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Discovery Of Tobacco
Tobacco was
discovered by the Spanish sailors on the American shores
at about 1500 CE (900 AH). Since its discovery, the
epidemic of smoking has continued to spread all over the
world. In our times, one seldom finds a house not
afflicted by it.
As early as the
Seventeenth Century, the European countries realized the
dangers of smoking and fought against it Laws were
ordained in England, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Austria,
and other countries, prohibiting smoking and punishing
violators.
Nowadays, the
Western countries continue their attempts to protect
their peoples from the harms of smoking. They employ
media means, ordain laws and regulations, and apply
other methods to discourage people from smoking. Because
of that, the rate of smokers has declined to a certain
degree in those countries.
Smoking Among Muslims
Smoking was
introduced to the Muslim countries by the Europeans
around 1000 AH. Its spread among the Muslims was similar
to that in the West. The unfortunate fact, however, is
that in the Muslim countries, no similar measures were
exerted to protect the people from it. To the contrary,
the media continues to adom smoking and encourage people
to do it. This caused the epidemic of smoking to
continue to spread in those countries to such an extent
that it has become hard to control.
Smoking has become
the rule, and abstaining from it the exception. Often,
people look with astonishment and disdain at a person
who when a cigarette is offered to him, declines to
smoke explaining that he does not smoke.
Offering cigarettes
to the guests has become among the first rules of
hospitality. Anyone who does not offer them to his
guests or insist on them to smoke would be violating the
ethics of hospitality and generosity!
Furthermore, some of
those who pretend to represent the Deen are among the
worst addicts to smoking. When they are reproached or
reminded of their vice, they respond by providing weak
excuses to justify
it in the name of Islaam. They slyly remark that there
is no clear text prohibiting smoking. Therefore, they
conclude, smoking is not prohibited, but is only makruh
(disliked). By this, they provide a poor excuse for the
ignorant, and establish a very bad example for others.
Many Muslims have
been influenced by such statements, falling into the
snares of addiction to smoking. This is observed all
over the world. A striking example is that all American
airlines now prohibit smoking, even on most
international flights; on the other hand, for Muslim
airlines, one travels in a near-suffocation state, even
on short trips, because of the high number of smokers.
Thus, it becomes
incumbent to write an article which provides evidence
concerning the ruling of smoking in Islam. We hope that
this will benefit our Muslim brothers and sisters; and
we ask Allah (T) to accept it from us as a sincere deed
for His pleasure.
Definition
Smoking refers to
the action of lighting a cigarette, a pipe, a cigar, a
water pipe, or any other object made from tobacco or
materials of similar effects. The object is then sucked
on with the lips to extract smoke. This smoke is inhaled
into the chest and then exhaled from the nose and mouth
as a thick white smoke. "Smoking" is now used to refer
to the action of producing this smoke in English,
Arabic, and other languages.
Evidence for the
Prohibition of Smoking
There are many
reasons, any one of which aufficient to rule smoking
prohibited. Most importantly, it is harmful in numerous
ways. It is harmful to the Deen, health, environment,
family, brotherhood and social relations, property, etc.
The following sections will briefly outline some of its
harms and evils.
Haram To The Deen
Smoking spoils a
person's acts of worship and reduces their rewards. For
instance, it spoils the prayer, which is the pillar of
Deen. Allah's Messenger said: Whoever eats garlic or
onion, let him avoid us and our masjid, and stay in his
home. The angels are surely hurt by things that hurt the
human beings(1)
Those with clean and
undefiled fitrah (nature) have no doubt that the smell
emanating from the mouth of a smoker is worse and more
foul than that from the mouth of one who ate garlic or
onion. Thus, a smoker is in between two options, either
to harm the praying people and the angels with his foul
smell, or miss the prayer in jama'ah.
Smoking also spoils
fasting. Fasting is very hard for the smoker. As soon as
the day is over, he hastens to break his fast on an evil
cigarette instead of sweet dates or pure water. Even if
he fasts through the month Ramadan, a smoker is
reluctant to fast on other days. Thus he loses the great
reward of those who fast even one day in Allah's way.
Harm To The Human Body
No one can deny the
harm of smoking to the human body. The medical evidence
for this is well established and overwhelming. Because
of this, the law in the United States and many other
countries requires including a warning on any smoking
advertisement.
Smoking contains
poisonous materials, such as nicotine, tar, carbon
monoxide, arsenic, benzopyrene, etc., that the smoker
swallows in small proportions. Their harm accumulates
with time to result in a gradual killing of the human
organs and tissues.
The hazards of
smoking to the health are hard to enumerate. Cancer,
tuberculosis, heart attacks, asthma, coughing, premature
birth, infertility, infections in the digestive system,
high blood pressure, nervousness, mouth and teeth
diseases, etc., are among the many health hazards that
have been strongly linked to smoking.
These diseases may
not appear all at once, however a smoker is most likely
to suffer from some of them, and his suffering increases
as he grows older. Furthermore, statistics have
established that smokers' age is, on the average, ten
years less than other people's.
This is sufficient
to prohibit smoking. Islam prohibits any action that
causes harm to oneself or to other people. Allah (T)
says (what means):
<<Do
not kill yourselves, Allah is indeed merciful to
you.>>(2) <<Do not cast yourselves, with your own hands,
into destruction.>>(3) And the Messenger says: No harm
may be inflicted on oneself or others.(4)
The feet of a human
being will not depart, on the day of Judgement, from his
standing before his Lord, until he is questioned about
five things: his lifetime - how did he pass it, his
youth - how did he used it, his wealth - where did he
earn it and how did he spend it, and how did he follow
what he knew.(5)
Whoever consumes
poison, killing himself with it, then he will he
consuming his poison in the hellfire, and he will abide
in it permanently and eternally.(6)
Harm To The Mind and Will Power
Smoking is harmful
to the human mind and reason. An obvious demonstration
of this is that one who is addicted to it passes through
periods of severe craving, making it hard for him to
think, concentrate, solve a problem, or do any important
matter, until he smokes.
When one smokes, his
muscles slacken, and he passes through a brief period of
delirium that curtains the thought. His digestive system
is also affected, causing him frequent nervousness and
trembling of the hands. He passes through periods of
excitability, in itation, and insomnia.
Thus, instead of
being Allah's slave, a smoker becomes slave to his
cigarette. He develops a weaker control of his sense and
reason. The faculty of reason, clear and unobstructed,
is one of Allah's great bounties on people. He (T)
praised it in numerous places of the Qur'an; and He
called on people to use it to see the truth and obey Him
in a better way. Allah wants of the believer to be
strong and capable of controlling the reigns of his
desires. He (T) said (what means):
<<AIIah
(T) wants to let you into His mercy, whereas those who
follow the desires want you to drift far away (from the
right path).>>(7)
Harm To The Environment
A smoker emits his
poisons in the faces of his companions, wife, children,
and the environment. It is well established that
second-hand smoke is almost as dangerous as first-hand.
Thus, whether they like it or not, a smoker's associates
are forced to inhale the smoke and be themselves smokers
as well.
In addition to the
poisons normally carried in the smoke, if a smoker has
an contagious disease, such as tuberculosis or
influenza, his exhaled smoke and coughing carry the
disease to those around him.
Furthermore, a
smoker irritates people by the foul smell and poisonous
nature of his smoking. If they suffer from asthma or
allergies, they are forced to move away from his
vicinity. The Prophet(PBUH) said: Anyone who believes in
Allah and the Last Day should not hurt his neighbor.(8)
Thus, smoking
constitutes a definite harm to other people; this is
prohibited, as was indicated in the hadith cited
earlier.
Also, a smoker is
certainly a bad companion to sit with, as is depicted in
the following hadith:
Verily, the example
of a good companion and a bad one is like that of a
perfume merchant and a blacksmith: As for the perfume
merchant, he would either grant you (some perfume), or
you would buy (some perfume) from him, or (in the least)
you would get a good smell from him. And as for the
blower of the bellows (ironsmith), you would either get
a foul odor from him, or he would burn your clothes.(9)
Harm To The Property
A smoker wastes his
wealth on that which harms and has no benefit; he will
be asked about his wealth and how he spent it, as has
been cited in the hadith earlier. His wealth belongs to
Allah, so how would he dare to waste it in disobedience
to Him? Allah (T) says (what means):
<<And
do not entrust to the imprudent ones the possessions
that Allah has placed in your charge.. >>(10)
<<And do not waste (your resources) extravagantly.
Indeed the squanderers are the brethren of the
devils>>(11)
And
the Prophet () said: Allah hates for you three things:
gossiping, begging, and wasting money.(12)
Furthermore,
there are numerous cases of burnt carpets, furniture,
and even complete houses and establishments that have
resulted from this disastrous vice.
Moral Decadence
Smoking is a form of
moral decadence. It is most spread among the low-class
immoral people. It reflects blind imitation of the
non-Muslims. It is mostly consumed in bars, discos,
casinos, and other: Places of sin. A smoker may beg or
steal if he does not have the money to buy cigarettes.
He is ill-mannered with his friends and family,
especially when he misses taking his necessary "dose" at
the usual time.
Evil Substance
Smoking involves the
consumption of an evil substance (khabeeth). It has a
foul smell, foul taste, and is harmful to the body. This
is sufficient to: prohibit it, because Allah (T) says
(what means):
<<(The Prophet) who will enjoin upon them the doing of
what is right, forbid them the doing of what is wrong,
make lawful to them the good things of life, prohibit
for them the evil things, and lift from them their
burdens and the shackles that were (previously) upon
them.>>(13)
Resembling The People Of
The Fire
A smoker inhales the
smoke that does not give him any nourishment. This is
similar to the action of the people of the Hell fire who
eat harmful thorny plants:
<<No food will be
there for them but a poisonous thorny plant, which will
neither nourish them nor still their hunger.>>(14)
Bad Example
A smoker, whether he
likes it or not, makes of himself an example for his
children and others to follow. He leads them to commit
this evil. Actions sometimes have a stronger effect than
words.
Thus, even if he
advises them or forbids them from smoking, his partaking
of it provides them with a strong excuse to do it.
The problem is worse
when the smoker is of known piety or knowledge. In such
case, his harm becomes more emphasized, because more
people take him as guide and example, and are thus lead
astray by him. This multiplies his sins and increases
his burden.
Hostility Toward The Good People
The majority of good
people avoid smoking and stay away from smokers.
Therefore, a smoker would be forced to stay away from
them - at least while he smokes. He puts himself in a
selective exile, creating a spiritual distance and
hostility between him and the good people, and a
closeness to the evil people. The effects of this become
more apparent and acute with time. Note that this
applies equally to any sin that a person commits, small
or large.
Low Self Esteem.
A smoker despises
himself, because he feels that a little cigarette is
controlling him. Realizing his weakness before desires,
this creates in him a feeling of defeat in the face of
hardships.
Scholars' Verdict
Since smoking became
known to Muslims, all of the great scholars who have the
capability of
Ijtihad (deriving
verdicts in new situations) agree to its prohibition.
Thus, there is no value for baseless opinions,
conflicting with this, provided by self-proclaimed
lesser scholars. | 
