclined to point out that thing’s such as coffee, tea, and cigarettes are also addictive and long term may lead to damage of our organs – the question is why are these not banned?

We understood that they do not actually cause the same extent of damage – but overuse of them can lead to self-harm – which is a sin.

Against compounded the idea that actually Islam teaches you that you are better off without these stimulants if you are able to handle your own problems through the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. I pointed out that through Tabligh and other such events as the one we were hosting at the time was all communication and social building skills that many people compensate for using Alcohol.

One Khadim pointed out that all of this spirituality has no meaning to an Atheist and we cannot tell him not to enjoy the taste of wine, nor to stop the buzz… what can we offer him as an alternative.

An against Khadim rallied by explaining that a lot of drug affects are actually placebos and the same enjoyments can be experienced in our functions.

Rather than spend excessive money on these bottles and clubs, we could rescue a failing economy.

We also explored the idea that promiscuity is a type of drug that can greatly distract a Khadim from his goal of a good career and gaining knowledge.

I began to conclude by reiterating that actually our Jama’at wants the best for us – teaching us the value of study and showing us the path to good jobs and ability to make changes in the world.

The most personal topic of the day seemed to be smoking as one young Khadim told his own story that his connection with smoking had been due to his environment. We looked at the possibility that even though it is not banned per say it is frowned upon and we should compare it to the ban of hookah due to its nicotine content. The Khadim was adamant that it wasn’t as bad as alcohol and drugs in the short term rather it was much worse in the long term.  One Khadim pointed out that one of the Khalifa’s had made reference to cigarettes indicating that had they been present in the time of the Holy Prophet (saw) they would have been banned also.

Using this logic we proceeded to look at the alternatives to smoking, we understood that not all young males and females would be restless before belief and even if they felt the need to calm down they could come to sports functions and release this energy – since one day all of us has to answer for the state of his body in life.

We were drawing to a close time-wise, so I wanted to conclude using a quote from the 10 conditions of Bai'at where Huzur (atba) mentions the benefits of purdah and how females should be the ones showing the general public the meaning and blessings of this practice.

Similarly we should be able to answer and guide people from a moral angle as to why we are not indulging these stimulants – one Khadim eloquently pointed out that it is our duty to show society the disadvantages of these stimulants. Musawir Idrees Sahib (part of the chairman team) who had been prominent in the ‘against ‘ team pointed out that no rule is made in the Holy Qur’an without a perfectly rational and logical reason.

 

We concluded with the against arguments amplified once more e.g.

We don’t drink because we can find the same enjoyment in other none harming beverages –

We are able to find confidence through trial and error from the practice of Tabligh which allows us to communicate with everyone and anyone.

We are not willing to take the risk with which we may become financially and morally dependent on a stimulant – believing God made us better than that.

Many of society’s youth problems stem from a lack of accountability and we have a duty to point them out by setting an example e.g. not drinking, not smoking weed.

We can offer alternatives if people are open-minded enough to listen.

We finished with a silent prayer and evaluated the day’s discussion, on the whole people had enjoyed it and vowed to come again. Furthermore we had one or two Khadim who had felt uneasy putting out certain points – we explained no one is a judge in this room, no specifics are mentioned and everyone should feel as if surrounded by family and if anyone has an issue it is our duty as Khuddam to help our brother.

We discussed the logistics of the topics in these forums, that perhaps we may need more time to cover such a vast topic and also at times we should be able to use projections and videos to get an outside point of view. People suggested bringing non – Ahmadis in to the fray – which is the underlying point of these discussions to harbour eloquent articulate open-minded Khadim who are able to perform on the Tabligh stalls and also in Jama’at held functions. We suggested changing the day to a weekend and using the shura hall if attendance rose people were instructed to bring one new person each time and research for and against each topic emailed to them so they can understand the Islamic and non-Islamic points of view.