Paradise in Our Homes - II

Episode 11

In the Name of Allah[1], the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.  Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (SAWS[2]).

Welcome back.  We have been talking about drugs for about three weeks now.  We talked about the danger of drug abuse and we saw examples of people suffering the consequences of drug addiction and so on.  This episode, along with the four following ones, is extremely important.  It is important because it will be the start of a new campaign we are launching against drug addiction.  The aim of this campaign is to get all people, young and old, men and women, involved in the battle against drug addiction.  We want to save the society with the help of the society itself; we want people themselves to help each other.

Some people might think that it is not their business, as individuals, to participate in such a mission because there are many specialized organizations and institutions --for example, the police and rehabilitation centers-- which should be responsible for such tasks.  This may be only partially true.  These specialized organizations do exist but are unfortunately unable to bear the enormous burden on their own.  This is because drug addiction is increasingly becoming a widespread problem affecting millions of our sons and daughters in the Arab World.  Drug addiction has become a huge problem that no single governmental organization can handle alone no matter how hard it tries.  Therefore, the entire society must make a move.  People must wake up and realize their responsibility for the society and country they belong to.  This is the aim of the campaign.  It will be something in which all people can participate.  This includes the young and the old, males and females, students and housewives, and all the rest of society.  If we, as individuals, learn how to work together to help solve a general public problem, we might find out that we are able to tackle many other problems that seemed impossible to solve.  We want people to help accomplish two things: increase the awareness of the healthy to stay healthy and to help addicts join treatment programs.

The campaign will last for five weeks.  During these five weeks, we all must do something.  Many of us may not personally know any addicts; this does not matter because we will try to do something that will address all addicts everywhere and no matter where they are.  We may not meet them face-to-face but they will be around us seeing what we are doing all the time.

What I would like to say here is that participation is a must.  It is a must because all of us are negatively affected by the problem of drug addiction in some way or another.  There are millions of drug addicts in the Arab World.  Unfortunately, there are no official statistics that provide us with the exact numbers but this is an estimate from what is published in public newspapers.  Just a few days ago, I read in al-Ahram newspaper that the authorities estimate the number of drug addicts to be five million in Egypt alone.  Can you perceive how serious the problem is?  The presence of five million addicts means that there are about five million families directly suffering from the consequences of drug addiction.  It should be clear that the drug addict harms not only himself by abusing drugs, but also his entire family.  For example, many families have broken up due to the addiction of one of the parents and many addict children steal money from their parents to buy drugs.  Many girls are suffering from the bizarre behavior of their addict brothers and many others who were engaged and then broke up because they discovered that they were about to marry a drug addict!  Many people have died in car accidents caused by addicts!  A large number of crimes we hear about were committed by addicts!  What I am trying to say is that we are all affected and therefore we should all do something.  We should do something for the sake of Allah and His reward and for the sake of the society we belong to.  These millions of drug addicts are our children.  We must not let them die like this.  We are all responsible for them and we must do something to save them.  Above and beyond all what they are causing to the society, something else even more serious about drugs and alcohol should be clarified.  It has been narrated in hadith[3] that the Prophet (SAWS) has actually seen the torment of wine drinkers in hell during al-israa and al-mi’raj[4].  He saw that they will be eating ember in their mouths!  This is very severe torment and we must save our children.

You should be aware that the number of drug addicts is continuously increasing.  It is increasing because drugs are becoming cheaper and more and more available since uncontrolled drug farming is spreading in Afghanistan.  Moreover, there is a strong association between fighting drug addiction and fighting our enemies!  Drug abuse became a problem in Egypt only after Sinai was occupied in 1967.  Only then did Sinai become the gateway through which drugs entered Egypt.  If our brothers and sisters in Gaza are being now killed by the enemy’s bullets, children all around the Arab World are similarly being killed by the enemy’s drugs.  We are feeling terrible for what is happening in Gaza these days and we all want to do something for them.  Many of us may not be able to do something but what we can all do together is to try to awaken our sense of responsibility deep within.  It has been narrated that the Prophet (SAWS) has said that people will soon summon one another to attack Muslims as if they are inviting each other to share a dish.  Someone asked, “Will that be because of the  small number of Muslims at that time?”  The Prophet (SAWS) replied that Muslims will then be rather numerous; however, they will be like the scum and rubbish carried down by a torrent.  This refers to Muslims being negative and selfish and I think that is the real cause of the crisis in Gaza as well as the crisis of publishing the offensive cartoons in Denmark and other countries.  The main problem is that Muslims are becoming negative.  We should all do something in this campaign to prove ourselves otherwise.  If this campaign succeeds, we will go on launching others and people will become more and more positive and eager to do more for their countries.  Again, we are all responsible.  Allah (SWT[5]) says what can be translated as, “And bid them stand; surely they are to be questioned” (TMQ[6], 37: 24).  Omar Ibn-Abdul-Aziz used to cry when hearing this ayah[7]! We are all responsible and we are all to be questioned.

I do not want to make you feel that we are absolutely worthless.  There is still some hope and there is still goodness in the people.  I have several people with me today in the studio who represent good examples of what I am saying.  Rasha is a girl who used to be a Life Maker but she was critically ill.  When she heard about this campaign, she most eager to participate despite her poor health condition.  She said that if she was going to die of her illness, she wanted to save another person’s life from dying of drugs.  We have arranged training sessions for those who wanted to participate with us and Rasha was among the people who attended.  Sadly, she died one week after the training sessions were over.  I have her sister, Iman, with me today in the studio.  I would like to welcome her and give her the good tidings that her sister has done a very valuable thing.  She has done what many of us did not do.  She spent what was left of her short life to save another.  We should all be proud of her.  Another example is Muhammad Riyadh, who is also a Life Maker from Beni Suef.  When I told him about this campaign, he was getting ready for his wedding which was then only 25 days away.  However, he called his family and asked them to postpone the wedding two more weeks so that he would be able to participate in the campaign!  I would like to thank him and I ask Allah (SWT) to be pleased with him and to bless him and his family.  I am telling you about these examples to motivate you and to show you that there are people who are really doing something and that we must all likewise be doing whatever we can for the sake of our nation.

The campaign will last for five weeks.  It starts today, the 7^th of March, and will end on the 14^th of April.  Three main authorities are participating in this campaign: the General Command of Dubai Police lead by General Dhahi Khalfan, the United Nation’s Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) represented by Mr. Muhammad Abdul-Aziz, and Right Start Foundation represented by myself.  This is in addition to all those journalists, stars, and so on who would like to join us.  This campaign is open for everyone to join.  I want no drug addict to move around without hearing about our campaign.  I want this campaign to reach all drug addicts in the Arab World no matter where they are.  Each one of us should be able to save at least one drug addict.  The details of the campaign can be found at www.amrkhaled.net and at www.hemaya.ae.  Please go to these websites and download the leaflet and spread it to all those you know.  You can also download this episode and make everyone listen to it. 

Our plan is as follows: during the first week of the campaign, we want at least one million, “Stop Drugs…Change Your Life” stickers to be posted all around the Arab World.  Download the stickers at www.amrkhaled.net and stick them everywhere young people can possibly be.  This includes youth clubs, universities, high schools, coffee shops, and more.  During the second week, we want at least five thousand events to be launched in the Arab World to increase people’s awareness against drug abuse and addiction.  Events include lectures, symposia, television and radio programs, articles in magazines, Friday Sermons, and whatever you can think of.  During the remaining three weeks we will have the most difficult task.  We will have to direct at least five thousand drug addicts to join treatment programs.  There will be a hotline dedicated to helping connect the addicts with rehabilitation centers around the Arab World and there will be up to 50% discount for those who are directed by our campaign.  These are the three steps comprising our plan; and we will talk extensively about each step when we get to it.  But what you should do today is that you go and download the sticker, print it out, and post it wherever you think drug addicts can see it, and do not forget to enter the number of stickers you have posted online so that we can know when one million stickers have been posted.  Also, there will be an “honor list” at www.amrkhaled.net and at www.hemaya.ae which will include the names of all the people who will participate with us.  These people will be honored in a ceremony at the end of the campaign and we will keep their names and e-mails to contact them again whenever we start a new project.  We are doing this to motivate other people and to show them that our countries are full of good people who are ready to work for the sake of this nation.

Remember that those participating in this campaign will be awarded greatly by Allah (SWT) because they are proactive and doing something for their society.  They will prove themselves not be “scum and rubbish”, and they will have something that can be in their scale of good deeds on the Day of Judgment.  Please be positive and work with us to save our children from the danger of drugs.

[1] The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word "Allah" is most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the One God. The Arabic word expresses the unique characteristics of the One God more precisely than the English term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no plural form in Arabic, the English form does. Allah is the God worshipped by all Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

[2] SAWS = Salla Allah alayhe Wa Salam [All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him]

[3] The Prophet’s actual sayings or actions as narrated by his companions

[4] the night journey of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) from Makkah to Jerusalem and his ascension to the seventh heaven

[5] SWT = Subhanahu wa Ta'ala  [Glorified and Exalted Be He].

[6] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an.  This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an.  Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

[7] A verse in the Qur'an

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