Is Weed Haram ? Understanding the Hadith and Ruling

Weed, smoking, alcohol—why does Islam prohibit these things? Is it just to restrict us, or do they have negative effects on health, spirit, and wealth? The topic of cannabis, commonly referred to as weed, has become increasingly relevant in today’s world due to its widespread recreational and medical use. 

There are often questions about whether something is allowed in Islam. One common question is: “Is Weed Haram ?” This question comes from a hadith that is often mentioned when talking about intoxicants (any thing that makes you drunk). In this article, we look at this issue, discussing the hadith, Islamic rules, and how people understand it today. 

Islamic Rulings on Intoxicants

To answer the question “Is Weed Haram ?”, we must first understand the ruling on intoxicants in Islam. The mind holds great importance in Islam; it is the basis of responsibility and the capacity for worship. Through it, Allah has honored human beings, preferring them over all other creatures, and has made the resources of land and sea subservient to them. Achieving the interests of this world and the Hereafter requires adherence to Shari’ah, and the Shari’ah is built upon reason, as it is the foundation of accountability; indeed, reason is the noblest of human attributes.

Islam has prohibited intoxicants and narcotics, as well as anything that affects the mind, harms it, or impairs its energy—such as alcohol, cannabis, and similar substances. There are many abundant hadiths on this matter, including:

 the Prophet’s ﷺ saying: “Every intoxicant is forbidden.” (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim) 

and his saying: “Whatever intoxicates and prevents one from prayer, it is forbidden.” (Narrated by Muslim)

The Qur’an clearly instructs in Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:90): “O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stones, and divination are an abomination of Satan’s work. So avoid them so that you may be successful.” This verse establishes a strong foundation against consuming substances that impair the mind.

So, is weed haram? Although there is no specific hadith about cannabis, combining the two aforementioned hadiths with the Qur’anic verses leads to a scholarly consensus that weed, like alcohol, falls under the category of intoxicants when used recreationally.

The awaited Islamic learning journey starts with free consultation, delivered by Al-Azhar-certified Sheikhs in Egypt.

Is Weed Haram ? The Hadith Explained

Weed (cannabis), although it was not known in the Islamic world until around the 6th or 7th century AH during the rise of the Tatars, was known in ancient history both in the East and the West. When Muslims became familiar with it and observed its effects, they applied to it the general ruling of the hadith that forbids every intoxicant, as well as the general statement of Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ  forbade every intoxicant and anything that causes negligence.”

Also, The prophet ﷺ  said : “Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small quantity of it is also forbidden.” 

So, the prohibition includes everything that causes the mind to be impaired from among the types of narcotics, whether of natural origin (such as qat, opium, morphine, cannabis, cocaine, and others) or of synthetic origin (such as heroin, amphetamines, and others), as well as narcotic pills (such as Captagon and others) and volatile solvents.

One of the serious matters that anyone consuming this substance must realize is that it invalidates the prayer for 40 days. Thus, the one who consumes it commits two sins: the sin of taking it and the sin of not having his prayers accepted.  As Shaykh al-Islam  رضي الله عنه said: “The correct view is that the one who consumes it should be punished and that it is impure. If the person does not wash his mouth after consuming it, his prayer is invalid. Even if he washes his mouth, it is still considered khamr (intoxicant). In the hadith:

‘Whoever drinks wine, no prayer will be accepted from him for forty days. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance. If he returns and drinks it again, no prayer will be accepted from him for 40 days. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance. But if he returns and drinks it a third or fourth time, it becomes a right upon Allah to make him drink from the mud of khabal.’ It was asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is the mud of khabal?’ He said: ‘The juice of the people of Hellfire.’

Therefore, if his prayer is sometimes invalid and sometimes not accepted, then it becomes obligatory to denounce him, according to the consensus of the Muslims.”

Difference Between Medical and Recreational Use

It is stated in the Global Arabic Encyclopedia: Marijuana is a drug made from the dried leaves and flowering tops of the marijuana plant, also known as Indian hemp (cannabis). It has various psychological and physical effects. Some people usually smoke marijuana in cigarettes or pipes, but it can also be mixed into food and drinks. Many countries have laws that prohibit the cultivation, distribution, possession, or use of marijuana.

Marijuana has many slang names such as hashish, pot, and herb. Marijuana contains more than 400 chemical compounds, and when smoked, it produces about 2,000 chemical substances that enter the body through the lungs. These chemicals have numerous immediate short-term effects. In addition, regular use is associated with many long-term effects.

So, Is Weed Haram for medical use? The basic ruling on consuming marijuana—or any other narcotics—for treatment is prohibition. However, it may be permitted for medical purposes if no lawful alternative exists, or if there is no treatment with less harm than narcotics, and the prescription of such treatment is given by a trustworthy Muslim physician, not merely based on the patient’s own judgment, whims, or desires.

Social and Spiritual Effects of Cannabis

Why is weed haram? There are numerous harms and evils that befall the one who consumes hashish, affecting his person, his religion, his mind and body, his wealth, and his status among people.

Spiritually: The Qur’an has pointed to the evils and harms of intoxicants, stating that their harm outweighs their benefit, that they cause enmity and hatred, and that they distract from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer.

Family-wise: One of its transgressive harms is that the user neglects his family and wastes wealth on these poisons.

Socially: Its societal evils are countless, for the user’s mental faculties become impaired, leading him to act outside the conduct of the sane, the limits of Shari‘ah, and the norms of habit and nature. He becomes prone to committing every kind of social vice and crime—such as murder, fornication, theft, and the like.

Ibn al-Qayyim described wine—and by extension all intoxicants—as:

“It brings disgrace, regret, and scandal; it reduces its drinker to the lowest type of human beings—the insane; it strips him of the best names and traits, and clothes him with the worst names and qualities. It facilitates murder, and makes one a companion of devils in the squandering of wealth.”

As for the harms that extend to the wider society of the Ummah: every nation in which the plague of intoxicants and drugs becomes widespread will be afflicted with weakness and disintegration in its bonds and relationships. Hatred and enmity will spread among its people due to the crimes committed against life, honor, and wealth. Likewise, its productive capacity will diminish, as intoxicants weaken both the workforce and the strength needed to defend its sanctities and sacred values. After all these harms, would any rational person still ask is weed haram?!

How Islamic Scholars Address Modern Substances

How scholars answered to the question of is weed haram? Modern substances like cannabis present new challenges. Scholars use qiyas (analogical reasoning) and ijtihad (independent reasoning) to apply classical rulings to contemporary contexts.

Intoxicating Effect: If a substance impairs judgment or alters consciousness, it falls under the prohibition of khamr (intoxicants).

Necessity and Harm: Medical necessity -that has no alternative- can justify limited use . Recreational use is unanimously forbidden (by consensus).

Trusted Islamic studies academies explain these issues – like the question Is Weed Haram? – to Muslims and clarify their impact on their acts of worship and their entire lives. Your Islamic enlightenment journey is ready to begin with Sharia’ sessions, led by Egyptian Al-Azhar-certified Sheikhs.

Conclusion

If you are asking, is weed haram? Then on the human and health  level, it causes several negative harms that affect the nervous system; it has been established that 30% of those treated in mental hospitals for insanity had their condition caused by the consumption of intoxicants. And on the religious level, it deprives the one who drinks it of the reward of prayer for 40 days, even if he consumes it only once! So what then if he drinks it multiple times?

If there were no harm in intoxicants and drugs except the removal of reason and the loss of uprightness, that alone would suffice; for when the mind is corrupted, all evils follow. That is why the Prophet ﷺ called it ‘the mother of evils’ and ‘the mother of obscenities.’

Experience personalized Islamic learning: Free consultation available with Al-Azhar-certified Sheikhs from Egypt.

FAQs

Is weed haram  if smoked once?
The hadith shows that the main issue is the intoxication. One instance does not mean ongoing sin , but intoxication is still haram.

Can medical cannabis be used without sin?
only if prescribed by a qualified doctor, has no alternative and does not cause intoxication.

Why do scholars mention 40 days?
The “40 days” highlights the serious spiritual and social effects of intoxication, not a literal waiting period.

Does cannabis affect prayers?
Yes, intoxication can invalidate prayer or reduce mindfulness. And if the substance is impure, then it renders the prayer invalid

Is there a difference between edible and smoked cannabis?
The mode of consumption does not change the ruling; intoxication is the key factor.