This excerpt is taken from Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi's book Halal and Haram in Islam, translated into Urdu by Muhammad Tahir Naqqash.
Haram things are harmful:
Allah Almighty is the Creator of humans and has countless favors upon them, therefore it is His right alone to declare whatever He wills as lawful (halal) and whatever He wills as unlawful (haram) for humans. There is no question of objecting to this or disobeying Him. This is the right of His Lordship and the explicit demand of His servitude. It is another matter that Allah Almighty has declared halal and haram based on rational reasons, and the true benefit of humans is connected to this. Allah has made only pure things lawful and impure things unlawful.
However, Allah Almighty had forbidden some good things for the Jews as a punishment for their rebellion, but when Allah sent His final Prophet, peace be upon him, with an eternal religion, His mercy required that this burden be lightened. Islam did not forbid wholesome things even as expiation for sins but prescribed other forms of expiation.
◈ Thus, sincere repentance cleanses sins just as water cleans dirt.
◈ Similarly, good deeds remove evils, and charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire.
◈ Moreover, sins fall away in trials and tribulations just as leaves fall in autumn.
For this reason, it became well known that the things Islam has declared unlawful are those that cause harm and damage to humanity in every way.
Thus, whatever was purely harmful (causing damage) was made unlawful, and whatever was purely beneficial was made lawful. Likewise, whatever harm outweighed benefit was made unlawful, and whatever benefit outweighed harm was made lawful. The Quran explicitly states this regarding wine and gambling:
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَيْسِرِ ۖ قُلْ فِيهِمَا إِثْمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِمَا
They ask you about wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit."
Reference: (Al-Baqarah: 219)
It is not necessary for a Muslim to know all the impurities and harms (causes and remedies) for which Islam has declared something unlawful. It may be that his knowledge is less compared to others, and it is also possible that the harm declared unlawful has not yet appeared but may appear in another time. The believer’s duty is always to listen and obey.
Take the example of the pig (swine). Allah has forbidden its meat, but at that time the reason (cause, wisdom) was not understood by Muslims except that it is an impure animal. However, the progress of time revealed that it contains deadly germs and parasites. Even if this revelation had not occurred or if further revelations occur in the future, a Muslim will remain firm in the belief that pork is unlawful.
Another example is clear from the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) hadith:
اتقوا الملاعن الثلاث البراز فى الموارد وقارعة الطريق والظل
Avoid three things that bring curse: defecating in places where people drink water, in the middle of the road, and in shaded places.
Reference: (Abu Dawood, Book of Purification, Chapter on Places Forbidden for Urination, Hadith: 26; Ibn Majah, Book of Purification, Chapter on Prohibition of Defecation on the Roadside, Hadith: 328; and a similar narration in non-Muslim sources in the Book of Purification, Chapter on Prohibition of Defecation on Roads and in Shadows, Hadith: 269 with the wording "Beware of the cursed ones")
In the early centuries, this hadith was understood only to mean these are bad acts against common sense and decency, but after scientific discoveries, we have learned that these acts are very harmful to public health because they spread dangerous contagious diseases.
Thus, as the light of knowledge spreads and the scope of discoveries widens, the wisdoms of Islam hidden in its lawful and unlawful rulings and indeed in the entire legislative system will become clearer. How could there not be wisdom when this Shariah is from the Being who is All-Knowing and Wise and also Merciful to His servants:
وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْمُفْسِدَ مِنَ الْمُصْلِحِ ۚ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَأَعْنَتَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
Allah knows the corrupter as well as the doer of good. If Allah wished, He could have put you into hardship. Indeed, Allah is Ever-Powerful and Most Wise.
Reference: (Al-Baqarah: 220)
It makes one indifferent to halal and haram:
Islam is a religion of the highest virtues and it has made great ease for people. Whatever it has declared forbidden for us, it has certainly provided an alternative. An alternative that fulfills people's needs and also frees them from the forbidden. Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) has shed excellent light on this. He says:
◈ Islam forbade the use of divination by arrows (which were used to determine fate and were considered omens), and instead granted the prayer of Istikhara as a substitute.
◈ It prohibited interest (usury) and in its place permitted profitable trade. Gambling was forbidden, and instead, it made lawful the wealth gained from competitions involving horses, camels, and arrows, which were considered beneficial by Shariah.
◈ Silk was forbidden for men, but in its place, wool, linen, and various types of cotton clothing were granted as adornment.
◈ Adultery and sodomy were forbidden, and instead, the Sunnah of marriage was made lawful.
◈ Intoxicants were forbidden, but as an alternative, delicious drinks were granted which are beneficial for both the soul and the body.
◈ In food items, where impure things were declared forbidden, pure things were declared lawful.
If we follow all the commands of Islam, this reality will become fully clear that if Allah has created hardship for His servants on one side (and this hardship is not without wisdom), He has also opened the door of ease on the other side, because Allah does not want to burden His servants with hardship and difficulty, rather He wants to create ease for them and bless them with good guidance and mercy, as He said:
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ 26 وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَنْ تَمِيلُوا مَيْلًا عَظِيمًا 27 يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ ضَعِيفًا
Allah wants to make clear to you His commands and guide you to the ways of those before you and turn to you in mercy. And Allah is Knowing and Wise. Allah wants to turn to you in mercy, but those who follow their desires want you to stray far away from the right path. Allah wants to lighten your burden because man was created weak.
Reference: (An-Nisa: 26, 28)
Anything that causes something to be forbidden is also forbidden:
The principle of Islam is that whatever causes something to be forbidden (haram) is also forbidden. In this way, Islam has also prevented the means leading to haram. For example, Islam has prohibited adultery, and consequently, the circumstances and stimuli leading to it have also been forbidden. Such as the display of beauty in the manner of the pre-Islamic era (tabarruj jahiliyyah), sinful seclusion, unnecessary mixing of genders, nude pictures, obscene literature, and indecent songs, etc. For this reason, Islamic jurists have established the rule that whatever causes something to be haram is also haram.
This rule is exactly in accordance with the Islamic principle that the sinner is not only the person who commits the haram act but also all those who assist in any capacity in that act share in the sin. Whether the nature of cooperation is material or literary/written. The more they cooperate in the matter of haram, the greater their share in the sin. Accordingly, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) not only cursed the one who drinks alcohol but also the one who squeezes (the grapes), the one who carries it, the one for whom it is carried, and also the one who consumes its price.
Reference: Abu Dawood, Book of Drinks, Chapter on Juice as Wine, Hadith 3674; Ibn Majah, Book of Drinks, Chapter on the Curse on Ten People Regarding Wine, Hadith 3380, 3381
Similarly, the one who consumes usury (riba), the one who gives it, the one who writes its document, and the witnesses, all have been cursed.
Reference: Muslim, Book of Transactions, Chapter on the Curse of the One Who Eats Riba and the One Who Feeds It, Hadith 1598
Therefore, whatever causes assistance in haram is also haram, and whoever assists in haram will share in the sin.
