Module 6F-09: Why a complete ban?

Why a complete ban?

Not every person who tries alcohol will become an alcoholic; not every person who tries alcohol will die of a related illness or be admitted to hospital; but everyone who ever tries alcohol will be doing some harm to their body. Most will get drunk at some point in their lifetime, and of those most will do something they will later regret once sober.

Islam’s prescription for this moral vice is a complete ban. To forbid only drunkenness, or bad behaviour under the influence of alcohol, is treating the symptoms not the problem and is not in line with Islam’s holistic approach to dealing with issues.

An example is a parent living by a frozen lake where the ice in most parts is very thin. The parent has seen virtually every child who comes to skate on the ice fall in and hurt themselves at one point, and so, in the best interests of their own children, tells them to avoid the lake entirely. It is theoretically possible to avoid hurting yourself on the lake, but nearly impossible, and so in the parent’s wisdom and because they have the best interests of their children at heart, they ban this entirely.

The parent does not gain anything or get any pleasure from banning their children from the lake; the only person actually benefitting is the child; and this is how we should look at the prohibition of alcohol, and indeed all Islamic laws.