Honorable Muslims!
Our Lord Almighty (swt) has created humans as the most dignified of all creation. He (swt) has established some restrictions to provide that they maintain their innately pure dispositions while also achieving happiness in this earthly life and the Afterlife. One of the prohibitions imposed by our sublime religion is addiction, which seizes control of the human will and leads them into physical and spiritual frustration.
Dear Muslims!
Today, addiction is a major issue that wreaks havoc on all communities. Addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling, smoking, and technology pose a danger to our children, youth, future generations, and humanity as a whole.
Addiction is a disease that makes us forget our reason for creation, and, above all, is ungratefulness against Allah’s blessings for us such as reason, will, life, health, and wealth.
Then, what falls upon us is to stay vigilant against addictions. It is our responsibility to refrain from, and to protect others from, all forms of harmful substances such as alcohol and drugs, which are the biggest threat to our physical and mental health. We should not let the malady of gambling squander our lives, property, and wealth. We should use technology wisely and we should not spend our time in vain. We should remember that good habits and morals are formed in the home, and that our children can only avoid addiction with our care and support.
Dear Muslims!
I would like to conclude this Friday’s khutbah with our Prophet’s (saw) following warning: “The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: About his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he wore it out in, about his wealth and how he earned it, how he spent it, and what he did with what he knew.”[i]
[i] Tirmidhi, Sifat al-Qiyamah, 1.
FRIDAY KHUTBA OF TOKYO CAMİİ “ADDICTION: A DISEASE CONTRARY TO HUMAN DIGNITY“.(PDF)