Al-Muharramat — Rawzat

The Principle — Divine Prohibition as Divine Mercy

“Say: Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you.” (6:151)

The Quran’s presentation of the muharramat (forbidden things) is explicit: the prohibition comes from the Lord who created the human being, who knows the human being’s nature and needs more intimately than the human being knows themselves.

Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) identifies five goals of the Shari’ah (maqasid al-Shari’ah) that the muharramat protect:

The ‘aql (intellect, reason) — protected by the prohibition of alcohol and intoxicants
The nafs (soul, self) — protected by the prohibition of suicide and self-destruction
The nasl (lineage, family) — protected by the prohibition of adultery and unlawful sexual conduct
The mal (property/wealth) — protected by the prohibition of theft, fraud, and exploitation
The din (religion/faith) — protected by the prohibition of shirk and apostasy

The muharramat are not arbitrary discomforts but divine wisdom: the divine forbids what damages these five essential human goods. Understanding this framework transforms the experience of the prohibition from “frustrating restriction” to “divine care.”

Alcohol (Khamr) — The Mother of Evils

“O you who believe, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, stone altars, and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan — so avoid it that you may be successful.” (5:90)

“Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?” (5:91)

Why Alcohol Is Forbidden

The Quran’s most comprehensive prohibition came in stages — first acknowledging benefits alongside greater harm (2:219), then forbidding prayer while intoxicated (4:43), then the complete prohibition in Surah al-Ma’idah (5:90).

The spiritual impact of alcohol:

Alcohol directly impairs the ‘aql (intellect) — the divine gift that distinguishes the human being from all other creation. The hadith: “Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is forbidden.” (Muslim) The prohibition of khamr is, at its core, the protection of the ‘aql.
Alcohol dissolves haya’ (modesty, shame, the internal moral governor) — allowing actions the sober self would never permit
Alcohol creates the state most opposed to salah and dhikr: numbing, self-forgetfulness, dissociation from the divine’s presence
The Prophet (SAW): “Khamr is the mother of all evils (umm al-khaba’ith).” — Not because of its specific biochemistry but because of its consistent role as the gateway to other prohibitions

The physical and psychological impact:

Neurological: Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that impairs judgment, motor control, and impulse regulation
Hepatic: Chronic alcohol use damages the liver (alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis) — the organ that processes and purifies the blood
Cardiovascular: Long-term heavy use increases risk of cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia
Oncological: Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen (IARC) — directly linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast
Psychological: Alcohol dependence creates a cycle of craving and withdrawal that effectively enslaves the will — the opposite of the Islamic freedom through submission to the divine
Social: Alcohol is among the leading contributors to domestic violence, traffic accidents, workplace impairment, and family breakdown globally

The Ismaili ta’wil of alcohol prohibition: Alcohol represents the soul’s self-numbing — the choice to escape the divine’s presence rather than face it. The soul that turns to alcohol is turning away from ma’rifa (gnosis) toward self-forgetfulness. The prohibition protects the soul’s ability to remain present, conscious, and oriented toward the Haqiqah.

Pork (Lahm al-Khinzir)

“Forbidden to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine…” (5:3)

“Say: I do not find in what has been revealed to me anything forbidden to one who would eat it, unless it be dead meat or blood poured forth or the flesh of swine — for indeed, it is foul (rijs)…” (6:145)

Why Pork Is Forbidden

The Quranic designation: The pig’s flesh is called rijs (foulness, impurity) — the same word used for idols and intoxicants. This suggests the prohibition is about more than hygiene: it is a prohibition on something intrinsically incompatible with the state of purity the mumin seeks.

Physical impacts:

Pork carries a high risk of parasitic infection — particularly Trichinella spiralis (causing trichinosis) and Taenia solium (pork tapeworm, which can cause cysticercosis including brain infestation)
The pig is anatomically designed as a scavenger — consuming material that other animals avoid
Pork has the highest fat-to-protein ratio of common meats and is associated with elevated cardiovascular risk when consumed excessively
Islamic prohibition predates the discovery of these parasites — suggesting that the divine’s prohibition was based on knowledge unavailable to human science at the time

The spiritual dimension: In Ismaili ta’wil, the prohibition of pork is understood in the context of purity (taharah): the body is the vehicle of the soul. What we consume becomes the material from which our cells are made. Consuming what is spiritually and physically rijs introduces an element of impurity into the body that houses the soul seeking to ascend toward the divine.

Adultery and Unlawful Sexual Conduct (Zina)

“And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.” (17:32)

“Those who commit adultery — flog each of them with a hundred stripes, and do not be taken by pity for them in the matter of Allah’s religion.” (24:2)

The Severity of the Prohibition

Zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) is one of the kaba’ir (major sins) in Islamic theology — ranking among the most serious prohibitions alongside shirk (associating partners with Allah) and murder.

Why the prohibition is so serious:

Zina destroys the nasl (lineage) — the knowing-who-is-father-to-whom that Islamic family law is designed to protect. Paternity, inheritance, mahram relationships all depend on the integrity of sexual relationships within marriage.
Zina destroys trust within the fundamental human institution (marriage) — the unit upon which families, communities, and civilizations are built
Zina violates the haya’ (modesty) that is “a branch of faith” according to the Prophet (SAW)
Zina creates emotional and psychological wounds — jealousy, betrayal, broken attachment, shame — that can devastate entire families for generations

The spiritual impact of zina:

The Prophet (SAW): “When a person commits zina, faith (iman) leaves them as a garment is removed — but it may return when they repent.” — The image is of iman as a light that zina extinguishes, not permanently but in the moment of the act
Zina produces a specific spiritual derangement: the pursuit of desire without the divine’s framework becomes a form of worshipping the nafs rather than the divine
Al-Hasan al-Basri: “I have never seen an oppressor who looks more like the oppressed than the adulterer — he loses his family, his honor, and his faith.”

Physical and psychological dimensions:

Sexually transmitted infections (HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, HPV) are transmitted through unlawful sexual contact — the Islamic framework of limiting sexual relations to marriage dramatically reduces STI exposure
The psychological literature on infidelity documents significant trauma responses in betrayed partners (PTSD-equivalent symptoms, depression, anxiety)
Children of broken marriages due to adultery show statistically elevated rates of emotional, social, and academic difficulties

The ta’wil: Zina is the soul’s attempt to satisfy the deepest human longing (for union, for love, for being fully known by another) through a means that cannot deliver it. The ta’wil of marriage (nikah) in Ismaili teaching is the soul’s outer expression of the covenant with the Imam — the misaq. Zina breaks the covenant; marriage upholds it.

Anal Intercourse

Islamic jurisprudence prohibits anal intercourse (liwat) — both between same-sex partners and between husband and wife. The prohibition appears in:

The story of Lut (Lot) in the Quran, where the divine destroys the People of Lut for their particular sexual transgression
Explicit prophetic hadiths: “Whoever has sex with a man or a woman in the anus, they have disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad (SAW).” (Tirmidhi)

Why it is prohibited:

Anatomical: The anus is not designed for penetrative intercourse — it lacks the self-lubricating epithelial tissue of the vagina and is significantly more vulnerable to tearing and damage
Medical: Anal intercourse carries the highest transmission risk for HIV, HPV (linked to anal cancer), hepatitis B, and other sexually transmitted infections — even higher risk than vaginal intercourse
Spiritual: The prohibition maintains the dignity of the human body — the body is a amanah (trust) from the divine, to be treated with care and respect
The ta’wil of sexuality: In Ismaili teaching, sexual union within marriage has a batin meaning — the union of zahir and batin, the bringing together of complementary principles. The specific design of male and female anatomy is not incidental but expressive of a cosmic complementarity.

Drugs and Narcotics

The Prophetic hadith: “Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is forbidden.” (Muslim) — This ruling extends the prohibition of alcohol to all intoxicating and mind-altering substances. The ‘illah (legal cause) of the prohibition of khamr is its impairment of the ‘aql — and any substance that impairs the ‘aql falls under the same prohibition.

Specific impacts by category:

Opioids (heroin, prescription opioids):

Bind to the brain’s opioid receptors, creating intense euphoria followed by physical and psychological dependence
Withdrawal is physically painful and can be dangerous
Long-term use: respiratory depression, overdose death, severe constipation, immune suppression, tooth decay, vein damage (IV use)
Spiritual impact: Opioids create a complete artificial “peace” — a substitute for the peace (sakina) that comes from the divine’s presence. The soul becomes enslaved to the substance rather than freed by the divine.

Cocaine and methamphetamine (stimulants):

Create intense arousal and euphoria through dopamine flood
Long-term use: severe cardiovascular damage (heart attack, stroke), psychosis, dental destruction (“meth mouth”), paranoia
Spiritual impact: Stimulants create a false certainty, an artificial grandiosity — the opposite of the tawadu’ (humility) that is the soul’s correct orientation before the divine.

Cannabis:

Impairs memory formation, cognitive function in adolescents, and motivation
Heavy use linked to anxiety disorders, psychotic symptoms (especially in those predisposed), and amotivational syndrome
The traditional ‘ulema have debated cannabis specifically (it is not a liquid khamr), but the majority position forbids it due to the same ‘aql-impairment principle

Spiritual impact of drugs generally: Drug intoxication is the nafs’s attempt to experience the state of wajd (spiritual rapture) without the spiritual work that produces genuine wajd. The counterfeit mystical experience of drugs is, in Islamic understanding, a form of self-deception: the soul craves the divine’s presence but settles for a chemical counterfeit.

Nicotine and Tobacco

Tobacco was unknown to the Prophet (SAW) and the classical fuqaha (jurists) — it reached the Islamic world in the sixteenth century from the Americas. There is therefore no direct Quranic prohibition. However, the majority of contemporary Islamic scholars rule tobacco use as haram or at minimum makruh tahrimah (severely disliked, approaching forbidden) on the basis of:

“Do not throw yourselves into destruction.” (2:195)

“And do not kill yourselves. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.” (4:29)

The principle: anything that causes significant harm to the body is forbidden, because the body is a amanah (divine trust) and the believer is required to care for it.

Medical evidence on tobacco:

Carcinogenic: Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of cancer globally — causing cancers of the lung, throat, mouth, esophagus, bladder, kidney, cervix, and more
Cardiovascular: Nicotine and tobacco toxins cause coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease
Pulmonary: COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) — a progressive, debilitating lung disease
Addictive: Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known — the neurological addiction to nicotine can begin within days of first exposure

Shisha and vaping: These delivery systems do not eliminate the harmful compounds — shisha smoke contains high concentrations of carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and carcinogens; vaping (e-cigarettes) delivers nicotine along with chemical compounds whose long-term effects include lung injury (EVALI).

The Bohra Da’wa’s position: The Dawoodi Bohra Da’w has consistently instructed the community to avoid tobacco in all forms, citing both the Islamic principle of avoiding self-harm and the clear medical evidence of tobacco’s devastating health consequences.

The Integrated Framework — Why These Prohibitions Are Interconnected

The muharramat are not a random list of rules. They share a common structure:

Each forbidden thing disrupts one or more of the soul’s essential relationships:

Prohibition	Primary disruption	Secondary disruption
Alcohol	’Aql (intellect)	Divine presence; family
Drugs	’Aql (intellect)	Soul’s freedom; body
Tobacco	Body (amanah)	Community health
Pork	Body (purity)	Spiritual state
Adultery	Family (nasl)	Trust; soul’s integrity
Anal sex	Body (amanah)	Soul’s dignity

Each creates a form of enslavement:

Addiction to alcohol or drugs is the nafs enslaved to a substance
Adultery is the nafs enslaved to desire at the expense of covenant
All these forms of slavery are the opposite of the freedom (hurriyya) that Islam seeks to give the mumin through submission to the divine alone

The Prophet (SAW): “Halal is clear and haram is clear. Between them are matters that are doubtful.” (Bukhari, Muslim) — The prohibition of the clearly haram protects the soul from the gradual drift toward the doubtful that eventually reaches the clearly forbidden.

Ta’wil of the Muharramat

The zahir of the muharramat is the legal system of prohibitions: specific things the Islamic law forbids, with specific punishments or consequences for transgression.

The batin of the muharramat is the understanding that the divine’s prohibition is the expression of the divine’s love: a parent who loves their child tells them not to touch the flame. The divine who created the soul knows that alcohol numbs it, adultery fractures it, drugs counterfeit its deepest longing, and pork defiles its vessel.

In the Ismaili ta’wil, the muharramat are specifically those things that interrupt the soul’s journey toward the Haqiqah. The soul that is drunk cannot pray; the soul enslaved to desire cannot cultivate tawadu’; the soul addicted to a substance cannot exercise the free will required for genuine walayah. The divine’s prohibition is not the imposition of discomfort but the protection of the soul’s capacity for the journey it was created to make.

“And do not follow the footsteps of Satan — indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” (2:208) — Each forbidden thing is, in the ta’wil, a footstep of the nafs al-ammara (the commanding self) that leads away from the divine’s presence. The prohibition of these footsteps is the divine’s guidance toward the path that leads home.

Al-Muharramat — Forbidden Things and Their Impact on Soul and Body