Islamic Ruling Regarding Smoking

FATWA #023/ACJU/F/2006

Answer: All praise is due to Almighty Allah. May peace and blessings be upon His final Messenger, Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), and upon his family members and companions.

Since the harmful consequences caused by the use of tobacco had not been scientifically and comprehensively established during the period in which the eminent Imams lived, they did not issue a definitive ruling regarding smoking. Rather, most of them stopped at the ruling that smoking is Makruh (disliked).

However, modern scientific and medical research has conclusively established that tobacco, which is the primary ingredient used in cigarettes and other smoking products, contains more than 3,800 chemical substances. Although many of these substances are removed during the cigarette manufacturing process, substances such as Nicotine 40.1%, Carbohydrate 20.2%, Protein 13.1%, Organic Acid 17.5%, and Volatile Oils 1.5% remain. Tobacco also contains highly toxic substances such as Pyrolidine and Methyl Pyrotine, as well as poisonous substances such as Tar, Carbon Monoxide, Arsenic, and Butane. It is also stated that ingesting even 1 mg of Nicotine is sufficient to cause death.

Furthermore, smoking can cause various harms and adverse consequences, including:

• Causing cancer;
• Damage to the lungs;
• Miscarriages among pregnant women;
• Inflammation of the respiratory tract;
• Heart disease;
• Formation of blood clots in the blood vessels;
• Inflammation of the urinary bladder;
• Heart attacks;
• Impotence;
• Damage and constriction of blood vessels;
• High blood pressure;
• Wasting money through unnecessary expenditure; and
• Causing inconvenience to others through bad breath.

The above-mentioned harms and many other adverse effects are among the matters that are strongly prohibited by the following verses of the Holy Qur’an and Prophetic narrations:

• “And do not kill yourselves. Surely Allah is ever Merciful to you.” (Surah An-Nisa’: 29)
• “And do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 195)
• “And do not spend wastefully. Surely, the wasteful are brothers of the devils.” (Surah Bani Isra’il: 27)
• The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The angels are also harmed by whatever causes harm to human beings.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)
• Umm Salamah (Radiyallahu Anha) narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) prohibited substances that cause intoxication and substances that cause harm or weakness. (Abu Dawud)

In light of the above-mentioned verses of the Holy Qur’an and Prophetic narrations, numerous Islamic scholars from countries such as Makkah, Madinah, Egypt, Turkey, Yemen and Syria have issued the ruling that smoking is Haram (prohibited). (Al-Fawakih al-‘Adidah, Vol. 2, pp. 80–88)

Imam An-Nawawi (Rahimahullah) has stated that consuming harmful substances such as poison, glass and stones is Haram. (Rawdat at-Talibin, Vol. 2, p. 458)

Since it has been established that smoking causes harms and losses that are even more severe than those caused by consuming poison, glass and stones, some scholars have stated that the above-mentioned statement of Imam An-Nawawi (Rahimahullah) also establishes that smoking and selling smoking products are Haram.

Allah knows best.