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[quote]Zachariah Matthews
Lecture presentation at the Cabramatta Masjid, 7 July 2000

My dear Muslim youth, brothers and sisters, let me remind you that are part of a great Islamic Ummah. You are members of an international family and you are the heirs to a great legacy. In you lie our hopes for a brighter future. That is why we are spending every effort to protect and guide you on the road to becoming the best Muslim you can possibly be - representing the best way of life, Islam. One of the dangers that we must point out to you is that of "drugs".

Why do people use drugs?

For enjoyment and fun – the "now.com" generation using ecstasy and speed in their pursuit for happiness, or

To escape the pain and suffering of their lives – a "time-out" from the pressures they endure to conform and fit in.

What are the effects of Drugs?
They impair decision-making ability leading to irresponsible behaviour. `Uthman Ibn Affaan (ra) said: "Intoxicants are the key to all evils. A man was once asked either to tear up a copy of the Quran, or kill a child, or bow in worship to an idol, or drink a cup of alcohol, or sleep with a woman. He thought the lesser wrong action would be to drink the cup of alcohol, so he drank. Then he slept with the woman, killed the child, tore up the copy of the Quran and bowed in worship to an idol."

They cause harm to the body (alcoholic liver disease, lung cancer from cigarette smoking, heroin overdose, etc).

They cause moral insensitivity (alcohol lowers inhibitions).

They weaken will power.

They cause the user to develop a disregard for how he looks (e.g., the frail looking junky).

They cause the user to turn to crime to pay for drugs.

What are the risks of Drug Abuse?

Making an accident while under the influence.

Causing someone’s death or disfigurement.

Accidental overdose leading to unconsciousness and/or death.

Depression leading to suicide.

Addiction.

Diseases such as HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, etc.

Psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Arrested and spending time in jail.

The NSW Drug Summit in 1999 found the following disturbing statistics:

Over 45 % of Australian adults have used an illicit drug at some point in their lives, and about one in five have used such drugs in the past year.

In 1992 harmful alcohol use caused the loss of 3,660 lives and 731,169 hospital bed days; smoking caused 18,290 deaths and 812,866 hospital bed days; illicit drugs caused 488 deaths and 40,522 hospital bed days.

In 1996, there were 739 illicit drug deaths in Australia,

Between 1993 and 1997 the percentage of cannabis dependent patients suffering from drug-induced psychosis rose from 15% to 26 %.

Injecting drug use accounts for between 1 and 5% of HIV cases. Hepatitis C infection is highly prevalent among injecting drug users, with prevalence rates estimated between 50% and 70%.

The total social and economic cost to Australia in 1992 of drug use (including prevention and treatment, loss of productivity in the workplace, property crime, accidents and law enforcement activity) was $18.8 billion.

What are the causes of the problem?

Among the findings of the 1999 Drug Summit include:

There are certain risk factors that show correlation with a person’s likelihood to misuse drugs, these include:

poor parenting or abuse,

a family’s lack of social or local attachment,

family illness especially psychiatric illness,

substance abuse by parents,

poverty,

poor support services and

peer pressure.

The reasons that young people use drugs are complex and varied, including the alienation of some young people from society and their belief that society does not value them.

Drug Summit Proposed Solutions

Best practice guidelines should be established for peer support programs to strengthen the effectiveness of support for students at significant transition points within their school career.

Recognition that families of drug users can play an important role in supporting their relative in avoiding harm, withdrawing from use and maintaining a drug free lifestyle.

The community as a whole needs to better understand, discuss and take ownership of the issue and the solutions, and be empowered to address its causes and impacts. The community needs to coordinate to develop a plan of action with which to combat the supply, distribution and abuse of drugs.

A shared set of values and ethics, underpinning a school culture which is antithetical to the abuse of drugs in any form.

The attitudes and behavior of parents and the community significantly influence the health choices of young people.

The Government’s Solution

The Government is under pressure to liberalise drug laws because the current ones are failing, and is under pressure to introduce the radical concept of "safe", medically supervised injecting rooms. The focus is now switching from punishment to treatment and rehabilitation -- from the criminal arena into the health arena. The focus has shifted from harm prevention to harm minimisation. In Islam, "prevention is better than cure".

Hypocrisy

Our youth are aware of society's hypocritical attitude towards drugs. Some drugs are part and parcel of the cultural fabric, are heavily regulated and taxed by the Government, are supported by multinational corporate sponsorship and advertising. Other drugs on the other hand are illegal, but not beyond the easy reach of anyone who wishes or needs to use them. This hypocritical interface between legal and illegal drugs only helps to mask the real problems. Some people suggest that all drugs be legalised and made available.

The Islamic Solution

The Islamic and sensible solution to the problem is to ban all drugs for recreational and social use. Critics of this 'magic bullet' approach will be in uproar, and their opposition will be immediate. Yet, if we look at the problem objectively, everyone can see the advantages and disadvantages of such a stance. Government bodies are well aware of the social and financial costs of drugs and the staggering toll on the lives of ordinary Australians. In response to the crisis, tobacco advertisements have been replaced by "Quit" campaigns, drivers are subject to random breath tests by police, graphic portrayals of road carnage litter our television screens, and even footballers - those Australian icons - attend re-education activities to reduce adverse larrikin publicity. Yet these are only ‘band-aid solutions’ and will not eradicate the problem.

Every magic bullet needs a magic gun, and that gun is Islam. Not the heavy-handed, government-enforced solution that typified the attempts of the American authorities with their 'Prohibition' legislation in the 1930s - we all know that was a total failure. What is needed is a similar approach to the one adopted by the Prophet (s) and those early Muslims. Firstly, instill belief in One God firmly into peoples' hearts and minds, to make them personally aware of, and responsible for, the success or failure of their own souls. Then introduce solid and reasonable arguments and programs against consumption of drugs, coupled with step by step restriction of use, before completely banning them. Only then can legislation be enforced, because only then will people have the correct, natural attitude of reliance upon their Creator and abhorrence to drugs of all sorts.

The Quranic Method Re:Khamr

It took three years to ban khamr (intoxicating liquor). The first verse revealed was: "And from the fruits of date-palm and grapes you derive sakaraa (intoxicating liquor) as well as wholesome sustenance. Lo! Therein is indeed a sign for people who have wisdom." (Q16:67)

Muslims started to think about khamr. The second verse was then revealed: "They ask you (O Muhammad) about khamr (alcoholic drink) and gambling. Say: ‘In them is a great sin, and some benefit for men, but the sin is greater than the benefit.’…" (Q2:219)

The pious Muslims started staying away from khamr but because it was not banned the majority of Muslims still continued. The third order came when one of the companions made salaah while intoxicated making serious mistakes in reciting Quran: "O you who believe! Do not approach salaah when you are drunk until know what you say…" (Q4:43)

For the first time drunkenness was put against salaah. With five salaahs a day there was therefore little time for drinking. And the addict also had the chance to wean himself off alcohol. The last blow came when a feast was held between Muhajireen and Ansaar and alcohol was served. When they got drunk, they started boasting and fighting using the bones of the feast. When they were again sober they were depressed feeling guilty and sinful. The Quran came at that moment to ban alcohol and gambling: "O you who believe! Khamr (alcoholic drinks), gambling, al-ansaab (stones set up as altars or idols) and al-azlaam (arrows for seeking luck) are loathsome evils of Shaytan’s work. So avoid them in order that you may be successful. Shaytan only wants to excite enmity and hatred between you with khamr (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from salaah. Will you not then abstain?" (Q5:90-1)

The response of the whole community was remarkable. They cried: "O Allah! We have abstained." In three gradual steps khamr was prohibited. Anas ibn Malik (ra) said that everyone threw out their khamr and for many days the lanes and streets of Madina smelled of it.

Aisha (ra) said about the Quranic method: "If the Quran first told the Arabs not to drink khamr and not to gamble or perform fornication or adultery they would have said: ‘No, we cannot.’ The Quran kept putting in their hearts the fear and love of Allah. The description of the life hereafter with its Paradise and Gardens of Eden for those who obey and Hell and its Fire for those who rebel, until their hearts softened. Then they were commanded to stop khamr, adultery and gambling, and they complied." (Bukhari)

The Quranic legislation concerning the total abstinence from drinking alcohol or taking any other intoxicant is unique to Islam and this absolute prohibition is at odds with current Western initiatives that seek to regulate the consumption of intoxicants such as cannabis and alcohol to moderate social use. The Prophet (s) said: "All intoxicants are unlawful; of whatever thing a large quantity intoxicates, even a small quantity is prohibited." (Al-Nawawi)

The General Quranic Method

If we examine the nature of the Quranic method, the Meccan portion of the Glorious Quran revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s), dealt with only one question, and that is the Unity of Allah (swt) – the Tawheed. The injunctions against intoxicants and many of the laws regulating society were revealed later. As Sayyid Qutb eloquently elaborates: "During the Meccan period, the Quran explained to man the secret of his existence and the secret of the universe surrounding him. It told him who he is and where he has come from, for what purpose and where he will go in the end. Who brought him from non-existence into being, to whom he will return, and what his final disposition will be. It also informed him concerning the nature of the things which he can touch and see and the things which he can sense and conceive but which he cannot see. Who created and administers this marvelous universe. Who alternates night and day, and Who renovates and varies things. Similarly, it told him how to relate to the Creator, to the physical world, and to other human beings."

When the first generation of Muslims truly appreciated the Unity of Allah (swt), when they understood the implications of declaring laa-ilaaha-illalaa (there is no God except Allah), they were then ready to have all their affairs governed by the divine laws of the Shari`ah. The prohibition against intoxicants was developed in three stages over the period of revelation, once it’s absolute prohibition was finalized the first generation of Muslims had the conviction to not only cease the consumption of intoxicants but also destroy every trace of them from the city of Madinah.

Allah (swt) knew that morality and a value system could only be built on imaan. Imaan provides criteria, creates values, defines the authority from which these criteria and values are to be derived, and prescribes the reward of the one who accepts this authority and the punishment of those who deviate or oppose it.

Without the collective belief in the concept of a higher authority, all values remain unstable and morals based on that remain unstable. Faith in Allah (swt) will generate respect, honesty, righteousness and perseverance -- values which will protect our youth from the problems of drug addiction.

This solution is not simplistic. It has been successfully documented in history, and is repeatable, if people have the will and the courage to implement it. A drug-free society is absolutely possible and is the hallmark of a truly civilised and progressive world. This is a goal to which we should all strive, and it is an option that should be put fairly and squarely before the Australian community. Who should do this? We should, with the Help of Allah (swt)!

That is the solution we can present to the Australian community. But does the problem of drugs not affect the Muslim community? It does! And we may be surprised to know the real extent. This is something we cannot ignore. So how can we address the problem in the Muslim community?

To our parents

You have a great responsibility. Allah (swt) instructs you to: "O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones…" (Q66:6)

Lead by example – stay away from intoxicants yourself.

Focus on two main things – Education and Supervision:

Education:

This should start from birth – don’t wait until it is too late.

Instill the belief in your child that none is worthy of worship except Allah (swt).

Develop a commitment in our child to live according to Islamic values (respect, honesty, righteousness, perseverance, etc). It must not be by compulsion but by choice.

Avoid using the big stick (rather use love and compassion, develop a strong bond with your kids and easy communication).

Supervision:

Stress to your child the importance of keeping good company.

Don’t let them roam about late at night.

Don’t leave them alone at home.

Curtail their finances.

To our community leaders

Unite to provide support networks for our youth – sports and recreation facilities. We must bear in mind that such a problem can only be fought as a community. Allah (swt) says: "And hold fast together, by the Rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided amongst yourselves..." (Q64:16)

Educate our youth about the dangers of drugs (imams at jumuah, etc).

We should support "harm prevention" rather than "harm minimisation".

To our youth

Dare to be different – a Muslim - and proud of it.

Hang out with good company – fellow believers who will encourage you to do right.

Avoid the trash music corrupting your innocent minds.

Be careful about what you watch on TV.

Avoid being in the presence of intoxicants (especially alcohol), e.g., pubs, social gatherings, dance parties, etc – the temptation is always there.

Finally

We should all turn to Allah (swt) for help in our efforts to successfully addressing this problem. Ameen

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