Islam and Psychedelics: An Essay on the Issues of Permissibility and Medical Utility

Classic psychedelic medicines do not meet the defining characteristics of intoxicants prohibited in Islamic rulings. Intoxicants are defined as substances that veil the mind (khamr), intoxicate (Sakr), cause harm and enmity. The paper compares behavior, neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, and the conscious experience of subjects taking psychedelics versus traditional intoxicants. It argues that psychedelics do not produce the same effects and therefore should not be categorized as intoxicants under Islamic law, citing historical precedent from Ibn Taymiyyah on henbane.

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Islamic rulings on intoxicants prohibit psychoactive compounds which : veil the faculties of the mind (khamr), intoxicate (Sakr), do harm and cause enmity between people (Quran 5:91). Psychedelic drugs, recognised by some as not being within this category of intoxicants [Ibn Taymiyyah on Henbane alFataawa al-Kubra, 3/423], are still deemed intoxicants by both the Muslim world and general society. This paper demonstrates that classic psychedelic medicines do not constitute the characteristics of intoxicants. It does so by observing the following characteristics of subjects taking both types of substances: Behaviour of subjects Neuroimaging and psychopharmacology Phenomenology of the Subjects i.e. the conscious experience produced.