Does the one who smokes marijuana come under the same ruling as the one who drinks alcohol?
Question

                I am well aware that there are many texts which prohibit alcohol, both in the Qur’an and Sunnah. I am also aware that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prohibited all intoxicants, and that every intoxicant is khamr, and all khamr is haraam. And he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah will not accept any prayer from one who drinks alcohol so long as any trace of it remains in his body.” According to another report: “Whoever drinks alcohol, Allah will not accept any deed from him, and whoever becomes intoxicated as a result, no prayer will be accepted from him for forty days, and if he repents from it and then goes back to it, it will be incumbent upon Allah to give him to drink of the mud of al-khabaal…” and there are other texts, all of which are clear and there is no difference of opinion concerning them at all. But my question is about comparing marijuana to alcohol, and regarding it as being the same, and applying the same punishments for marijuana as for alcohol. I think that this is an exaggeration and needs evidence. The fact that I say this does not mean that marijuana is permissible, but I do not see the similarity between it and alcohol. If we really want to make a comparison, then it is more like smoking cigarettes than alcohol, so if we must apply a ruling to it on the basis of analogy, then we should say that it is like smoking, and as we all know, no scholar says that smoking causes intoxication; the most that may be said concerning it is that it is haraam (prohibited) or makrooh (disliked). In fact one may even say that comparing marijuana to cigarettes also requires further discussion, because the harm caused by cigarettes is obvious, whereas in the case of marijuana it has been scientifically proven that it does not contain any carcinogenic substance, unlike tobacco. In fact, on the contrary, it is used for some medicinal purposes and it has other benefits in several fields. What makes me ask this question is that some people regard it as being exactly like alcohol, and on that basis they say that if a person consumes it, his prayers will not be accepted for forty days, and other punishments. I am a young Muslim man, and I say that I am, unfortunately, addicted to marijuana, but I always offer my prayers on time and I do not compromise regarding the prayer under any circumstances. Can it be said that my prayer will not be accepted for forty days, or that if I repent then I return to it and die, I will be given to drink of the mud of al-khabaal or that my fate will be Hell? I do not feel comfortable with such words. I hope that you can clarify.
Praise be to Allah.
		Firstly: 

	Before discussing the ruling on marijuana, it is essential to 
	find out what it really is, and the effects that are caused by this 
	substance.

	Marijuana is one of the derivatives of the cannabis plant (Cannabis 
	indica). This is a plant 
	that has an intoxicating effect, and it is very common in Arab countries 
	where it is known by a number of names (such as “bangue” in Egypt; bangue is 
	something other than hasheeh), or by the Western names for it, such as 
	marijuana.

	The unprocessed form of the drug is composed of the dried 
	mature flowers and leaves of the plant. 

	The processed product is known as hashish, which is basically 
	composed of the glandular trichomes that are collected from the same plants. 
	The main active substance in cannabis is the organic chemical compound Delta 
	nine tetrahydrocannabinol, which is known as THC. 

	Hashish is a hallucinogenic substance when taken in large 
	doses. Smoking hashish is the most common method of consumption and has the 
	greatest effect on the central nervous system, because the active substance 
	quickly reaches the bloodstream from the lungs, and from there it reaches 
	the brain, making the individual feel relaxed, drowsy, happy, euphoric and 
	joyful; it makes him feel very weak, unable to concentrate or focus. It also 
	affects the short-term and working memory. The individual may also lose 
	balance and experience impaired motor skills, increased heart rate, 
	increased impulsivity, a fall in blood pressure, and dryness of the mouth 
	and throat.

	End quote from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia 

	Secondly: 

	Once the nature of marijuana becomes clear, we will realise 
	that it is indeed a kind of khamr, and all the rulings on khamr are 
	applicable to it. Shar‘i rulings cannot be determined on the basis of one’s 
	reasoning or ideas; rather they are to be based on shar‘i texts and the 
	rulings of Allah and His Messenger on the matter. The Prophet (blessings and 
	peace of Allah be upon him) called all intoxicants khamr and applied all the 
	relevant rulings to them: 

	Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (2003) that Ibn ‘Umar 
	(may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and 
	peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Every intoxicant is khamr and every 
	intoxicant is haraam. Whoever drinks khamr in this world and dies when he is 
	addicted to it and has not repented, will not drink it in the Hereafter.” 

	If marijuana is an intoxicating substance, as explained 
	above, and what it is and what it causes is well-known and well-established, 
	then it is undoubtedly khamr and is subject to the same rulings as khamr in 
	this world and the hereafter. 

	It does not matter if something only causes intoxication when 
	consumed in large amounts, but small amounts do not cause intoxication, 
	because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: 
	“Whatever causes intoxication in large amounts, a small amount of it is 
	haraam.” 

	Narrated by an-Nasaa’i (5607) and others; classed as saheeh 
	by al-Albaani. 

	Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) 
	discussed this matter at length, explaining the rulings on what you have 
	asked about. He discussed this substance (marijuana or hashish) and stated 
	that all the rulings on khamr are applicable to it. He (may Allah have mercy 
	on him) said:

	As for the accursed intoxicant hashish, it is the same as 
	other intoxicating substances, and what intoxicates of it is haraam 
	according to scholarly consensus. In fact anything that causes a person to 
	become unconscious is prohibited to eat, even if it does not cause 
	intoxication, such as banj (Hyoscyamus niger, commonly known as 
	henbane or stinking nightshade, a plant with psychoactive properties that 
	was historically used as an anaesthetic and for other purposes). The hadd 
	punishment is required for consuming intoxicating substances, and a 
	disciplinary punishment (ta‘zeer) may be imposed in other cases, where the 
	substance consumed does not intoxicate but it renders one unconscious. 

	Consuming small amounts of intoxicant hashish is haraam 
	according to the majority of scholars, as is also the case with regard to 
	consuming small amounts of any other intoxicant. 

	The words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be 
	upon him), “Every intoxicant is khamr and every khamr is haraam” include 
	everything that causes intoxication, and it makes no difference whether the 
	intoxicant is eaten or drunk, or whether it is solid or liquid. If the 
	hashish is turned into liquid and drunk, it is still haraam. 

	Our Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was 
	sent with concise speech, so if he spoke a comprehensive word that was 
	general in meaning, a lot of words and meanings may come under that 
	category, whether they are the exact same things that existed in his time 
	and in the place where he lived, or otherwise. When he said “Every 
	intoxicant is haraam,” that included what existed in Madinah of intoxicating 
	drinks made from dates and so on, and it also included what existed in Yemen 
	of intoxicating drinks made from wheat, barley, honey and other things. It 
	also includes what was introduced later on of alcoholic drinks made from 
	mare’s milk, which was common among the Turks and others. None of the 
	scholars differentiated between intoxicants made from mare’s milk or 
	intoxicants made from wheat and barley, even though one of them existed and 
	was known at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him), and the other was not known at that time, because no one in the Arab 
	land made intoxicating  drinks from mare’s milk. 

	The first report we have of hashish appearing among the 
	Muslims was at the end of the sixth century AH and beginning of the seventh 
	century, when the Tatar state emerged, at the time when Genghis Khan 
	attacked the Muslims. At that time, people began to commit openly acts that 
	Allah and His Messenger had forbidden, and because of these sins Allah 
	caused the enemy to prevail over them. This accursed hashish was one of the 
	greatest of evils, for it is worse than drinking intoxicants in some ways, 
	and intoxicant drinks are worse than it in other ways. In addition to 
	causing the one who consumes it to become intoxicated to the extent that he 
	is completely dazed and stupefied, hashish also causes a person to develop 
	an effeminate attitude, become a cuckold (who does not care about 
	impropriety on the part of female family members), and to become disturbed. 
	It makes one eat a great deal and may lead to insanity. Many people have 
	become insane because of consuming it. 

	Some people say that it alters the mind, so it does not cause 
	intoxication like banj (henbane), but that is not true. Rather it gives a 
	sense of pleasure and euphoria like alcohol, and this is what prompts people 
	to consume it. A little of it leads to more, like intoxicating drinks, and 
	if a person becomes used to it, it is more difficult to wean oneself from it 
	than is the case with alcohol. So in some ways the harm it causes is greater 
	than that caused by alcohol. 

	Hence the fuqaha’ said that the hadd punishment must be given 
	for it, as in the case of alcohol, but they differed as to whether it is 
	najis (impure). … 

	If a person becomes intoxicated as a result of drinking 
	alcohol or consuming intoxicating hashish, it is not permissible for him to 
	come near the mosque until he sobers up, and his prayer is not valid until 
	he knows what he is saying. He must wash his mouth, hands and garments in 
	either case (i.e., whether he has drunk alcohol or consumed hashish), and 
	prayer is still obligatory for him, although it will not be accepted from 
	him for forty days, unless he repents, as the Prophet (blessings and peace 
	of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever drinks alcohol, no prayer will be 
	accepted from him for forty days, then if he repents, Allah will accept his 
	repentance. If he drinks it again, no prayer will be accepted from him for 
	forty days, then if he repents Allah will accept his repentance. Then if he 
	drinks it again, it will be incumbent upon Allah to give him to drink of the 
	mud of al-khabaal.” It was said: What is the mud of al-khabaal? He said: 
	‘The juice of the people of Hell – or the sweat of the people of Hell.” 

	As for the view of those who say that there is no verse or 
	hadith about marijuana, this stems from ignorance, for the Qur’an and hadith 
	contain comprehensive words which state general principles and holistic 
	issues, and cover everything that comes under that heading. Everything that 
	is included under that heading is included in the Qur’an and hadith in 
	general terms, but it is not possible to mention every single thing by its 
	specific name. 

	End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam 
	(34/204-207) 

	What you must do is give up this serious problem and be 
	strong in adhering to the command of Allah. Do not compromise with regard to 
	your whims and desires; preserve your religious commitment and protect your 
	prayer from consuming khamr, lest khamr (intoxicating substance) lead to 
	ruin in your religious and worldly affairs. If the matter requires medical 
	rehabilitation, then you must do that immediately and seek help thereby to 
	give up this problem that you are faced with. 

	We ask Allah to open your heart to that which He loves and is 
	pleased with of words and deeds, and to bless you by enabling you to repent 
	sincerely. 

	And Allah knows best.