Title: Why is Alcohol Prohibited? Question: Could you please answer the following questions? What are the effects of Alcohol and drugs on our family, friends, environment, children, neighbors, etc? What are its physical effects? And finally Why is alcohol and drug abuse haraam in Islam? Please try to give me a good answer as I am a Muslim student and I am interested in knowing this answer as my Christian friends ask me this question often. Please relate all the answers to a verse in the Holy Qur'an Thanks Khuda Hafiz Answer: I am afraid I am not the best person to answer the first two questions that you have asked. I think a social psychologist and a physician would be in better positions to give you more accurate answers of these questions. As far as the third question is concerned, it seems obvious that Islam prohibits intoxicants because of the potential affect that such intoxicants have on the human intellect, the human faculty of reasoning and the human conscience. As we know, according to Islam, the life of this world is a testing time for man. We are being tested intellectually - whether or not we behave as true seekers of truth - as well as in our general behavior - whether or not we act according to what we hold to be right. We, as human beings, qualify for this test because of our intellect, our faculty of reasoning and our conscience. All such things that temporarily or permanently deprive us of these distinctive qualities that our Creator has bestowed upon us are actually a refusal to take and face the test of life. They are actually a self-imposed disqualification from taking the test in which our Lord - in His absolute wisdom and mercy - has put us. All such things, in other words, are in effect a refusal to take the test, which our Lord has decided for us to take and are therefore, not allowed by the Islamic Shari`ah . 9 th December 1999