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on 20-02-2004 03:00
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Alcohol is regarded today as a necessity of life in high society and fashion bazaars. It has become indispensable during get-togethers, parties, and meetings. It is no longer considered the cause of misery, disease, and ruin among the civilized people of the world.
However, the fact remains that one-third of all recognized cases of bankruptcy in the civilized countries of the world, is because of physical and mental inefficiency caused by the intake of alcohol...
Of all the unfortunates who are sent to asylums for the mentally insane, one-fourth are alcoholics. Alcohol has brought misfortune to many homes resulting in broken marriages, and two-fifths of neglected or abandoned children come from homes, where one or both the parents drank regularly. Half of the convicts in prisons, and four-fifths of all inmates serving sentences in the prison are because of crimes, which had been committed under the influence of alcohol. Apart from these statistics, alcohol related diseases continue to add to the death toll of people around the world.
It has been a long recognized fact among the medical community that alcohol is a mind altering drug that acts on the central nervous system in the human brain. It has killed more people than the entire narcotic drugs combined. It is also known to cause deterioration in memory and personality disorders in drinkers. As drinking continues, there is a loss of co-ordination of speech and vision. Excessive intake of alcohol is known to cause depression of the respiratory and cardiac centers in the brain leading to coma. The powers of reasoning, caution, judgment, and self-control are affected leading to mental imbalance in those who survive the lethal dose of alcohol. Among the illnesses suffered by alcoholics are those that are related to the heart, liver, brain, pancreas, and cancer. It is also known to cause diabetes, breast cancer, and loss of sexual drive in people.
Among the other social evils caused by drinking are disrupted family lives. Drunkenness results in violence, arguments, and fights. Addiction to alcohol has resulted in broken homes and abused children. It robs people of their money, happiness from children, chastity from young women, cause of divorce among the married, productivity from adults and years of life from an alcoholic. Criminal statistics reveal that many cases homicides, suicide attempts, robbery, rape, and incest, are alcohol related. In majority of traffic accidents, it has been found that the drivers had been drinking before the accident and it caused a delay in reaction time, slower reflexes, and loss of judgment among the drivers.
These facts ring home the truth of the words of the Holy Quran revealed 1400 years ago, as a warning to the community of people, similarly addicted to drink.
O Believers! Wine and games of chance… are only an abomination of Satans work! Avoid them that you may prosper. Only would Satan sow hatred and strife among you, by wine and games of chance, and turn you aside from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you not then abstain? (The Holy Quran 5-92-93)
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad recited this verse to the listeners answered immediately, "We have abstained, O Lord, We have abstained, " and every house in the City of Madinah poured out all the wines they had in their houses into the street, which were eventually flooded. One can imagine the huge stocks of wine stored in every house in Madinah, which caused flooding in its streets.
The above verses revealed gradually from Allah, the Almighty had a strong emotional and personal appeal to the Muslims, who were bound to God by their commitment to the religion of Islam.
In other verses the Muslims were warned, "And do not be cast into ruin by your own hands." (2:195). Elsewhere in the Holy Quran they were told, "And, do not kill yourselves; indeed Allah is ever Merciful to you." (4:29)
The Holy Prophet has said, "Truly Allah has cursed Khamr (intoxicants) and has cursed one who brews it and one for whom it is brewed; one who drinks it and one who serves it; one who transports it and one who has it transported for him; one who sells it and one who purchases it; one who presents it as a gift and one who brings the proceeds of use there from." (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)
Muslims were also prohibited its use even in small quantities. There were to be no exceptions to this rule. No allowance is to be made for its use in cold weather. It cannot be kept in the house to entertain guests. Allah and His holy Prophet declared every drink that intoxicates unlawful. (Abu Dawood)
The Holy Prophet Muhammad is the greatest benefactor of humanity, who saved at least one-fifth of the humanity from the evils of drink.
However, there has been a sharp increase in the production of alcohol in different parts of the world. World commercial production has increased by100% over the past 40 years. Heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages (above 15 liters per adult) is a common feature recorded in some European countries. North America averages at 10-15 liters of pure alcohol per adult each year. The other developed countries of the world elsewhere across Europe and Asia do not present a pretty picture either. It is found that Finland tops the list with the greatest consumption of alcohol every year. On the other end of the scale was Turkey, which averaged at 0.7 liters of pure alcohol per adult every year.
The few manufacturers and the select big businesses that control the production of alcohol are ever eager to make inroads into markets where the use of alcohol is non-existent. They would not care less, if the whole world drowns itself by consuming alcoholic beverages manufactured by them as long as they make profits. They have no guilt feelings in recruiting new alcoholics into their fold to keep their factories running and its image in the stock market. Slick advertising of alcoholic beverages through sex symbols, and associating with sport events ensures new groups of alcoholics every year over the old ones in the society. Advertising through satellite broadcasting and long-range electronic media has broken the international barriers in the sale of liquor in different countries of the world. It is now virtually made impossible for any responsible government with a conscience in the nations of the world to enact legislation to completely ban alcoholic beverages in a country and reduce the rate of alcohol related crimes and accidents.
Other means adopted to increase the alcoholic beverages is through entrapment. Recent scientific researches commissioned by them show there are health benefits for moderate drinkers. A drink or two a day of wine, beer, or hard liquor is the best way to prevent heart attacks. Moderate drinking can also prevent strokes and dementia in elderly people. Years of study has revealed that moderate drinkers have healthy hearts, less artery blockage by fats, than non-drinkers. Moderate drinkers are also known to live considerably longer than non-drinkers do. In short, consumption of alcohol is the single best nonprescription that the people can present themselves, in order to ward off potential heart attacks. According to them, drinking moderate quantities of alcohol is better than a low fat diet or weight loss, better even than a vigorous exercise! Not drinking at all was as bad for the heart as morbid obesity.
Allah has clearly warned the Muslims 1400 years ago from falling into this trap through the verses of the Holy Quran by stating, "They question thee about strong drink and games of chance. Say: In both is great sin and (some) utility (advantage) for men; but the sin of them is greater than their usefulness. (2:219)
Last update : 20-02-2004 03:00
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