Excerpt from the book: "Ahkam-o-Masa'il Kitaab-o-Sunnat ki Roshni Mein" by Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani
Is smoking (cigarette) ḥarām (forbidden)? Some people cite the following verse as evidence:
﴿وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ﴾
(Surah al-A'raf: 157)
Is this correct?
There now remains no doubt or ambiguity regarding the prohibition of smoking, as all doctors, physicians, even cigarette factory owners and their workers acknowledge that it is harmful and injurious to health.
On every cigarette pack, the warning is clearly printed:
“Warning! Hazardous to Health.”
So, how can something that harms human health and leads to deadly diseases like cancer be deemed ḥalāl (permissible)?
Hospitals are filled with patients who suffer from various illnesses due to smoking.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ فِي الإِسْلَامِ
(as-Silsilah as-Sahihah 1/249, Ḥadīth: 250)
“There is to be no harm nor reciprocating harm in Islam.”
The stench of cigarettes is so unpleasant that a non-smoker feels severe discomfort if a smoker passes by.
An incident happened with the author during the nights of Tarāwīḥ prayer at Jamia Masjid Abu Bakr Siddīq (Scheme Mor). A man stood in prayer beside the author, covering himself with a thick towel. The stench of cigarette smoke coming from him was so overpowering that even covering the face with a handkerchief didn't help.
After the prayer, the author said to him:
"Brother, did you smoke a cigarette?"
He replied, "Yes," and then immediately left the mosque.
The Prophet ﷺ forbade those who have eaten raw garlic or onions from entering the mosque because their odor causes discomfort to other worshippers. The smell of cigarettes is even worse than that.
It is also true that cigarettes do not fall under the category of ṭayyibāt (pure/permissible things), rather they belong to the khubath and makrūh (impure and repulsive) items.
Hence:
✔ Smoking,
✔ Serving,
✔ Selling, and
✔ Buying cigarettes
is impermissible and incorrect.
May Allah grant us guidance.
He alone is the one who gives tawfīq (ability) and is the true Guide.
And Allah knows best.
❖ Question:
Is smoking (cigarette) ḥarām (forbidden)? Some people cite the following verse as evidence:
﴿وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ﴾
(Surah al-A'raf: 157)
Is this correct?
✿ Answer:
There now remains no doubt or ambiguity regarding the prohibition of smoking, as all doctors, physicians, even cigarette factory owners and their workers acknowledge that it is harmful and injurious to health.
On every cigarette pack, the warning is clearly printed:
“Warning! Hazardous to Health.”
So, how can something that harms human health and leads to deadly diseases like cancer be deemed ḥalāl (permissible)?
Hospitals are filled with patients who suffer from various illnesses due to smoking.
❖ Hadith Evidence:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ فِي الإِسْلَامِ
(as-Silsilah as-Sahihah 1/249, Ḥadīth: 250)
“There is to be no harm nor reciprocating harm in Islam.”
❖ Additional Harms of Smoking:
The stench of cigarettes is so unpleasant that a non-smoker feels severe discomfort if a smoker passes by.
An incident happened with the author during the nights of Tarāwīḥ prayer at Jamia Masjid Abu Bakr Siddīq (Scheme Mor). A man stood in prayer beside the author, covering himself with a thick towel. The stench of cigarette smoke coming from him was so overpowering that even covering the face with a handkerchief didn't help.
After the prayer, the author said to him:
"Brother, did you smoke a cigarette?"
He replied, "Yes," and then immediately left the mosque.
The Prophet ﷺ forbade those who have eaten raw garlic or onions from entering the mosque because their odor causes discomfort to other worshippers. The smell of cigarettes is even worse than that.
❖ Cigarettes Are From the
It is also true that cigarettes do not fall under the category of ṭayyibāt (pure/permissible things), rather they belong to the khubath and makrūh (impure and repulsive) items.
Hence:
✔ Smoking,
✔ Serving,
✔ Selling, and
✔ Buying cigarettes
is impermissible and incorrect.
❖ Final Supplication:
May Allah grant us guidance.
He alone is the one who gives tawfīq (ability) and is the true Guide.
And Allah knows best.
