Is Weed Haram Like Alcohol in Islam?

With the growing legalization of cannabis (weed) worldwide, many Muslims wonder: Is weed haram like alcohol? While alcohol is clearly forbidden in Islam, the status of weed requires deeper exploration of Islamic teachings.

This article will provide a comprehensive answer based on Quran, Hadith, and the opinions of leading scholars.

🌿 What Is Weed (Cannabis)?

Weed, or marijuana, comes from the Cannabis sativa plant and contains psychoactive compounds like THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC alters the mind, creating a "high" similar in some ways to alcohol intoxication.

🕌 Is Weed Haram in Islam?

✅ Short Answer: Yes, Weed Is Haram Like Alcohol

The majority of Islamic scholars consider weed haram because:

It intoxicates the mind (mukhaddir or musakkir).

It harms the body and society.

It impairs judgment and hinders worship.

This ruling aligns with the Islamic prohibition of substances that intoxicate, as found in authentic Hadiths.

📜 Quran and Hadith on Intoxicants

📖 Quran:

Allah says:

“O you who have believed, indeed intoxicants (khamr), gambling, [sacrificing to] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.” (Quran 5:90)

Here, khamr is often translated as "wine" or "alcohol," but scholars broadly interpret it to mean anything that intoxicates.

📜 Hadith:

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

“Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is haram.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2003)

This Hadith extends the prohibition to all intoxicants—whether liquid, solid, smoked, or eaten.

He ﷺ also said:

“Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small quantity of it is also haram.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith 3681)

This Hadith eliminates the idea that a little weed could be permissible.

🧠 Why Scholars Equate Weed with Alcohol

Islamic jurists classify intoxicants into two categories:

Musakkir (intoxicants): Substances like alcohol that cause intoxication.

Mukhaddir (narcotics): Substances like opium or cannabis that cloud the mind.

Weed fits the mukhaddir category, but scholars argue the same prohibition applies:

📝 Sheikh Ibn Baz: Cannabis and all intoxicating drugs are haram, like alcohol.

📝 Dar al-Ifta Al-Misriyyah: Cannabis causes harm and intoxication; its use without medical necessity is forbidden.

📝 IslamQA Fatwa #1819: Anything that clouds the mind falls under the ruling of khamr and is haram.

🏥 What About Medical Marijuana?

✅ Permissible With Conditions

Islam allows harmful or haram substances only in cases of necessity (darura) when:

No halal alternatives exist.

A qualified Muslim doctor prescribes it.

It’s used only as much as necessary for treatment.

As the Quran says:

“But whoever is forced by necessity without willful disobedience or transgressing due limits—there is no sin on him.” (Quran 2:173)

💬 Opinions of Islamic Scholars & Fatwa Bodies

Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali

All four Sunni schools prohibit substances that alter the mind (mukhaddir), including cannabis, unless medically necessary.

IslamQA.org

“Weed is haram because it causes intoxication and harm, and the ruling is the same as for alcohol.” (Fatwa #1819)

Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah

“Using marijuana recreationally is impermissible. It is treated like khamr.”

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi

“All drugs that intoxicate are haram unless proven essential for medical treatment under a doctor’s supervision.”