CANNABIS

According to Classical Arabic Sources by Abu Hassan Al-Ghurabi

INTRODUCTION
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Praise belongs to Allah; peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his wives, his family, and all of his companions. This paper was prepared to counter the claim that cannabis, the plant that produces the oft-smoked product known commonly as hashishah [ ]in the East or kif [ ]in the Maghrib, should be forbidden due to its use as an intoxicant. The paper will show, beyond any possible interpreted doubt, that cannabis was not only legal according to the earliest ages of Islam, but it was used to a great extent in Muslim society without harm. Regarding the product (hashishah, kif), there will be a separate paper issued on the permissibility or prohibition thereof. The following will only go to prove the overwhelming proof that the plant should not be forbidden, due to its firstly being a natural creation of Allah without explicit directive for prohibition in the revelation and secondly being a great source of many materials and medicinal uses. With the exception of Murtada Zubaidi, every author mentioned below died before the year 500 on the Hijri calendar. Not a single reference to any intoxicating effects of cannabis was mentioned in any of these books. Author names, when they are first mentioned, are appended by the year of their deaths. To proceed:

LANGUAGE
Qinnab [ ,]translated as cannabis, is a plant that produces a kind of fiber like flax. The poet said,
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A poor persistence of the tall, hunched bachelor pulling rope: and a fibrous rope of cannabis Abaq [ ]is another name for cannabis. Ibn Darid (d. 321) said, Qunnab, qinnab: two well-known Arabic 4 5 words. They are the ropes that are also called abaq. It was also mentioned by Jauhari (d. 393) and Ibn ghuraba.info
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Al-Muhit, Ibn Abbad, 1/485 Al-Jim, Shaibani, 3/79 3 Al-Ain, Khalil, 5/231 4 Al-Jamharah, Ibn Darid, 1/374 5 As-Sihah, Jauhari, 1/206

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CANNABIS
According to Classical Arabic Sources by Abu Hassan Al-Ghurabi

Faris (d. 395) that it is an original Arabic word. The latter added that, regarding its definition, it is wellknown. Maqat [ ]is cannabis rope. Khulub [ ]is a thin rope, tightly wound, made from a hard fiber like 8 9 cannabis. This is opposed to jummal [ ,]which is a rope made from coarse cannabis. Allah said: And they shall not enter Jannahuntil the J-M-L passes through the needles eye (7:40) The common recitation has the vowels of J-M-L as jamal, meaning male camel. It was also recited as jummal according to Ibn Jinni (d. 392) by Ibn Abbas, Said Bin Jubair, Mujahid, Shabi, Abu Ala Bin 10 Shakhir and Abu Raja. Thaalibi (d. 429) said, If a bond is made of leather, it is called talaq [ .]If made of wood, it is called miqtarah [ ]and falaq [ .]If made of metal, it is called nikl [ ]and adham [ .]If made of rope or 11 cannabis, it is called ribq [ ]and safad [.] There is an Arabic adage that states, I have no darak [ ]in this matter. Ibn Anbari (d. 328) said, It means: I have nothing to benefit me or to repel harm. So darak is something that, according to the Arabs, benefits and repels harm. Specifically, it is a rope made of cannabis fastened to two sides of a 12 bucket to protect the main rope from getting wet. It was narrated that Subaih heard Makhul (d. 115) say, when treating his animals hoof injury, In the Name of Allah: You are the Protector, the Healer, the Lasting. Subaih said, He would then knot a new 13 thread of cannabis or hair and fasten it to the animal. Marar [ ]is another type of rope made from cannabis fiber. Marari was a familial name, indicating that the patriarch was a maker or vendor of marar. A number of narrators belonged to this family. Sahl Bin Ismail Marari narrated from Malik and Abd Allah Bin Muhammad the Qadi narrated 15 from him.
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Al-Mujmal, Ibn Faris, 1/734 Al-Fakhir, Mufaddal Bin Salamah, 1/275/420 8 Al-Ain, Khalil, 4/270 9 Al-Jamharah, Ibn Darid, 1/491 10 Al-Muhtasib, Ibn Jinni, 1/249 11 Fiqh Al-Lughah, Thaalibi, 1/179 12 Az-Zahir, Ibn Anbari, 1/517/489 13 Al-Musannaf, Ibn Abi Shaibah, 6/109/29864 14 Al-Ansab, Samani, 12/169/3717 15 Tarikh Asbahan, Abu Nuaim, 1/368/684

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CANNABIS
According to Classical Arabic Sources by Abu Hassan Al-Ghurabi

Abu Hamid Ahmad Bin Muhammad Marari narrated from Ibn Ishaq and Kharkushi narrated from 16 him. Abu Ahmad Muhammad Bin Ahmad Marari narrated from Suli and Abu Uthman Buhairi narrated 17 from him. 18 Abd Allah Bin Abi Jafar Marari narrated from Rabi and Ahmad Sadi narrated from him. Auf Bin Muhammad Marari narrated from Abd Allah Bin Muharrir and Suhail Jarudi narrated 19 from him. 20 Abu Sharif Marari narrated from Abu Yusuf Qari.

SHARI IMPLICATIONS
Shahdanij [ ]is the seed of cannabis. The word is derived from the Persian shah daneh [,] 21 meaning king seed. Abu Yusuf (d. 182) mentioned shahdanij in a list of crops that would obligate 22 charitable payment if its amount reached five ausuq [( ]about 25,000 ounces). Qadi Abu Yala (d. 23 458) agreed with him on this. Muhammad Shaibani (d. 189) mentioned this as well, adding that cannabis 24 by itself, not as a crop, goes untaxed. Mawurdi (d. 450) held that there is no payment on shahdanij, 25 regardless of the amount. Ibn Hazm (d. 456) explained that the whip used for corporal punishment could be made using cannabis.
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TRADE CROPS, CLOTHING, PAPER

Ibn Hauqal (d. 367+) described Tunis as having cannabis, caraway, safflower, honey, ghee, grain, oil, and 27 abundant livestock, all of which was traded at Qairawan. He also mentioned cannabis growing in 28 29 30 Sous. Bashari (d. 380) mentioned cannabis as a major crop in Malathaya (Duhok), Rabanjan and 31 32 Tabaristan, and cannabis-based clothing in Askar.

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Sharaf Al-Mustafa, Kharkushi, 2/473/138 Al-Fawaid, Buhairi, 1/41/40 18 At-Tafsir, Ibn Abi Hatim, 6/1991 19 Al-Musnad, Bazzar, 13/478/7281 20 At-Tarikh, Ibn Yunus, 2/259/692 21 Taj Al-Arus, Murtada Zubaidi, 6/68 22 Al-Kharaj, Abu Yusuf, 1/63 23 Al-Ahkam As-Sultaniyah, Abu Yala, 1/122 24 As-Siyar, Shaibani, 1/281 25 Al-Hawi Al-Kabir, Mawurdi, 3/243 26 Al-Muhalla, Ibn Hazm, 12/85/2193 27 Surat Al-Ard, Ibn Hauqal, 1/74 28 Ibid. 1/91 29 Ahsan At-Taqasim, Bashari, 1/145

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According to Classical Arabic Sources by Abu Hassan Al-Ghurabi

Abu Ubaid Bakri (d. 487) wrote that Kishk also manufactured clothing made of cannabis.

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An unknown author tells that Samarqand was a center from whence spread paper throughout the 34 horizons along with ropes of cannabis. Bairuni (d. 440) said that paper was made in Samarqand by 35 grinding cannabis.

HAIR OIL
Azhari (d. 370) said that he saw Bedouin women making oil from a plant he called tannum [ .]The 36 women would then comb this oil into their hair. Ibn Arabi (d. 231) said that tannum is shahdanij, and he 37 also called it talam [ .]However, there are different opinions regarding tannum, as some say it is a harsh desert plant eaten by ostriches. Akhfash Asghar (d. 315), though, agreed with Ibn Arabi, saying that 38 tannum is the wild shahdanij.

CUISINE
In cuisine, Ibn Qutaibah (d. 276) says that only the seeds of cannabis were eaten. Another source 40 mentions cannabis seed was eaten alongside sesame seed. Ibn Abd Rabbih (d. 328) suggested those 41 who have a natural coolness about them should eat shahdanij.
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FALCONRY
Referring to proper maintenance of ones pet falcon, one of the Fatimid falconers said, When you see your falcon has molted away some of its small feathers and its tail begins to appear, treat it well as previously explained and nurse it with oils. He then mentioned cannabis oil, stating, Along with its 42 richness, it brings warmth; and when it is eaten, the feathers will molt quickly if Allah wills.

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Ibid. 1/324 Ibid. 1/354 32 Ibid. 1/416 33 Al-Masalik Wa Al-Mamalik, Abu Ubaid, 1/266/401 34 Hudud Al-Alim Min Al-Mashriq Ila Al-Maghrib, 1/127/13 35 Al-Jamahir, Bairuni, 1/100 36 Tahdhib Al-Lughah, Azhari, 14/218 37 Ibid. 13/240 38 Al-Ikhtiyarain, Akhfash Asghar, 1/636/17 39 Uyun Al-Akhbar, Ibn Qutaibah, 3/317 40 Ansab Al-Ashraf, Baladhuri, 8/336 41 Al-Aqd Al-Farid, Ibn Abd Rabbih, 8/31 42 Al-Baizarah, 1/76

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MEDICINE
Murtada Zubaidi (d. 1205), in his definition of shahdanij, said, Its indications include helping with malaria when taken as a drink, with vitiligo and leprosy when taken topically, and it kills stomach worms when 43 eaten or through topical use on the belly. Abu Bakr Razi (d. 313) quotes Oribasius state that shahdanij, the seed of cannabis, may cause agitation to 44 a headache. Ibn Sina neither affirms nor denies this. Razi says cannabis oil helps with earaches caused by 45 body coldness. He offers a remedy of boiling galbanum in cannabis oil and putting two drops in the 46 47 48 ear. He also says whenever warmth is lacking, to use faqd [ ]seed , fresh rue, or shahdanij. The 49 latter is also used to dry up an excess supply of semen in a man. Razi finally says that placing a 50 cannabis stalk on a bed will keep away bedbugs and mosquitoes. Ibn Sina (d. 428) wrote that: cannabis oil can be used for earaches and to help eyesight; both its oil and leaves can be used to fight dandruff; and the resin of wild cannabis works as a laxative, stops seizures, and 51 expels phlegm and bile.

CONCLUSION
There is no doubt that cannabis, whether called qinnab, abaq, talam, tannum, or the Persian shahdanij, was a well-known plant to the Arabs. Its many uses, ascertained by anyone who studies herbs and natural remedies, were utilized by the Muslims in the early years of Islam. They used it to make rope, paper, clothing, snacks, and medicines. Scholars even spoke about the possibility of paying or not paying taxes on its production and using it in corporal punishments. Whether there is a connection to its use as an intoxicant, and that will be discussed in a separate paper, such is irrelevant. To outlaw the plant in its entirety is to undoubtedly forbid what Allah made permissible. To place restrictions on its growth and production would be a similar infringement on the rights of Muslim and Dhimmi farmers, traders, physicians and others.

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Taj Al-Arus, Murtada Zubaidi, 6/68 Al-Hawi, Razi, 1/159 45 Ibid. 1/369 46 Ibid. 1/371-372 47 This could be alfalfa, but I am uncertain. 48 Ibid. 3/368 49 Ibid. 3/369 50 Ibid. 5/316 51 Al-Qanun, Ibn Sina, 1/671

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