.
.
Note: Umar narrated that when ‘khamr’ (intoxicant) was declared unlawful (‘haram’) (by Al-Quran), at that time ‘khamr’ was produced from grapes, dry dates, honey, wheat, and barley. He further added that ‘khamr’ is some thing, which puts a barrier before the senses (i.e. the person does not remain in his senses). (Bukhari:5259)
E) Psychological, Medical, and Socio-economic Aspects of Intoxicants:
1. The scientific investigations have established the fact that all types of intoxicants derived from crops and fruits greatly disturb the human nervous system, which in turn affects memory as well as the ability of making judgements. The intoxicated persons indulge in day dreaming and escaping activities for not facing the realities of life. They live in their own world of imagination, and often end up in frustration and disappointment because of non-fulfillment of their high aspirations.
2. The Department of Transportation of the State of Maryland (U.S.A.) has mentioned the following hard facts about alcohol in the ‘Driver’s Handbook’:
a) Alcohol is a drug and, therefore, a depressant and not a stimulant. It acts like an anesthetic to lower or depress the activity of human brain. The use of tranquilizers along with alcohol can be very dangerous, as Alcohol itself is a depressant, and together with tranquilizers can make it almost impossible for you to do anything including driving.
b) A vehicle in the hands of a person influenced by alcohol is a deadly weapon.
c) Annual statistics from the medical reports in Maryland (U.S.A.) have determined that over 60% of accident fatalities took place under the influence of alcohol, in addition to billions of dollars of property damage resulting from crashes.
d) You do not digest alcohol. It goes directly without digestion into your blood stream where it is carried to all parts of the body, including the brain, affecting physical co-ordination and ability of judgement.
e) The use of food by a person under the influence of alcohol slows sown the absorption process, and extends the time for alcohol to enter the blood stream.
f) It takes time to eliminate alcohol, because it must be burned by the liver and passed from the body through kidneys and lungs. Exercise, steam bath, tea etc. do not help since they do not increase the rate at which alcohol in the blood is burned. Exercise, of course, does not help appreciably, because alcohol is burned mainly in the liver and this process is not affected by exercise or by tea, coffee etc.
