By Cyril Anderson

           One of the little understood teachings of Islam is the complete prohibition on the consumption of alcohol.  Many religions teach of the evils of excessive consumption of alcohol, yet defend some controlled, limited use of alcohol as having some benefits.  Many see the outright prohibition as being excessive, arguing that there is a healthy middle ground between complete avoidance of alcohol and drunkenness.  Why, it is asked, must people avoid alcohol altogether when they can simply partake in moderation?

First of all, it must be understood that alcohol is forbidden by Islam not because it is impossible for humans to handle alcohol responsibly.  Obviously, many people can handle alcohol without over-drinking or becoming alcoholics.  Yes, a handful of studies indicate some possible benefits to health of very limited amounts of beer or wine.  This is not disputed, or, rather, does not need to be disputed to argue for the prohibition of alcohol taught by Islam.

It should be understood first that in Islamic law, as in other legal systems, law is viewed as a tool that plays a part toward bringing about the best possible state of affairs in society.  In the view of Islamic law, alcohol should be avoided for two reasons.  First of all, on a personal basis because it is held to cloud the mind and hinder spiritual development, and secondly, on a social basis, because it is held that the overall harms of alcohol to society are much greater than any small benefits which may be realized from alcohol, whether health wise or economic.  Regardless of whether many or most can handle alcohol, the fact that a large   proportion of the population will get into trouble and thereby cause social, health, and economic damage as a result of, or under the influence of alcohol is seen as enough grounds to consider alcohol as a dangerous substance that needs to be prohibited to protect the general welfare of the public.  Government is understood in Islam as having the responsibility entrusted to it by the people to promote and protect their interests.  It is because of the many harms and dangers posed by alcohol that alcohol is prohibited.

Some of the harms of alcohol include health damage such as liver damage, death from alcohol poisoning, and increased crime, being a factor in: impaired driving causing fatalities, injuries, property damage, date rape, rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, assault and battery, and vandalism.  Also, the trouble of alcoholism carries a heavy toll, breaking marriages, leading to domestic and child abuse, loss of work, homelessness and other effects.

All of these negatives have a sweeping effect on society, permeating throughout.  Who does not have a friend or relative affected by alcohol abuse, or harmed by the negative consequences of alcohol abuse?  A recent study estimated that the cost in 2002 to Canadian society as a result of alcohol was 14 billion dollars, a figure that had risen from the previous estimate.

Islam holds that it is necessary for societies to strive to eliminate or minimize the consumption of alcohol within.  The question that arises is how to work toward this goal.  Should a government just try to push through a prohibition by brute force of legislation aided by the force of policing?  Or is a more nuanced approach suggested?  It is instructive to examine how the Prophet worked to wean the early Muslim community away from alcohol, working slowly over time, gradually cutting it out while at the same time working to teach the people so that they would no longer want to drink, giving an internal support for prohibition to complement the external legislation.

Any change in this society in this respect would have to follow a similar path.  Given the historical roots of alcohol in human society, it is not something that could be banned by legislative decree alone.  Such an action would likely produce a negative counter-reaction similar to the reaction which ultimately sunk the attempt to prohibit alcohol, by constitutional amendment, in the United States in the 1920’s.  Huge segments of the population opposed the ban, and the black market liquor trade undermined and circumvented the ban with great effectiveness.  The biggest problem was that the U.S. government tried to solve the problem with too much of an emphasis on legislation, and not enough on removing the desire for alcohol in people’s minds first.  

Only with an underpinning of effort to educate the people, supported by work to spread Islam, or at least an appreciation of the philosophy of Islam could it be expected that alcohol could be successfully prohibited one day in Canada.  Only when there is enough of a majority push to give a mandate for action could real movement be taken to limit or prohibit the use of alcohol further.  The path currently unfolding with respect to tobacco gives an inkling of how a previously ubiquitous substance can go, over decades to a substance whose use and users are increasingly marginalized.  More work is needed to truly open people’s eyes to the need to remove the use of this dangerous substance from our society.