Sikander Hashmi – Shrug the Drugs KMA Friday Message
AI: Summary ©
The speakers emphasize the importance of protecting oneself from potential behavior and beliefs concerning wanting to join a bar or drink drugs, avoiding violence, disputes, and addictions, and avoiding harming oneself and the danger of harmful chemicals and reactions. They stress the need to avoid violence, disputes, and addictions, and warn of negative consequences of drugs and alcohol. The speakers also stress the importance of sh matter and avoiding harmself and the danger of harmful chemicals and reactions. They urge caution and avoiding harmself, and emphasize the need to avoid harmself and the danger of profit from drugs and alcohol.
AI: Summary ©
Respected elders, your brothers and sisters, my young
friends, Assalamu Alaikum
I wanna start off today by extending a
special warm welcome to all of my young
friends.
You went back to school about a month
ago or slightly over a month ago, and
now many of you have your 1st Friday
off.
So welcome, and it's so nice to see
you, especially here,
at 1 PM.
As we have discussed before, my friends,
school is a place
of learning
and education, which of course is very, very
important. We all know that.
But we also know that we can find
some questionable behaviors
and beliefs,
especially
amongst older children and youth.
Thus, it's a bit like having to swim
through,
let's say, you know, crocodile infested waters
to try to get to a pot of
gold on the other side.
It's important and rewarding,
but at the same time, it can be
dangerous,
so
you need to protect yourself.
Now one of the things that many people,
including some of our youth, are falling into
is
the world of
vaping,
smoking,
drugs, and alcohol.
Now if anyone starts thinking
even about using these substances
or selling them,
they should take it as a sign
that something is not right in their life
and that they need help.
These substances are often used
for
things like
escapism.
Right? To get an escape from reality, to
get a break,
especially when reality is not pleasant.
So perhaps there is stress.
There's anxiety.
There's worry. There's problems,
right, at home,
maybe at school,
maybe with friends and your peers,
or perhaps for acceptance.
So there's peer pressure.
It's an easy way,
it seems,
to gain attention,
right, or to gain acceptance
amongst your peers
or perhaps for stimulation,
right, to kill boredom.
A lot of young people, even adults, have
way too much free time,
way too much free time in their lives.
You would think that, you know, we'd be
busy with studies and with work and a
whole bunch of other stuff, but no.
Allah
has actually blessed many of us
with this great blessing of having too much
time or having a lot of free time.
Right.
And, you know, I'm still touched when I
think about
the group of young people that I saw
at a local,
public high school, not in Kanata, outside of
Kanata.
And I just happened to be there for
another reason, and they saw me and they
actually didn't even know who I was probably,
but they could figure, you know, by my
appearance. So
they asked, can we speak to
you? And I was in the office,
and, I was like, sure. The vice principal
happened to be there. I'm like, okay, is
there anywhere we can sit? And he said,
yes. You know, there's a room right here.
Go ahead and sit. And these were young
boys in high school, and what they said
to me sticks with me until today. This
was a few years back. They said we
know what is right and what is wrong.
When we go home,
we recite Quran.
We offer salah with our parents who are
in the masjid.
So the issue is not whether we know
what is right or wrong. We know.
And they diagnosed themselves. They said our problem
is we have way too much free time.
They themselves are saying that.
So school ends at 2:30 at 2:45,
high school.
And then up until the evening,
there's nothing to do.
And that's where we get into trouble. That's
when we start doing things that we know
we shouldn't be doing.
And subhanallah, may Allah
bless them and protect them and protect all
of our
youth. They started crying. So I'm sitting in
this public high school with a group of
boys, and they're crying in front of me.
They have tears in their eyes
saying, imam, please do something
that can keeps us that can keep us
engaged
and busy so that we don't go down
this road. We don't want to, but we
end up going down this road.
So
to kill boredom or loneliness,
sometimes as an act of rebellion,
we fall into these things.
Sometimes a shortcut to make money.
But my friends,
it's not a shortcut to make money. It's
a shortcut
to *. May Allah protect us all and
our youth. And it's not just limited to
youth. As adults,
we face pressures,
there's stress,
there's problems,
sometimes at home,
family life, financial,
and we also become susceptible to drugs and
alcohol. So first of all, my brothers and
sisters, my young friends, let us understand
that the guidelines of Allah and his messenger
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,
everything that Allah
has told us and everything that Rasulullah
has taught us is for our own benefit.
Allah
created us. He knows us better than we
know ourselves,
and thus he has given us guidelines,
rules, and regulations for maximizing
or gaining maximum benefit in the long run
and minimizing harm in every single way possible.
If we do not follow those guidelines, it
does not hurt Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala one
bit.
It only hurts us.
We will lose out one way or the
other if we do not follow the guidelines
of Allah and his messenger sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam. Whether you like it or not, whether
you believe it or not, whether you want
to understand it or not, that is the
reality.
And it's proven and shown
time and time again.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the
Quran very clearly.
Couldn't get any clearer than this. Allah
tells us that intoxicants,
gambling,
all of these things are filth made up
by shaitan
so that
you may
not be successful. Essentially,
they're made up by shaitan, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala says, so avoid it,
so that you may be successful.
Meaning, if you do not avoid it, you
are putting your success at risk.
You are putting yourself
and your well-being
and your future at risk.
So avoid it if you want to be
successful. And what does shaitan aim to achieve
by doing this?
Shaitan only wants to cause between you animosity
and hatred,
creating fights,
disturbances
through intoxicants and gambling.
And he wants to turn you away from
the remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and
from prayer. When was the last time you
saw someone high who was remembering Allah Subhanahu
wa ta'ala? When was the last time you
saw an addict coming to the masjid
and offering salah in jama'ah?
These things are there to cause fight, enmity,
hatred, and to turn us away from the
remembrance of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. So Allah
Subhanahu wa ta'ala says, so will you not
desist? Will you not stop?
And it's so true. You ask lawyers,
talk to prosecutors,
people who cover court cases, reporters.
I've done some of that. So many cases
we find of violence,
of disputes,
of abuse,
of murders.
Why?
Involving alcohol or drugs.
A person was intoxicated.
They were high. They didn't know what they
were doing.
They had an addiction. They couldn't control themselves.
Or disputes caused by financial ruin driven by
gambling
or driven by these addictions.
So these are major, major sources of addictions
and problems in society.
And we must be very clear also in
understanding
that while alcohol is clearly prohibited,
it is not the only substance that is
prohibited
because the word is kamr, and we tend
to think of alcohol.
But kamr has a broader meaning
that which overcomes the human mind. So not
just alcohol,
which means that everything that causes intoxication
to a person
and
decon disconnects them from their mind or befogs
their mind
is prohibited.
So every substance that does that, that clouds
the mind and dulls the senses
is prohibited.
And do drugs do this or not? Of
course, they do. The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
said,
That every intoxicant is
hamr, is considered to be hamr, and every
intoxicant is haram, categorically.
Ibn Umar radhiallahu anhu has said, I heard
Umar radhiallahu anhu, my father, say from the
member of the messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam that
alhamru ma kamralaaapil.
That kamr is whatever
befogs the mind. And the prophet, salallahu alayhi
wasallam, also said, in case somebody has this
misgiving that, oh, I'm just having a little
bit. Oh, I'm just having enough.
You know, I'm making sure that it doesn't
affect me negatively. The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
said, that which intoxicates
in large quantities
is prohibited in small quantities.
That which intoxicates in large quantities
is also prohibited in small quantities. So there
should be no ambiguity.
There should be no confusion
over the fact
that all types of intoxicants
have been categorically
prohibited whether it is alcohol, whether it is
drugs, or anything else that befogs the mind
and that dulls the senses. Allah
has given us a simple principle.
They ask you concerning hamar and gambling. Say,
in them is a great sin
and some benefit
and some benefit,
but the sin of them is greater than
their benefit. So whatever perceived benefit you may
see in these things,
the sin, the harm of it, the overall
outcome is always going to be more negative
and more harmful for you. You're never gonna
come out as a winner,
and society is never gonna benefit through
these
things. In another in other narrations, the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam described intoxicants
as the key to all evils,
the head of all errors and lapses, the
mother
of all evils.
So the guidance is very clear, and it's
not just limited to alcohol
and drugs and illicit substances. But on top
of that, anything that is destructive
to our bodies, to ourselves
is also prohibited.
Anything
that is destructive
to ourselves
is also prohibited. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells
us
in
the Quran,
Do not put yourselves
into destruction. And the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
also said that
there should be no there should be neither
harming
nor reciprocating
harm.
So harming ourselves
is also something which is not permitted. So
anything that is destructive
to our bodies, to ourselves is also included
in this, and this is why
smoking has been classified
as being prohibited
by many Islamic scholars. It's destructive.
No benefit.
No benefit.
No tangible real benefit
apart from whatever little feeling of, you know,
whatever,
you know,
feel good moments you get maybe from smoking.
Okay? There's no benefit. It's destructive. We know
that.
Similarly, abusing prescription drugs
or over the counter drugs, you know, making
cocktails, having parties where people are drinking this
type of filth will also fall under this.
K. Vaping,
especially
when it contains nicotine and other harmful substances.
But even if it doesn't,
you're opening the door to it because the
switch is so easy.
The switch is so easy. Once you've opened
the door,
you have the vape.
Right? You're in the habit.
How hard is it to switch
from a vape that contains nicotine and one
that doesn't?
1 that's not perhaps not addictive
to switching something that is addictive or that
is harmful. And even the ones that we
might think are not harmful.
There is always the risk of being exposed
to harmful chemicals
or reactions when they're warmed up,
chemicals
that are formed or that are changed
and cause greater harm.
Even possibly some energy drinks,
hospitalizations
being on the increase.
My brothers and sisters, my friends, if you
have been able to save yourself
from
the evils
of alcohol and drugs and smoking and vaping,
say, Alhamdulillah.
Alhamdulillah
and keep yourself away.
Don't even try it. Don't try it no
matter how tempting it is
Because
Shaitan uses that as an opening.
If you open the door just a little
bit,
you've opened the door.
And that gives an opportunity to, shaitan, to
play with your mind
and to play with your desires
and to say it's okay. It's only one
time. It's only a little bit,
and you start minimizing it.
And next thing you know, it's become a
habit habit and it's become an addiction.
If we have become involved, let's understand.
The reason why Allah and his messenger have
prohibited things is because Allah wants us to
be saved from harm,
from insanity,
from degeneration.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants us to be
saved from weaknesses and from temptations.
He wants to protect us from ruining our
lives and wasting our wealth that he has
blessed us with, destroying these bodies that he
has blessed us with. There will be no
benefit from such things, only harm upon harm.
The short term high,
just like the high we get from any
other sin, is not worth it.
It ends up
digging a hole
that many people are not able to climb
out of until it becomes their graves.
Reflect
upon the fact that Allah
has made us the best of creation.
So why treat us
so lowly
that we are dumping these destructive substances into
our bodies?
Bodies which are trust from Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala.
Why are you harming and abusing
a body about which the our beloved prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said that,
that verily your body has a right over
you.
It is not
your and my private possession.
This is a trust from Allah
or selling these substances,
providing them to others.
Is this why Allah
has blessed us with this life and these
bodies so that we spread these evils
that
cause
death and destruction.
Subhanallah, all of these young people we come
across,
especially in the news, the Muslim names
who are killed
in shootings,
murdered,
or being
becoming murderers,
being used by kingpins,
being used by the gang leaders,
the bosses at the top who are using
our kids
for their gain.
Do they ever get hurt
or injured
or arrested
or killed?
No.
It's our youth who do. We don't hear
their names.
They are the ones controlling the drug trade.
They're the ones who are using our kids
and youth as pawns,
enticing them with
little bits of money,
and our youth are falling for it.
My friends, they're playing games with you.
They're using you in the worst of ways,
so stop getting played.
Don't get played by these people
who are getting rich
on your backs
and your blood.
We love you.
We love every single one of you, and
we want you to be successful.
We want you to avoid pain and harm
and loss because you have so much potential
to do good, Masha'Allah.
To be loved by Allah
and to be loved by good people.
So don't destroy your dunya and don't destroy
your akhirah.
What face
is someone going to show to Allah
on the day of judgment
when they spent their lives selling drugs,
and that's what they got killed for
or that's what they killed others for. What
answer are they gonna give to Allah Subhanahu
wa ta'ala?
May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala protect all of
us. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala guide all
of our youth.
This can be difficult,
my friends, my brothers and sisters, but change
has to come from within.
No person, no parent, no counselor, no teacher,
no imam
can force someone to change their minds.
It has to come from within,
and it starts with the realization that there
is a problem and we need to fix
it.
And we are the ones with the power
to fix it with the help of Allah
It has to start from us.
So I I salute
those people like the young brother who came
to me the other day
and said,
imam, I have a problem,
and I need to it's the time has
come for me to put my ego aside
and to get help.
For too long, I've had this addiction,
and I have been
avoiding confronting confronting it
because of my ego.
But it's not doing any good
and hasn't done any good for me until
now. And it's not going to do any
good.
So I'm pushing my ego aside, and I'm
coming to seek help.
So who can I go to for help?
May Allah
bless this young person
and every single person who has this concern
so the concern has to come from within
us.
So my young friends
and my brothers and sisters, my message today
is very clear.
I want you to succeed.
So please
avoid
these four things
like you would avoid
the most dangerous thing you could think of,
like you would avoid putting your hand inside
the mouth of a lion or a crocodile.
These things are common in society,
also becoming legalized.
But let me tell you that they will
never bring
real benefit and betterment.
They will only and only
lead to harm and always lead to harm.
So make dua for those who are afflicted
with such addictions and such diseases. May Allah
take this disease of drugs
and alcohol
and vaping and smoking and addictions away from
our community.
May Allah
give us the ability to understand and realize
the dangers and harms of drugs and alcohol.
May Allah
cure all of those who are addicted. Ameen.
We have sad news today. The passing,
of,
one of the elder brothers of our brother
Nasruel Islam in Bangladesh
So we make dua for him, and we
make dua for all of those who
have
passed away.
Our deepest condolences
to all of those who have lost loved
ones. May
Allah grant you,
relief and comfort at this difficult time.