by Dr. Musa Qutub
God the Almighty gifted mankind with bodies, minds and nervous systems tailored for their benefit, but those who follow Satan's whispers consume alcohol which destroys the majority of organs in the human body: the stomach, liver, brain and heart. Alcohol stifles the mind from thinking and understanding. It off- sets clear thinking, leading those who indulge in it to commit crimes and destroy their own beings. Alcohol is the result of a chemical reaction, which takes place when a starch or sweet fruit, such as potatoes or grapes, is dissolved in water and allowed to remain for a certain time period to ferment. If this substance is taken in quantities, it becomes a poison to the body, the blood and the nervous system. If it is consumed on a regular daily basis, higher levels of alcohol are needed to pro- duce the state of inebriation, thus resulting in a condition called "Alcoholism", a disease for which a cure is extremely painful for the victim both physically and psychologically. With the passage of time, the disadvantages of alcoholism became clear. Some of them are listed as follows: Cardiac dysfunction and enlargement. Myocardial infarction (heart attack). Cirrhosis of the liver. Destruction of healthy brain cells. Infections to the nervous system, irritation of the stomach lining and throat. Metabolic imbalance. Decline of body temperature. It is interesting to note that the "Mythology" of alcohol raising the temperature of the body when taken in cold climate has been medically and scientifically proven to be false in that it lowers the temperature rather than elevating it. What occurs is when alcohol is consumed; the subcutaneous veins in the face expand, thus causing the face and skin to become red. This is what has lead people to believe that the body becomes warm. The fact is when the veins expand, emission of internal heat from the body occurs thus actually cooling the body. Explorers and expeditioners are urged not to use alcohol when traveling to the North and South poles of the earth because sudden death may occur from the loss of body heat. 8. Personality disorders arise from the consumption of alcohol such as permissive behavior and self-destructive tendencies. 9. It leads to the destruction of the family unit, the society, and the nation. Studies confirm that alcoholic fathers and/or mothers will adversely affect the children and eventually they may end up on the same path. 10. The economy is affected. A person who habitually drinks will not produce. If a large portion of a nation is involved in this practice, the nation will not produce, as it should since productivity's success relies on the human being. Statistics of Alcoholism taken from the Chicago Tribune's issue dated July 8, 1984 are as follows: 1. 100 million people over the age of 15 consume it. 2. 10 million people suffer from alcoholism. 3. Among men, drinking problems occur during their early 20's and among women during their early 30's and 40's. 4. Nine out of ten husbands leave their alcoholic wives. 5. Nine out of ten wives remain with their alcoholic husbands. Alcohol misuse is blamed on: 1. 64% of all murders 2. 41% of all assaults 3. 34% of all rapes 4. 29% of other sex crimes 5. 30% of suicides 6. 56% of fights or assaults in the home 7. 60% of child abuse cases Alcohol is involved with: 50% of all road fatalities (2/3 of these accidents involve an "alcoholic") 53%Wo of deaths caused by fire 45% of drowning 22% of home accidents 36% of pedestrian accidents 55% of arrests 37.4% of admissions to State and County Mental Hospitals 12% of the total National Health Expenditure for adults is for alcohol abuse. Alcohol addiction is the USA's third largest health problem after heart disease and cancer. More than 200,000 people die of it each year. Twenty percent of the total hospital care expenditure is alcohol related. This nation is a captive to alcoholism. In the Soviet Union Statistics are worse, especially among the youth. This led the government of the USSR to sign a contract with the Coca-Cola Company to build a plant in hop(PLEASE EDIT)stead of Vodka. In the Torah, the Bible and the Holy Qur'an all forms of alcohol were forbidden for us. In 1922, the Cardinal in Asyout, Egypt prohibited Christians from consuming any form of alcohol. In Syria, the head of the Christian Orthodox Church prohibited as decreed in the Holy Book the use of any form of alcohol made of dates, barley, honey or apples or any other material which could be used to make it. Even Paul warned that users of alcohol would not inherit the earth. But today we read in the press that some Priests become victims of alcohol because they drink it as part of the Mass, which they offer daily. Allah sent Muhammad (PBUH) as a Messenger to speak to mankind according to their menial ability. He called them to His cause using wisdom and good judgment. After the Oneness of Allah was established in them, Angel Gabriel (PBUH) began to relate what Allah decreed to this society and to abolish those dogmas, which contradicted Allah's oneness. Allah prohibited alcohol in stages to remove this deeply rooted habit and helped mankind to eliminate it. Islam was accepted by a large number of people and they began to wonder about the use of alcohol. Omar Ibn Alkhtab (one of the faithful followers of Islam) used to often repeat: "O Allah, show us a judgment in Alcohol which will heal us." The first revelation from Allah was: "From the fruit of the date palm and grapevine you derive intoxicants as well as fine nourishment. (Surah 16, Vs. 67) What is meant here is that mankind produces intoxicants and makes a living by selling them. The second revelation came in Surah Al-Baquara (The Cow): "They will ask you about liquor and gambling. Say, In each of them there lies some benefit for mankind, yet their vice is greater than their usefulness. " (Surah 2, Vs. 219) A large number of people and associates of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) discontinued the use of alcohol because of the evident consequences. This paved the way for another revelation, which was: "O you who became believers, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated so you will know what you are saying. " (Surah 4, Vs. 43). This revelation came to Muslims because one of the Faithful followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) while leading prayers made errors in speech due to incoherence from the consumption of alcohol at dinner. The final revelation, which came to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Allah, was the total prohibition of the following in Surah 5, Vs. 91: "You who became believers: liquor, gambling, idols and raffles are only the filthy work of Satan. Turn aside from it so that you may prosper. Satan only wants to stir up enmity and jealousy among you by means of liquor and gambling and to hinder you from remembering Allah and from praying. So will you stop. " Thus, Muslims all stopped completely making, drinking and trading all forms of alcohol. In the Holy Qur'an and Islamic Sharia (Islamic Legal Code), mankind will find the truth that will guide them anytime and any- where. If they follow this way of life success will be achieved and they will be loved by Allah on earth and in the Hereafter. But falling prey to human weakness is not what was intended for us. Millions choose liquor as a source of comfort but it is only temporary and when one recovers his/her senses not only are the original problems there but another one accompanies it -that of alcohol addiction. The best source of comfort can be found in submission to the will of Allah and in realization that problems are but a test for us and Allah will not test us beyond our capacity. We invite the entire human family to resist the use of alcohol and turn to the best source of guidance, that of Almighty God to fight against this destructive habit so that we can better our society and provide a better future for our generations to come.