Use your intellect to reject intoxicants
“The danger of it is more than how it weighs the benefits of it.”
The khutbah argues that Muslims must use the intellect Allah gave them to read revelation in full, reject intoxicants despite apparent benefits, resist peer pressure through self-discipline, and guide children through honest conversation.
The khutbah in 6 steps
- Opens by contrasting Allah’s guidance with fortune-telling and introduces intellect (aql) as a divine gift.
- Explains how environments and peer pressure can shape college students and distort religious reasoning.
- Uses Surah al-Baqarah to show that intoxicants may have benefits, but their sin and harm are greater.
- Warns against partial-verse reasoning, small amounts of intoxicants, and sitting in drinking gatherings.
- Defines success as self-discipline rather than social conformity and urges parents to discuss these temptations honestly with their children.
- Closes with supplication and reminders about using intellect in faithful practice.
In the khateeb's words
“Allah gave us this ni'mah to use it, not only this, and to protect it as well.”
“The danger of it is more than how it weighs the benefits of it.”
“The fact that they don't come talk to you, it doesn't mean that they don't do this stuff. They do.”
For the dinner table
Today's khutbah began with a funny story. A man paid a fortune teller again and again to hear about his future, and each year sounded worse than the last. The khateeb used it to remind us that Allah gave us a precious gift, our 'aql, which is our mind and our ability to understand, and that we should use it well and not misuse it. He explained that the Qur'an mentions some benefits in alcohol and intoxicants, but in the same verse Allah says their harm and sin are greater than their benefit. That is why we must always read the whole verse and not stop halfway. He reminded us that where we spend our time and who we spend it with shape who we become. He also said real success comes from self-discipline, meaning we stand firm in what is right instead of following whatever everyone around us is doing.
- Why do you think Allah wants us to read the whole verse instead of just one part of it?
- Have you ever felt pressure to do something just because everyone around you was doing it? What did you do?
- The imam compared someone with no self-control to a tree blown around by the wind. What helps you stay strong and rooted?
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