Ethical Relationships: Substance Abuse

How does Islam view substance addiction? What happens to the soul of the person suffering from addictive disorder? What happens to their relationship with God? These are some of the questions that this article tries to answer. Three models on drug addiction from an Islamic theological perspective will be explored here. Two of them are preventative models based on an understanding of society rooted in shame-culture, while the third model, called Millati Islami, practiced in the USA, is founded on the Islamic understanding of tawba (repentance). Furthermore, drugs and addiction in scripture, as well as medieval Muslim society’s attitude towards them, are explored. As a whole, the models discussed in the article demonstrate that Islamic theology possesses the intellectual and theoretical tools to develop fully-fledged theological models of addiction. This paper concludes by suggesting that one model should be explored.

Through narrative analysis, this paper explores the changes in acceptance ofand response to substance use in Muslim culture by evaluating data collected in qualitativeinterviews in Jordan in 2013. What is known and unknown about substance use in Muslimculture throughout the Arab world from previous research findings provides a foundationfrom which to explore new perspectives and compare themes between younger and oldergenerations in Jordan. Trends of social change and behavioral expression influenced bydramatic political and social upheaval in the Arab world in the last 5 years will also beevaluated for the way in which they may be influencing both substance use and its ac-ceptance among young adults in this population. Recommendations for future research andwork in this area are also provided based on these findings