HARAM – حرام

 

Anything or any act prohibited and proscribed by Allah (jalla jalâluhu). The opposite of haram is halal.

 

The rule ofاِنَّ الضَّرُورَاتِ تُبِيحُ الْمَحْظُورَاتِ , that is, “Dharûrah makes halal what is haram”. Thus, this rule is not universal. If dharûrah did not occur by way of haram, it causes to make halal what is haram. Otherwise, if dharûrah occurred due to misuse of the will or haram causes, it cannot make halal what is haram, cannot be the source of the judgements with rukhsah and cannot constitute an excuse.

For example, if, through misusing his will, in a haram way, a man makes himself drunk, according to ‘ulamâ of the Sharî’ah, his actions are in force against him; he is not accepted as excused. If he divorces his wife, the divorce is in force. And if he commits a crime, he receives the punishment. But if it is not through misusing his will, the divorce is not in force neither does he receive any penalty. And, for example, an alcohol addict — even if his addiction is at the degree of dharûrah — cannot say: "It is a dharûrah; it is halal for me."

Thus, at this time, there are many matters that are considered dharûrah; they have taken the form of a general calamity that causes people to be addicted to them. Since they were born out of misuse of the will, haram inclinations and acts, they cannot be the source of the judgements with rukhsah and cannot cause to make halal what is haram. Whereas, since the people of ijtihad of the present time make those dharûrahs the source of judgements of the Sharî’ah, their ijtihâd is earthly and philosophic; they arise from the desires of their nafs; they cannot be sâmâwî and are not from the Sharî’ah. Whereas, if there is no ma’nawî permission of Al-Khâliq, the interference in the laws of Al-Khâliq of the samâwât and the earth and meddling in the ‘ibâdah of His ‘abds are rejected.

The Twenty-Seventh Word/The Third/The Fifth