Answer
Salam Dear Nada,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
The issue of alcohol is an important one for Muslims to understand fully so we will try to offer a suitable answer. First of all, it is important to remember that according to Islamic law, everything in life is permissible except for a few things that Allah has forbidden for us, and that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has warned us against.
If Allah has identified something as haram (forbidden), it is because that thing is harmful to human beings. Allah, out of His infinite mercy, only directs us to what benefits us and to avoid what is harmful. He will never make something that is harmful halal (lawful), and will never make something beneficial haram, except as a punishment for sinful behavior.
Secondly, as Muslims who fear Allah and wish to please Him, it should be enough for us that Allah has commanded that we avoid alcohol and other harmful things. We have complete faith that He only wants what is best for us so we should obey His command even if He does not let us know what the reasons are.
This, however, does not prevent us from using the brain that He gave and searching for possible reasons for the command. We do not have to look too far to realize that there are many negative consequences to alcohol consumption. It leads to heart disease, liver disease, brain damage, and early aging; this is to name just a few.
Alcohol impairs our judgment and decreases our shyness, that little voice in our soul that tells us we are about to do something wrong. If a person drinks enough the devil will have no trouble convincing us to do whatever pleases him. Unfortunately, what pleases the devil are those things that go against the teachings of Islam and make Allah angry with us.
If we say that many things harm the body but are not mentioned in the Qur’an, this should not be taken to mean that they are halal. Anything that is harmful to the human mind, body or soul should be regarded as forbidden or haram. Allah has blessed us with an amazingly complex body that performs numerous functions on its own and has blessed us with health.
We should not neglect this blessing for the sake of brief pleasures that may or may not be experienced when we abuse our minds and bodies with alcohol or any other harmful substance. We have been entrusted with a healthy body and we will be asked on the Day of Judgment how we treated this great blessing.
I hope this answer has been helpful and may Allah guide all of us to what pleases Him.
Thank you and please keep in touch.
Salam.