Alcohol: The Forbidden Nectar- An Islamic Perspective (Islamic Psychology & Psychotherapy)

They ask you concerning wine and the game of hazard. Say: “In both there is great sin and also some advantages for men; but their sin is greater than their advantage”. And they ask you what they should spend. Say: “what you can spare.” Thus does Allah make His commandments clear to you that you may reflect. “(Al Baqarah, 2:220, interpretation of the meaning).

Alcohol is a universal phenomenon that is now regarded as a major public health problem. During the past few decades, Muslims have not been immune in the use of alcohol. Though, Muslim majority countries have the lowest alcohol consumption rates per capita in the world, they also have a higher proportion of unreported alcohol consumption. Many Muslim alcohol users have been left to suffer in silence because addiction are taboo and the stigma attached to alcohol use. The Qur’ān, Sunnah and Islamic jurisprudence provide clear and unwavering values in the importance of keeping our minds and bodies from being befogged by the harms caused by alcoholic beverages. It is by reverting back to the Qur’ān and Hadith that we remind ourselves of the importance of preserving our physical, mental and spiritual health. The book is about a basic understanding of alcohol from an Islamic perspective. The primary aim of the book is to synthesise the body of knowledge of alcohol addiction and Islamic perspective. It also aims to foster awareness of knowledge and understanding of alcohol addiction required to respond effectively to Muslim clients that Islamic psychotherapists and counsellors encounter in their clinical practice.