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Page 6
The Islamic Bulletin
Issue 11
Page 7
The Islamic Bulletin
Issue 11
I
slam
and
A
lcoholic
D
rinks
Alcoholic drinks are the only poison that is licensed in many coun-
tries. However, Islam took a clear attitude towards alcoholic drinks
more than 1400 years ago. Islam prohibits such drinks. Any drink
that causes drunkenness is prohibited in Islam regardless of the
matter it is made from and regardless of the quantity.
According to Islam, if too much of a drink causes drunkenness, then
any small quantity of this drink is prohibited, because all alcoholics
start with small quantities, then they become the slaves of alcohol.
Following is a detailed study of some of the misconceptions about
the curative powers of alcohol and the many problems associated
with alcohol consumption.
A
lcohol
and
G
eneral
H
ealth
Alcoholic drinks, which are prohibited by Islam, have a destructive
effect on the nervous system through the direct toxic effect. Besides,
alcohol may lead to alcoholism with its psychological and mental
troubles such as convulsion and hallucination. Further, alcohol leads to
malnutrition caused by inflammations in the digestive system, repeated
vomiting, loss of appetite, and bad absorption in the digestive system.
The alcoholic becomes careless, selfish, easily provoked, and
suspicious. He may suffer paranoia. The alcoholic may end up
being hated by his wife and children. He suffers from melancholy.
He may then end up committing suicide for he has no reason to
live for. An alcoholic may suffer from hallucination: he may think
he sees unreal ghosts or hear unreal voices or smell unreal scents.
Alcohol causes decay in the cells of the brain and the cortex. This
may cause alcoholic psychosis and loss of memory. In this stage,
the alcoholic loses the ability to distinguish the concrete from the
abstract and the real from the unreal. He cannot even know the day
or the place. The alcoholic loses the ability to calculate, to add, or
subtract the easiest numbers. The alcoholic cannot remember the
most recent incidents in his life.
The alcoholic may become unable to stand up without losing his
balance. When he walks, he staggers. When he speaks, he slurs.
Scientists and governments now do their best to solve the problem
of drunkenness and alcoholic drinks, but in vain. In contrast, Islam
solved this problem by means of one single verse in the Holy Quran,
where alcoholic drinks were prohibited fourteen centuries ago.
Once you believe in Allah, you accept and submit to His orders
and all your problems are solved.
Islam prohibited all kinds of alcoholic drinks 1400 years ago. Islam
did not wait for scientific research to prove the destructive effects
of alcohol on human body and human mind. In Islam, the principle
is simple, clear, and logical: prevention is better than cure. In other
civilizations, alcoholic drinks are allowed and then problems occur.
It is then that doctors, psychologists, and sociologists start trying to
solve the problems caused by alcohol. Islam does not only prohibit
drinking alcoholic drinks, but also prohibits making them. Islam also
prohibits carrying, selling, or buying such drinks. According to Islam,
if something is prohibited, all means to it are also prohibited. Also
according to Islam it is no use to forbid something and allow means
leading to it at the same time. If alcoholic drinks are prohibited, all
means to them are prohibited; Islam prohibits the making, transport-
ing, importing, exporting, buying, and selling of such drinks. In Islam,
alcohol is not allowed and problems are not given the chance to occur.
A
lcohol
and
the
S
tomach
It was believed that alcoholic drinks function as appetizers, but this
is against facts. Alcoholic drinks function as appetizers for the first
week or month only, then soon the stomach and other parts of the
digestive system become inflamed. Infections and ulcers begin to
show up; vomiting starts; all appetite is lost.
The gastroscope shows that any small quantity of alcohol causes an in-
flammation in the innermembraneof the stomach. Somepeoplebelieve
that a little alcohol has no harm, but this is scientifically not true. Further,
as we know, all alcoholics started with small quantities, then they found
themselves chronic cases of alcoholism. A person who drinks occasion-
ally may become an alcoholic under the pressure of any psychological
shock or emotional problemor social crisis. This shows us thewisdomof
Allah; in Islamall alcoholic drinks are prohibited nomatter how small the
quantity is. Alcohol, if drunk repeatedly, causes stomach inflammations
and the death of stomach cells. As a result, stomach acids decrease and
result in bad digestion. Further, many microbes pass without being de-
stroyed by the acid, which is destroyed by alcohol itself. The decrease of
the stomach acid leads to a decrease in vitamin B 12 and causes severe
anemia. This chronic inflammation of the stomach is accompaniedwith
paleness, fast pulse, and heart failure. Further, this stomach inflammation
may develop a probable ulcer, and then a probable stomach cancer. All
these troubles are caused by alcohol.
A
lcohol
and
F
alse
W
armth
It was also believed that alcoholic drinks cause warmth in the human
body. But facts prove that it is only a false warmth caused by the
widening of outer blood vessels. But if the drunkard is exposed to
cold weather, he loses all his warmth and energy and may die of
cold thinking he is enjoying warmth.
A
lcohol
and
the
B
rain
Alcohol hits the brainmercilessly. Firstly, alcohol has a direct destructive
anesthetic effect on the brain. Secondly, the brain is damaged by the
lack of blood that reaches it owing to the hardening of blood vessels
and heart failure. Thirdly, the brain suffers the anemia that accompa-
nies alcoholism. If the brain is damaged, all problems begin to arise,
one after the other. Alcohol has a tremendous effect on the brain,
the cortex, and the nervous system in general. The cortex cells are in
charge of controlling ma n muscles and systems in the human body.
If a driver is drunk, he cannot control his speed or react to emergency
cases or avoid accidents. When a man is drunk, he cannot observe,
judge, or react well. A drunken person loses much of his mental and
physical efficiency, no matter how small the drunken quantity of
alcohol. Even if a person is accustomed to alcohol, his abilities fall off
when he drinks alcohol. A person who has drunk alcohol loses some
of his abilities and senses: he cannot see, taste, or smell as a normal
person does. His comprehension ability and muscular balance fall off
too. Research has shown that 50% of death cases in some countries
are caused directly or indirectly by alcoholic drinks.
Alcoholic drinks have a very bad influence on the most valuable
organ in the human body, i.e., the brain. Besides, alcohol increases
the secretion of stomach acids, which will later on cause stomach
inflammation and stomach ulcer. If a person has already got an ulcer
in his stomach, one glass of wine is enough to cause bleeding in the
stomach or a hole in that poor organ.
A
lcohol
and
the
S
exual
D
rive
Continuous drinking of alcohol drinks ends up with sexual impo-
tency. This shows us the wisdom of prohibiting alcohol in Islam. To
add, some bad alcohols may cause complete blindness and heart
failure owing to their severe toxiy.
A
lcohol
L
eading
to
M
ore
A
lcohol
The danger of alcoholic drinks, which are prohibited by Islam, is
that alcohol leads to more alcohol. The sons of an alcoholic tend
to be alcoholics too. In other words, alcohol may easily push its
drinker to the catastrophe of alcoholism, which is a fatal blow to
both the mind and the body.
In these days, countries that allow alcohol are suffering from it and
the number of alcoholics is increasing rapidly. In the U.S.A., for
example, the number of alcoholics has increased from 4,000,000
in the 1960’s to 10,000,000 in the 70’s.
T
he
A
lcoholic
’
s
M
outh
The alcoholic may develop some infections in the mouth, which
are severely painful to the alcoholic. Further, some microbes may
attack the throat of the alcoholic and cause a severe infection there.
This throat infection makes swallowing and breathing extremely
difficult for the alcoholic.
T
he
A
lcoholic
’
s
A
ppetite
At the beginning alcohol motivates appetite. But soon later, most of
the digestive organs become inflamed; the stomach acid decreases;
the digestive process slows down; appetite for food disappears.
Some people in some countries think that wine and other alcoholic
drinks are appetizers and are served with almost all meals. But this
is nothing more than a common mistake. Alcohol functions as an
appetizer for a few meals only. Later, alcohol becomes a killer of
appetite and a destroyer of the digestive system starting from the
mouth until the rectum.
T
he
A
lcoholic
’
s
H
ead
The alcoholic usually has a headache. So he takes a great deal of
aspirin and its derivatives. Besides, the alcoholic usually smokes. So
aspirin plus cigarettes plus anxiety plus the toxity of alcohol itself
pushes him into a vicious circle of emotional anxiety.
T
he
A
lcoholic
’
s
L
iver
Alcohol has a destructive effect on the liver also. A person who drinks
alcoholic for ten years will most probably have problems in his liver.
By means of the electron microscope, the examiner of the liver
can easily discover the effect of alcohol on the liver in twenty-four
hours after drinking. In the liver, the alcohol hits the nucleus of the
cells there first. When the nuclei of the liver cells die, the cells die
and cease to multiply. Besides, the liver fails to oxidize fats, which
therefore gather in and around the liver. The gathering of these
fats around the liver will end up with the complete failure of the
liver. Because of alcohol, the liver cannot transform carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats. Because of alcohol, the liver fails to remove
poisons from the body. This will cause the increase of the ration of
poisons in the blood. These poisons affect the activity of the brain
and disturb the drunkard’s emotions, behavior, and mental abilities.
He/she soon fails to write well; his/her hand shakes; his breathing
becomes difficult; his belly swells; and his temperature rises.
Some people think that some alcoholic drinks are less dangerous than
others. But the fact is that all alcoholic drinks are equally dangerous,
because if the alcohol percentage is small in a drink, the glass of that
drink is made large. This means that the quantity of alcohol is the same
in each glass of drink. That is why Islam prohibits all types of drinks
and prohibits drinking any small quantities. Islam prohibits the drink-
ing of even a drop of any alcoholic drink, because problems always
start this way; a small glass on a social occasion, then another glass
on another social occasion, then eventually buying alcoholic drinks
to consume at mealtime, then getting drunk, and then becoming an
alcoholic with all his pains, his sufferings, his diseases, and problems
he creates for his wife, children, and family.
In conclusion, alcoholic drinks effect and damage all systems of the
body. Alcohol damages the nervous system, the digestive system, and
the blood system directly and it damages all other systems indirectly.
What kind of life will a person lead if he has infections, inflamma-
tion, ulcers, and cancers everywhere in his body? Also, what kind
of life is it when a person loses memory, loses appetite, loses mental
abilities, and has hallucinations?
Islam has saved humanity from all this torture by guiding us to the
right way. Because of our religion, Muslims know the right way from
the wrong way and Allah has given us the mind with which we
have to choose and bear responsibility. All thanks is due to Allah,
who gave us the Holy Quran in which to follow and lead us on the
right path of Islam.
V
itello
T
onnato
(Servings for 6 people)
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. roast beef
- 2 cans tuna fish
- 12 capers
- 4 anchovies
- 4 cups mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon French mustard
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
Preparation:
Fill a large pot with water.
Add the meat, onion, carrot, celery, and salt. Boil
till meat is tender.
When meat is tender, transfer to tray and allow
to cool. (The extra broth may be kept refrigerated
and used for future use as the liquid for your rice
or pasta).
Now slice the beef into thin slices and arrange on
platter; keep aside.
Put the tuna, capers, anchovies, mayonnaise, mus-
tard, and 3 tablespoons of cold water in the blender
for 1minute and blend till smooth.
Pour the tuna mixture over the meat so that the meat
is totally covered with sauce.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Delizioso & Buon Appetito!!