Azzaam Sami
Intoxicants and Gambling
The Satan only wishes to cause adversity and strong hatred to come between you, with the intoxicating juice from grapes and other than it, gambling, and lotteries. He hinders and prevents you from reflecting on G-d and worshipping Him with words and deeds. Will you then comply to the prohibition?
Intoxications, gambling, false worship, and lotteries are disgraceful, and they are the schemes of Satan. These immoral practices are placed in society to create division and cause adversity among the people and disrupt families. G-d’s Scriptures warns humanity to stay away from these things, if we expect to be successful.
There is great harm in intoxicants and games of chance and there are some benefits, but the harm outweighs the benefits. Intoxicants are used in medications if taken as prescribed we receive the benefit. If we take them improperly, we become deranged loss control of our senses, behaving ill manneredly, saying and doing things we wouldn’t normally say or do causing resentment and hatred.
It is also the same for games of chance where there is a winner and a loser. It is permissible to enter games where there is a test of skill if there isn’t any betting, gambling to see who’s the best. This type of behavior can create enmity and animosity between rivals concluding in detrimental circumstances.
The public should be more aware of the dangers of intoxicants and gambling, then precautions should be taken to alleviate the problem. Satan’s wish is that we lose our sense of moral excellence and moral purpose; and become drunks and gamblers who disrupt society and divide the family by taking risk with the family’s wealth.