Are Cigarettes and Naswar Haram? A Complete Explanation in Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil, Aḥkām regarding Food & Drink, Vol. 1, Page 449
❖ Questions
① Are cigarettes and naswar ḥalāl or ḥarām?
② If they are ḥarām, is the prayer of a smoker or naswar user accepted or not? Please explain with Qur’an and ḥadīth.
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
① Cigarettes and naswar are both ḥarām. For proof, consider the fatwā of the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh ʿAbdul ʿAzīz ibn Bāz (رحمه الله):
“Smoking, its buying, and its selling are ḥarām because it is filthy (khabīth) and involves numerous harms. Allah has permitted His servants only pure things and has prohibited filthy things. Allah Almighty says:
﴿يَسَۡٔلُونَكَ مَاذَآ أُحِلَّ لَهُمۡۖ قُلۡ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتُ﴾
(“They ask you what has been made lawful for them. Say: lawful for you are all pure things.” – Al-Māʾidah)
And Allah describes the qualities of His Prophet (ﷺ):
﴿يَأۡمُرُهُم بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَيَنۡهَىٰهُمۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡخَبَٰٓئِثَ﴾
(“He enjoins upon them what is right, forbids them from what is wrong, makes lawful for them the good things, and prohibits them the filthy things.” – Al-Aʿrāf 157)
Thus, smoking in all its forms is not from the pure things but from the filthy ones. Likewise, all intoxicants are from the filthy things. Therefore, it is not permissible to smoke, sell, or trade cigarettes—just as with intoxicants. Whoever smokes or trades them must repent sincerely to Allah, regret the past, and firmly resolve not to return. Allah accepts the sincere repentance of His servant, as He says:
﴿وَتُوبُوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ﴾
(“And all of you, O believers, repent to Allah that you may succeed.” – Al-Nūr 31)
② As for prayer, the prayer itself is performed, but whether it is accepted or not is with Allah Almighty alone. However, such a person (smoker or naswar user) should not be appointed as a permanent Imām.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
