Is Smoking Is Haram Or Halal In Islam? This is a Question which arises in the mind of every Muslim.
Well, As far as smoking is concerned Several years before, when science hadn’t advanced that far Most of the scholars used to say that smoking is Makruh.
Furthermore, based on the hadith of Muhammad Muhammed (s.a) which is mentioned in the Sahih Buhari Vol #1, in The Book Of Adhan, hadith #855. The Prophet Muhammed (s.a) said that, “Anyone who eats garlic or onion they should stay away from us and stay from the mosque.”
The hadith clearly says about the Prophet Muhammed (s.a)’s advice to not to come to the mosque after having garlic, onion because it has bad breath. When you are smoking the breath is worse than onion or garlic.
So based on this hadith, since garlic and onion doesn’t become haram, it is Makruh.
So based on this hadith, scholars give the fatwa that smoking is makruh.
How And Why Cigarette Smoking Is Haram In Islam?
Today, after science has advanced and we have come to know that smoking is nothing but slow poisoning.
Tobacco in any form, whether it’s smoking cigarettes, whether beedi, whether tobacco and hukka, or chewing tobacco, all forms of tobacco contain nicotine and tar, and we know it’s nothing but slow poisoning. That is the reason why most of the non-muslims agree that smoking is haram, not only the Muslim world even the Non-Muslims agrees it’s harmful to health.
They put a statutory warning on the cigarette packs saying, “Cigarette smoking is injurious to health”, and in some countries, it is mentioned, “General surgeons warning or surgeon generals warning.” And anyone who gives an ad on any tobacco products weather in the newspaper, in the magazine, or television it is compulsory that they have to highlight the statement, “Smoking is injurious to health”.
So, we are not talking about the Muslim world, even the nonmuslim world agrees that smoking is nothing but slow poisoning.
And today according to statistics the World Health Organization says that, every year more than 4 million people die only because of smoking. And when it comes to other forms of tobacco it would be much more.
And today medical science tells us, that more than 90% of the lung cancer deaths are only due to smoking, weather it be cigarette or beedi or whatever it may be. 25% of cardiovascular deaths are only because of smoking. 70 – 75% of bronchitis and related deaths are only because of smoking.
Smoking is nothing but slow poisoning. It blackens your lips, blackens gums, and your fingertips. It damages your lips, esophagus, stomach, and it can cause constipation, it can cause loss of appetite, it can cause loss of libido, and even your sexual power can get suppressed.
There are today more than 400 fatwas on, “cigarette is haram or halal in Islam?”. The majority of the scholars agree that smoking is Haram, and all forms of tobacco are haram.
There may be certain scholars of certain countries including the country India, where they say.. it is makruh.
Yet most of the scholars otherwise throughout the world, the majority of them agree that smoking is haram in Islam.
Allah says in the Quran, in Surah Al Araf Ch #7, Verse #157 that, “You follow the prophet the unlated prophet who is mention in your law and scriptures” And further it says that, “Prophet, asked you to do things which are good for you”
So, take what he gives it to you which is lawful and good, And he prohibited things which are “habis” things which are unlawful, things which are bad for you. So, as per the verses, take what is good for you, and abstain from what he prohibits, which are unlawful to you.
And Allah says in the Quran, Surah al Bakra, Ch #2 Verse #195, “Make not your own hands the call of your own destruction”
Indicating that do not kill your own self, Because smoking is nothing but slow poisoning it comes in this category of something like suicide or slow poisoning. Every puff you take you to reduce your life. So based on this there are more than 400 fatwas saying that smoking is haram.
And furthermore, there is another major reasons why smoking is haram in Islam.
Allah says in the Quran, in Surah Al Araf, Ch #7 Verse #31, “Eat and drink would not be extravagant”
Allah says in Surah Al Araf, Ch #7 Verse #27, “Do not be extravagant, do not be a spendthrift or verily a person who is a spendthrift is the brother of the satan, is the brother of the devil”
And we know that, Smoking is nothing but extravagance. It is nothing but taking a pound note, or taking a dollar note and lighting up with fire. When we light the cigarette, it is nothing but burning money. Whether it be rupees, whether it be a dollar, whether it be pounds, whether it be riyals, it is nothing but extravagant, which is haram in Islam.
And you can give a list of reasons why it’s haram. But just to cut it short one more reason, that you cannot harm your own neighborhood, you cannot harm your own brother, And in smoking when you exile out the smoke it causes more damage to your neighbor, since passive smoking is more dangerous than active smoking.
When the person who smokes exiles out, if the person who is a neighbor inhales that smoke, it causes more damage to him than the person who smokes. That’s the reason many countries like Singapore etc have banned smoking in public places.
So based on various Hadiths and verses of Quran cigarette smoking is haram in islam.