In regards to opium this is just another foolish allegation of the Anti Ahmadis. Firstly opium and alcohol through a medication point is a whole different story. Imam Abu Hanifa(ra) and the entire hanafi fiqh believe one can take alcohol if it is needed for medicinal purposes. Bilal Philips a modern day salafi scholar also has this view and so do many other scholars. If Ahmad(as) used opium for other purposes how did he make such logical arguments and make every scholar in the entire world look ignorant when it came to the Qur’an, Ahadith or even Bible or Vedas or any single religious book?In the eyes of many doctors opium used to be half of the medicine and using it as a intoxicant for medicinal purposes has no objection to it.The use of opium for medicinal purposes is an entire different story in comparison to why others use it. Many of us have used it without even knowing. Here is a detailed answer from Al Fazl:
Dr Muhammad Salah has said if it’s a insignificant amount of the intoxicant than it is permissible. Ahmad(as) did not use opium for any purpose other than his needs for his health which is allowed by the anti Ahmadi huda live scholar as well. He has said even alcohol in medicine is indeed allowed.
Zakir Naik a scholar with millions of people following him as their main scholar worldwide, also has said that if it is for medicinal purpose and is the only one available for you than it is indeed permissible.He even says if it is prescribed you are allowed to take It . He says if it is required and if it’s a drug you are allowed to take it. He says any major drawback you have you can indeed take medicine for it. He has clearly said alcohol for medicine is also allowed.
One again the greatest imam of majority of the sunnis for fiqh has clearly said : for medical or other lawful purposes it is allowed as long as it does not reach the level of intoxication (Takmila Fath al-Mulhim Sharh Sahih Muslim, 3/608)
The Holy Qur’an itself has even said in regards to pork which we all know is not allowed in Islam:
Say, ‘I find not in what has been revealed to me aught forbidden to an eater who wishes to eat it, except it be that which dies of itself, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine — for all that is unclean — or what is profane, on which is invoked the name of other than Allah. But whoso is driven by necessity, being neither disobedient nor exceeding the limit, then surely thy Lord is Most Forgiving, Merciful. (Chapter 6 Verse 146)
In the end it is clear that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) did not use anything unlawful. He only used anything he did for medicinal purposes which is allowed in Islam by majority of the scholars and Allah has even said about pork which is way worst that if you have to in such a situation it is not haram for you.
Now there are many people who have lied in regards to the opium incident. They quote Siratul Mahdi which is relating to the problem of Ahmad(as) in regards to having children from around 1884. In this regards Ahmad(as) writes:
November 1884 One of the problems that I encountered at the time of my marriage was that, as my heart and brain suffered from weakness and I had suffered many illnesses…, my sexual power was almost nonexistent and my life was like that of an old man. Therefore, some of my friends expressed concern at this marriage… that I was not fit for it because of such a weak condition… In short, I supplicated the Almighty regarding this problem and He revealed to me a prescription to treat the ailment. I saw in a vision that an angel was feeding me the medicines. I prepared that prescription and God blessed it so much that I was convinced that I had been given the vigour and strength which can be attained by a man of perfect health. Thereafter, four sons were bestowed upon me. [Tiryaqul-Qulub, pp. 35–36, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol.15, pp.203–204]
The first passage is in regards to marriage and Allah allowing it for marriage which is the reason Ahmad(as) used the medicine Allah had prescribed which hardly had any opium in it. Then they quote a passage of a friend saying opium is beneficial for diabetes. These are two different instances. One was in regards to having children in 1884 and one in regards to diabetes which occurred much after this incident to which Ahmad(as) replied by saying he would not take the medicine. It is two complete different stories for different reasons and Ahmad(as) clearly says I do not want to form the habit of this. The definition for the anti Ahmadis who sadly lack knowledge in the English language for habit is : “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up”
Here Ahmad(as) himself has hinted to the use of it before in regards to his November 1884 incident by using the word habit itself. Ahmad(as) denied using it for diabetes and never did. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) never used it for diabetes rather only the incident where Allah allowed it in 1884. He only denied the use of this for diabetes and he only used it upon revelation in November 1884 for sickness which is allowed.
There are many more famous scholars who have used opium as a medicine and are known to be the greatest sunni scholars. One example is of Al Razi who was a doctor and is known throughout the Islamic world:
“By the time of the Islamic Empire, about 900 AD, the doctor Al Razi was using opium as an anaesthetic so his patients wouldn’t feel the pain of surgical operations. Muslims arriving in India about 1000 AD brought opium there; Indian medical books from 1200 AD discuss the use of opium to control Diarrhea (which works fine).”
The official website of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine states:
Unlike the polypharmacy promoted by some other Islamic authors in the 9th century, al-Razi rarely recommends compound remedies, and when he does, these have few ingredients.
“All the leading physicians of Baghdad used medicines whose beneficial effects had been identified during the classical period. For example, they used opium in a variety of forms, both external and internal, for ailments and conditions in every part of the body, especially where pain was involved. Opium was considered particularly effective for diseases of the intestines and of the eyes, but it also featured in a number of remedies to treat gout and painful joints.
The inflammation of joints associated with gout might explain why ancient Greek physicians described the condition under various names, which they appear to have applied to gout and rheumatism alike. Al-Razi gives four recipes for `gout and the joints’ in Kitab al-Hawi. All of these are pastes or dressings to be applied to the painful areas with, in one instance, a damp piece of paper or cloth to keep the medication moist. Opium occurs in all of them, henbane in one and hemlock in two—one of which also has mandrake. A paste that al-Razi describes as good contains equal parts of opium and liquid storax (Liquidambar orientalis).”
The Power of the Poppy: Harnessing Nature’s Most Dangerous Plant Ally, which is an academic work by Kenaz Filan states:
The medicine used by Ahmad(as) did not simply have opium rather had a mixture of other things as well. He did not use opium itself, rather it was in a medicine which he used. Many of us have used opium without noticing as it is used in countless of medicines:
Some others raise the allegation that Opium is never used for such reasons which is also baseless. The encyclopedia states:
“The Persian physician Abū ‘Alī al-Husayn ibn Sina (“Avicenna”) described opium as the most powerful of the stupefacients, in comparison to mandrake and other highly effective herbs, in The Canon of Medicine. The text lists medicinal effects of opium, such as analgesia, hypnosis, antitussive effects, gastrointestinal effects, cognitive effects, respiratory depression, neuromuscular disturbances, and sexual dysfunction. It also refers to opium’s potential as a poison. Avicenna describes several methods of delivery and recommendations for doses of the drug. This classic text was translated into Latin in 1175 and later into many other languages and remained authoritative into the 17th century. Şerafeddin Sabuncuoğlu used opium in the 14th-century Ottoman Empire to treat migraine headaches, sciatica, and other painful ailments” (“Medicinal aspects of opium as described in Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine.”. Acta Med Hist Adriat 11: 101–12. 2013. PMID23883087. Retrieved 25 November 2014.)
Dr Muhammad Salah has said if it’s a insignificant amount of the intoxicant than it is permissible. Ahmad(as) did not use opium for any purpose other than his needs for his health which is allowed by the anti Ahmadi huda live scholar as well. He has said even alcohol in medicine is indeed allowed.
Zakir Naik a scholar with millions of people following him as their main scholar worldwide, also has said that if it is for medicinal purpose and is the only one available for you than it is indeed permissible.He even says if it is prescribed you are allowed to take It . He says if it is required and if it’s a drug you are allowed to take it. He says any major drawback you have you can indeed take medicine for it. He has clearly said alcohol for medicine is also allowed.
One again the greatest imam of majority of the sunnis for fiqh has clearly said : for medical or other lawful purposes it is allowed as long as it does not reach the level of intoxication (Takmila Fath al-Mulhim Sharh Sahih Muslim, 3/608)
The Holy Qur’an itself has even said in regards to pork which we all know is not allowed in Islam:
Say, ‘I find not in what has been revealed to me aught forbidden to an eater who wishes to eat it, except it be that which dies of itself, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine — for all that is unclean — or what is profane, on which is invoked the name of other than Allah. But whoso is driven by necessity, being neither disobedient nor exceeding the limit, then surely thy Lord is Most Forgiving, Merciful. (Chapter 6 Verse 146)
In the end it is clear that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) did not use anything unlawful. He only used anything he did for medicinal purposes which is allowed in Islam by majority of the scholars and Allah has even said about pork which is way worst that if you have to in such a situation it is not haram for you.
Now there are many people who have lied in regards to the opium incident. They quote Siratul Mahdi which is relating to the problem of Ahmad(as) in regards to having children from around 1884. In this regards Ahmad(as) writes:
November 1884 One of the problems that I encountered at the time of my marriage was that, as my heart and brain suffered from weakness and I had suffered many illnesses…, my sexual power was almost nonexistent and my life was like that of an old man. Therefore, some of my friends expressed concern at this marriage… that I was not fit for it because of such a weak condition… In short, I supplicated the Almighty regarding this problem and He revealed to me a prescription to treat the ailment. I saw in a vision that an angel was feeding me the medicines. I prepared that prescription and God blessed it so much that I was convinced that I had been given the vigour and strength which can be attained by a man of perfect health. Thereafter, four sons were bestowed upon me. [Tiryaqul-Qulub, pp. 35–36, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol.15, pp.203–204]
The first passage is in regards to marriage and Allah allowing it for marriage which is the reason Ahmad(as) used the medicine Allah had prescribed which hardly had any opium in it. Then they quote a passage of a friend saying opium is beneficial for diabetes. These are two different instances. One was in regards to having children in 1884 and one in regards to diabetes which occurred much after this incident to which Ahmad(as) replied by saying he would not take the medicine. It is two complete different stories for different reasons and Ahmad(as) clearly says I do not want to form the habit of this. The definition for the anti Ahmadis who sadly lack knowledge in the English language for habit is : “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up”
Here Ahmad(as) himself has hinted to the use of it before in regards to his November 1884 incident by using the word habit itself. Ahmad(as) denied using it for diabetes and never did. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) never used it for diabetes rather only the incident where Allah allowed it in 1884. He only denied the use of this for diabetes and he only used it upon revelation in November 1884 for sickness which is allowed.
There are many more famous scholars who have used opium as a medicine and are known to be the greatest sunni scholars. One example is of Al Razi who was a doctor and is known throughout the Islamic world:
“By the time of the Islamic Empire, about 900 AD, the doctor Al Razi was using opium as an anaesthetic so his patients wouldn’t feel the pain of surgical operations. Muslims arriving in India about 1000 AD brought opium there; Indian medical books from 1200 AD discuss the use of opium to control Diarrhea (which works fine).”
The official website of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine states:
Unlike the polypharmacy promoted by some other Islamic authors in the 9th century, al-Razi rarely recommends compound remedies, and when he does, these have few ingredients.
“All the leading physicians of Baghdad used medicines whose beneficial effects had been identified during the classical period. For example, they used opium in a variety of forms, both external and internal, for ailments and conditions in every part of the body, especially where pain was involved. Opium was considered particularly effective for diseases of the intestines and of the eyes, but it also featured in a number of remedies to treat gout and painful joints.
The inflammation of joints associated with gout might explain why ancient Greek physicians described the condition under various names, which they appear to have applied to gout and rheumatism alike. Al-Razi gives four recipes for `gout and the joints’ in Kitab al-Hawi. All of these are pastes or dressings to be applied to the painful areas with, in one instance, a damp piece of paper or cloth to keep the medication moist. Opium occurs in all of them, henbane in one and hemlock in two—one of which also has mandrake. A paste that al-Razi describes as good contains equal parts of opium and liquid storax (Liquidambar orientalis).”
The Power of the Poppy: Harnessing Nature’s Most Dangerous Plant Ally, which is an academic work by Kenaz Filan states:
The medicine used by Ahmad(as) did not simply have opium rather had a mixture of other things as well. He did not use opium itself, rather it was in a medicine which he used. Many of us have used opium without noticing as it is used in countless of medicines:
Some others raise the allegation that Opium is never used for such reasons which is also baseless. The encyclopedia states:
“The Persian physician Abū ‘Alī al-Husayn ibn Sina (“Avicenna”) described opium as the most powerful of the stupefacients, in comparison to mandrake and other highly effective herbs, in The Canon of Medicine. The text lists medicinal effects of opium, such as analgesia, hypnosis, antitussive effects, gastrointestinal effects, cognitive effects, respiratory depression, neuromuscular disturbances, and sexual dysfunction. It also refers to opium’s potential as a poison. Avicenna describes several methods of delivery and recommendations for doses of the drug. This classic text was translated into Latin in 1175 and later into many other languages and remained authoritative into the 17th century. Şerafeddin Sabuncuoğlu used opium in the 14th-century Ottoman Empire to treat migraine headaches, sciatica, and other painful ailments” (“Medicinal aspects of opium as described in Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine.”. Acta Med Hist Adriat 11: 101–12. 2013. PMID23883087. Retrieved 25 November 2014.)