Smoking cannabis is a great sin and not praying is an even greater sin - islamweb.com

Smoking cannabis is a great sin and not praying is an even greater sin

Question:
Drinking cannabis is a grave sin, and abandoning prayer is an even graver sin. My question is: Is it permissible to pray knowing that I will consume cannabis afterward? Also, if I delay consuming cannabis until after the Isha prayer, having completed all obligatory prayers, will my prayer be accepted, and will I receive its reward? Or should I completely abandon prayer as long as I consume cannabis? Alternatively, should I pray and then consume cannabis after the obligatory prayers, hoping that Allah will guide me to abandon it, or am I deceiving myself with such thoughts? Please advise me.

Answer:
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions. 

To the questioner: We begin by reminding and warning you of the grave danger of persisting in this great sin. We hope that Allah, the Exalted, will grant you repentance, as we see in you a desire for goodness. Know that cannabis is among the most heinous of sins and one of the gravest offenses. Its user exposes themselves to the severe warnings issued for those who consume intoxicants, as the legal punishment for intoxicants applies to cannabis due to its intoxicating nature. The spread of this vice among Muslims has been one of the greatest reasons for the dominance of enemies over them. Its harms and evils to the user may even surpass those of alcohol in some respects.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "When people openly committed sins forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, Allah allowed their enemies to overpower them. This accursed cannabis is among the gravest of sins, worse than intoxicating liquor in some aspects, while liquor is worse in others. It intoxicates its consumer, leaving them in a state of stupor, causes effeminacy and moral degradation, corrupts one’s temperament, renders the mature person like a sponge, leads to excessive eating, induces madness—many have become insane due to its consumption—and some claim it alters the mind without intoxicating, like opium, but this is false. It produces euphoria, pleasure, and exhilaration like alcohol, which is why people are drawn to it. A small amount leads to a desire for more, like alcohol, and those addicted to it find it harder to quit than alcohol. Its harm, in some ways, is greater than that of alcohol, which is why jurists have ruled that it warrants the same legal punishment as alcohol."

Having heard this and understanding that the warnings for consuming cannabis are akin to those for drinking alcohol, and knowing the severe consequences of alcohol and that Allah despises and is angered by those who commit such sins, you should detest this state for yourself. Beware, dear brother, of exposing yourself to the wrath of your Lord, the Almighty, for nothing can withstand Allah’s anger. Fear the Fire, whose heat is intense, whose depth is profound, and whose punishment is severe. Know that many scholars consider cannabis impure, and since it is akin to alcohol, the prayer of one who consumes it is not accepted for forty days unless they repent. The sin of consuming it nullifies the reward of such acts of worship, no matter how numerous, due to the enormity of the offense.

Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) further stated: "The correct view is that its consumer is subject to legal punishment and that it is impure. If the consumer does not wash their mouth after consuming it, their prayer is invalid. Even if they wash their mouth, it remains akin to alcohol. It is narrated that whoever drinks alcohol, their prayer is not accepted for forty days. If they repent, Allah will accept their repentance. If they return to it, their prayer is not accepted for another forty days, and if they repent, Allah will accept their repentance. If they return to it a third or fourth time, it is incumbent upon Allah to make them drink from the ‘mud of khabāl’ (the pus of the people of Hell). If their prayer is sometimes invalid and sometimes unaccepted, it is obligatory for Muslims to denounce their actions."

After reading this, we believe you will immediately abandon this sin. As for abandoning prayer because you consume cannabis, this would only increase Allah’s displeasure with you. The sin of abandoning prayer is immense, and some scholars have deemed it tantamount to disbelief, ruling that deliberately abandoning prayer constitutes apostasy—may Allah protect us. If you were to abandon prayer at the prompting of Satan, you would multiply your sins and increase the deeds that warrant punishment. Indeed, the sin of abandoning prayer is greater than that of consuming cannabis, so it is irrational to address one sin by committing a greater one.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Whoever refrains from performing the obligatory prayer deserves severe punishment according to the consensus of Muslim scholars. According to the majority of the Muslim community, including Malik, Shafi’i, Ahmad, and others, they must be called to repent, and if they do not, they are to be executed. Indeed, one who abandons prayer is worse than a thief, an adulterer, a drinker of alcohol, or a consumer of cannabis."

Knowing this, praying while consuming cannabis is better than abandoning prayer entirely, even if you do not consume it. How much worse, then, is combining both evils—consuming cannabis and abandoning prayer? One who prays and consumes cannabis is better than one who does not pray at all. Beware of heeding Satan’s call to abandon prayer. Know that if you perform your prayer properly, mindful of your Lord’s greatness and reflecting on the verses you recite and the remembrances you utter, your prayer will restrain you from this sin, as Allah says: “Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing” [Qur’an, Al-Ankabut: 45].

The best course for you is to maintain your prayers, abandon this sin, and hasten to repent to your Lord, the Exalted. Life is short, and death may come suddenly. You may close your eyes and not open them again except in the presence of Allah, the Almighty. So beware, servant of Allah, of dying in this state. We ask Allah for sincere repentance for both us and you.

And Allah knows best.

The original Fatwa here

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