Sheikh Abdul-Razak Adamo Thani, an Islamic Scholar from Nigeria, has advised Ghanaian youth against the abuse of drugs such as Tramadol.
Sheikh Thani said Islam speaks against the use of drugs for illicit purposes, hence it was a sin for one to go contrary to what the Holy Quran says.
“The Holy Quran says do not kill yourself by using hard drugs, in Islamic laws, it is forbidden for any child or for any youth to be using drugs that are not permissible in Islam,” he said.
Sheikh Adamo made the call at a Ramadan Public Lecture organised by Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT) in Accra over the weekend on the theme: “Islamic View Regarding Drug Abuse.”
He noted that Tramadol, like any other drug, was not a bad drug in itself but the way the youth have been overusing it without prescription makes it a matter of concern.
He said many lives were perishing as a result of the abuse of these drugs, which had now taken a trend in the society. He therefore advised the youth to abide with government directives on the abuse of drugs.
“It (Tramadol abuse) easily ruins the life of the youth and it can lead to their madness and other things that can kill them entirely.
“So I am hereby imploring every youth to be law abiding. When the government says this is what we want our youth to be doing, they should do it. They should move away from all kinds of bad attitudes that can impact their lives negatively.
“Parents also have to take good care of their children because children are gifts from Almighty Allah. And Allah wants us to help them acquire knowledge, for example, taking them to school, so that they will be able to know what is good and what is bad,” he said.
He added that societies must come together and fight against the canker because it was killing the next generation.
Tramadol, a restricted medication used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain, has become almost “a street drug” for the treatment of a normal pain like a headache, sometimes with approval from health practitioners.
Meanwhile, he urged all Muslims to take opportunity of the Ramadan period to get closer to their maker.
“My advice to every Muslim during this month of Ramadan is to be law abiding and Almighty Allah wants us to be generous. When you have, give others, that is what we are being taught by the month of Ramadan.
“Ramadan is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet Mohammed. So the recitation of the Holy Quran during this month is more paramount for every Muslim.
“The more we read the more we move very closer to Almighty Allah. During this month we may have abandoned all bad things, and we should not go back after the period.”
NASFAT is a pacesetting Islamic organisation with branches in over 52 countries and a membership base of more than 15 million worldwide.
GNA