Chewing Qat

Question
People in Yemen chew qat, including pregnant women, claiming that it does not cause harm and that a person remains fully mentally capable. What is the ruling on this, and is it permissible to pray while it is in the mouth?
Answer
I say, and with God's help: It is forbidden if it is associated with the wicked and causes loss of reason, and if it is common for everyone and does not cause loss of reason, then it is not forbidden. It is a condition for the validity of prayer that one has reason and that there is nothing in the mouth that makes one feel its taste in the throat or prevents one from reading. If the killer occurs, the prayer is invalidated with it. And God knows best.
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