The Rukhsa of Psychedelics in Shariah: Neural Correlates of Religious Experience and the Issue of License
Figshare March 17, 2026 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.31768987.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psychedelic medicines |
| Keywords | Religious experience License Prayer Consciousness Islam Disease Cognitive psychology Psychotherapist |
| Key points | Argues that psychedelic medicines may be permissible under Islamic law for therapeutic use when disease severity or functional impairment thresholds are met, as they are distinct from intoxicants and can mimic spiritual states. |
Abstract
A previous paper by the same author demonstrates that psychedelic medicines differ from intoxicants (khamr) as they do not induce moral impairment or “veil” rational faculties. While unsupervised should remain impermissible due to psychological risks, their therapeutic application may be justified under Islamic law through rukhsa (legal concession). Since psychedelics can mimic neural and phenomenological states which are produced in prayer or meditation, the paper suggests permitting their clinical use when such spiritual practices would otherwise serve as treatment, provided threshold of disease severity or functional impairment is met.