Which Intoxicants are Prohibited [in Islam]?
In regards to intoxicants, the Koran only mentions alcohol.
Of course, it cannot mention Naswar (tobacco snuff consumed in South Asia, popular with the Pashtun people) .
There was no such incident - there were no Pashtun Companions of the Prophet.
Since none of them were Pashtun, there was no Naswar [in that region].
Right?
[Stanza of poetry] 'Naswar exists in the world because of the Pashtun people'.
[Laughter]
So the Koran specifically mentions alcohol and gambling.
God wrote about them clearly [that they are forbidden].
At first, God implemented sort of relaxed restrictions on this matter.
As in Koran 4:43, in which God says, 'Do not perform Salat while intoxicated.'
After that, a time came when God strictly prohibited alcohol.
And alcohol was declared to be prohibited completely [in Islam].
Cigarettes didn't exist at the time.
There were no cigarettes.
There was no chai either. Chai is a rather recent invention.
White people discovered it.
I believe, at most, that it was discovered perhaps 100 years ago.
Chai and similar things.
Similarly, tobacco is not a particularly ancient discovery.
Now, we have to determine why alcohol is forbidden and why cigarettes are not.
The reason for this is because after smoking a cigarette, one does not lose his senses.
Does one?
But one does lose his senses when he drinks alcohol.
If one drinks too much alcohol, then he experiences a total black out.
If you have a black out of 2-3 hours having drank too much alcohol, you will not remember a single thing from the duration of the black out.
Complete cut-off.
So it is a dangerous substance.
There is a whole background story to [why God forbid alcohol].
Many of the Companions used to perform Salat and consume alcohol too.
I mean, barring a few like Moula Ali and Abu Bakr Sadiq who never drank alcohol.
But if someone happened to drink alcohol at that time - when it was not yet prohibited - it isn't a big deal.
Because it was not prohibited.
If someone is doing something that God has not forbidden,
then that person cannot be declared a criminal - because what he was doing was not forbidden.
Right?
So there was an incident whereby the Companions got together for a gathering and feast.
They also drank alcohol at the time.
After consuming the alcohol, they performed Salat.
The Companion leading the Salat (I won't mention him by name), due to the effects of the alcohol,
he recited a verse of the Koran wrong while leading the Salat.
Because he was intoxicated.
So it was after it came to this point that God made the decision to ban alcohol.
Alcohol was completely prohibited.
But you don't end up in the same state of intoxication having smoked a cigarette that you do having consumed alcohol.
God doesn't enjoy interfering in your business unnecessarily.
It is not as if he thinks to himself, 'Let me take it all away from him - Naswar, Baba, tobacco, etc.'
God doesn't find pleasure in doing this.
There is a purpose behind everything that God does.
God places restrictions so as to limit the hurdles that come in your way on the path to God.
So that your faith does not suffer.
Now, these minor things like cigarettes and Naswar -
- these are things that people need at some point in life. Because life is full of tension.
There is a lot of tension in life.
So a person may put Naswar in his mouth [to ease his tensions]. And the next 30 minutes, at least, pass by peacefully.
But having consumed Naswar, his mind is still working just fine.
There are many people whose minds work more efficiently once they smoke a cigarette.
Especially lawyers in Pakistan.
If they can't figure out a case, they will smoke a cigarette in the toilet.
And after half an hour, they win the case!
So it is proven from the Koran itself that substances which intoxicate you to a point where you lose your senses are prohibited.
Cigarettes and Naswar do not cause you to lose your senses.
And it is not mentioned specifically in any verse of the Koran that Naswar is forbidden.
Although if Naswar existed in that era, it would have been mentioned in the Koran!
Neither Naswar nor Baba existed at that time.
Smoking a cigarette does not affect your worship because you not are smoking while offering Salat.
So how will it affect your worship?
It will just give you bad breath.
People who smoke cigarettes have bad breath.
And the one who smokes a cigarettes is the one who suffers from it.
The smoke enters the lungs so a cigarette smoker can end up with lung cancer.
This is [one of the] harmful consequences.
By chewing Naswar, your gums will deteriorate.
Naswar-chewers keep it here [in the front of the mouth]. There is a lot of calcium hydroxide mixed in it.
Tobacco and calcium hydroxide are crushed together to form Naswar.
They put a lot of calcium hydroxide in it.
There is a lot of calcium hydroxide and tobacco in Naswar.
Only Pashtun people can chew it!
Rizwan [in the audience] is also a Pashtun.
[To a member of the audience] you don't know what real Naswar is! Have you ever tried American Naswar?
[Audience member: yes]. You have? No!
No, you can't have chewed it.
This is something [Rizwan] chews. He has been chewing it since the Age of Ignorance.
ALRA TV: Bringing Light, Love and Peace in Your Life.