The Madrasah Khairul Insan, Jenagor in Hulu Terengganu allows those undergoing treatment to return home for Raya but Rahman has not done so over the past five years.

He said it was the best way to save himself from returning to drug addiction and smuggling.

“When you play with drugs, it destroys your family and children. It ruins your relationship with God and even your surrounding community. That’s why people call us the scum of society when we’ve got into drugs.

“I’m not a hardcore addict, I was more involved with smuggling. I was a runner for drugs between states. I was also a heavy gambler,” he told FMT when met at the madrasah.

His past life of vices led to several arrests and stints in prison, but he did not repent, especially as the big bucks he earned from his smuggling enabled him to lead a luxurious lifestyle.

But everything changed when he decided to take his family’s advice and undergo a rehabilitation programme at the madrasah.

“When I was here for the first three months, I felt that I was all right and could leave this place. But it turned out that that wasn’t the case,” he said.

Now, Rahman is content to spend the rest of his life here as long as it keeps him on the right path.

The madrasah, managed by Persatuan Insan Prihatin Terengganu, employs a spiritual approach to its rehabilitation programme, with religious studies a core subject.

Its chairman, Mohd Ariff Yong, said it was founded more than two decades ago and did not employ any special treatment. Instead, its participants are taught about Islam to draw them closer to God.

He said those seeking treatment here did not come into contact with “negative elements because we’re located at the riverbank and there’s a forest around us. So outsiders can’t come in as and when they like”.