Allah states:
“And don’t be led to Destruction, via your own Hands.”
(Noble-Qur’ān: Chpt.2, V.195)
The Year is 1426, A.H./2005, C.E.: I’m 24/23-Years Old…just came back from making al-Hajj/Pilgrimage. Prior to Hajj I tried to get my Khitān/Circumcision, but I had to wait until I came back to the U.S.
Reasons I didn’t get it circumcised sooner:
a. I wasn’t Muslim-Born.
b. My Parents let some Goofy-Ass Nurse “convince” them to not get me circumcised when I was born, claiming that circumcising a Baby would be “too painful/traumatic”.
c. I Found-Out Years after becoming a Muslim, that al-Khitān is a Mafrūdh/Islāmic-Mandate for All Muslim-Men.
The Pain-Of-Khitān
Undergoing al-Khitān & its Subsequent-Pain thereafter, as a Grown-Ass Person, is about the closest any Man will ever get to experiencing any Woman’s Labor/Birthing-Pain. So, of course, Post-Surgery I get prescribed the Good-Shit: Vicodin.
Lemme tell U Mothafuckas bout Vicodin
Vicodin will put you rite on yo Ass & stop you rite in yo Tracks. Taking Vicodin is like getting Sucka-Punched by Mike Tyson in their Prime: you’re going to hit the Floor…Straight-Up. It’s a “Nite-Nite” Type of Situation. Which is how/why Vicodin is classified as a Narcotic&Opioid and is exclusively a Prescription-Only Medication.
My “Near the Edge” Dance with Vicodin-Dependency/Addiction
I was literally in so much Pain Post-Khitān: my Vicodin-Prescription said 2-Pills every 4-Hours…I was poppin dem Shits 4-Pills every 2-Hours. And…I felt every Drop of that Medical-Misuse. It was like I was High off of Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin, etc. all at the Same-Time. And, it donned on me: if this is supposed to make me Healed and it gets me High like this, I can’t/don’t even want to experience how High the Harām/Forbidden-Shit gets People. I’ve smoked Weed before (the Only-Intoxicant I’ve ever used). But, that Vicodin-High my Nigga…that’s some “Outra This-World” Different-Shit.
My “Fork in the Road” Ijtihād/Decision
When my Vicodin-Prescription ran-out: on the Prescription it read, “2 More Refills”. I said to myself: Nah…I’d rather go through the Pain…Fuck dem Pills. This is not what I signed-up for. Fortunately, via the Rahmah/Mercy-Of-Allah, I was never a Fan of Medication anyway. So, it was a lot easier for me to say: Fuck It…Imma Thug it out & deal with the Circumcision-Pain. But, everyone isn’t built like that.
What my Experience did to help me
Such an Experience actually helped me to be more empathetic/understanding, as per how/why Certain-Persons become Feinds via Substance-Abuse Addiction. Obviously not in All-Cases, however, it’s more often than not. Certain-People don’t necessarily want to get High, but rather they simply want their Pain to die. It’s just that ash-Shaytān/Satan is capable/able to convince Certain-People, that the Only-Way to kill the Pain is to stay High. And, the Pain isn’t necessarily Post-Surgical. The Pain can be the Results of: Domestic-Abuse, Child-Abuse, Sexual-Abuse, Human/Sex-Trafficking, Depression, Death, etc. and All-Types of Other-Shit which drives People to at-Tahzīn (Sadness/Hopelessness).
Since working in my Filed of an-Nasīhah/Chaplaincy
My Personal-Experience, as per the Subject of Self-Medicating, via al-Khamriyyah/Substance-Abuse: it’s equipped me with the Capabilities/Abilities to truly see Things from the Side of the Khamir/Substance-Abuser. Not simply analyzing/assessing the Trauma they either self-impose, but equally the Asbāb/Reasons how&why the Trauma even exists in the 1st-Place. Addiction via any/all it’s Sifāt/Manifestations: that’s actually a Significant-Portion of my Professional-Work as a Nāsih/Chaplain.
Gareth Bryant
Gareth Bryant 