It is this state of forgetfulness that the individual must strive to overcome, and work progressively towards a state of awareness. Addiction, and indeed, all human infractions stem from such a state, where the human being is heedless of the purpose of life, heedless of the Creator, and of the Day when all human beings will be held accountable for their actions. The soul commanding to evil grips the individual in a state of forgetfulness. The goal of every Muslim is to be aware of the stage of his or her own soul, and to strive to reach the stage of tranquility and peace that can only come about through a disciplined life in obedience to God. Nafs al-Mutma’innah (tranquil, peaceful soul).Nafs al-Lawwamah (self-reproaching soul).Nafs al-Ammarah (soul commanding to evil or evil-inciting soul).Islam’s broader approach towards human life is through the recognition of the human soul as being composed of essentially three elements: Profligacy is considered a major sin in Islam. Accordingly, every individual is accountable for how he or she spends these resources. Islam views the natural resources of the world, and indeed human life itself, as a trust from God. The Islamic virtue of moderation is prescribed at both an individual and at a collective level. “O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: Eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters.” Islam recognizes that human beings have natural desires, and prescribes ways of fulfilling these desires without allowing the desires to take control of one’s life. One of the salient features of the Islamic world-view is a balanced and moderate outlook on life and its challenges. Let us explore how Islam views the problem, and how its prescriptions and world-view might be an antidote. The number of addicted individuals, both in real terms and as a percentage of the total population, has skyrocketed in recent times. Although millions have freed themselves from the slavery of their base instincts, millions more continue to fall into this abyss. Addictions in fact, are the scourge of the human civilization, and the urgency of making a global effort to eradicate them is more critical than ever.Ĭountries around the world have tried hard to control if not eradicate various addictions in their societies. The fact that addictions of various types have grown into enormous social problems that are threatening not only individuals and families but entire societies is clear. Addiction to pornography is afflicting millions in every age group around the world, leading to decreased productivity, and an increase in crimes against women and children. Countries around the world spend hundreds of billions of dollars in combating the drug trade, rehabilitating drug addicts and in dealing with the health and social costs of the increased use of narcotics by young people and teenagers. Nearly 14 million Americans meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disordersĮstimates of the economic costs of just alcohol abuse, collected by the World Health Organization, vary from one to six per cent of a country’s GDP. In other words, addiction has many forms, some of them related to substances such as drugs or alcohol, while others are related to extreme psychological dependence of the individual on behaviors such as gambling, overeating, and increasingly internet surfing. What exactly is addiction? The term “addiction” is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive physical dependence or psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction, alcoholism, compulsive overeating, problem gambling, computer addiction, etc. The word addiction is often used to describe such a condition. Some desires becomes overriding compulsions that could take years to overcome, if at all.
“Having it now” unfortunately, proves to be a slippery slope for millions, and uninhibited desires prove to be like an uncontrollable fire, growing stronger each time they are fed. We live in a culture in which mass advertising glorifies excessive consumption and the near instant gratification of desires.
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