Shariah rulings about smoking cigarette

 
O Believers! Eat of those pure and clean things which We have provided for you and give thanks to Allah if He is the One Whom you worship (and obey).  Surah Baqarah (2:172)

 

In the above verse of the Holy Quran, Allah Ta'ala orders the believers to eat of those pure and clean things which He has provided and be thankful to Allah Ta'ala if you worship and obey Him.

 

With this address, it becomes clear that we should consume pure and clean things.  The believers have been instructed to do this.  Those who are not believers have no distinction among pure and impure, Halal and Haram.  Whichever product or object they can lay their hands on, they utilize it. They eat and drink whatever they want to.  They are not at all concerned regarding that being impure and have no thoughts about that being harmful for them.  Allah Ta'ala has differentiated the Halal and Haram, has clearly described them and has ordered us to stay away from the forbidden things.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

 

It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat A’amir (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him), he says:  I have heard from Nu’man bin Basheer (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him), he said that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

 

The Halal is clear and the Haram is clear and those things that are in between them all dubious. (Sahih Bukhari, Kitabul Iman, Hadith no: 52)

 

The things which have been forbidden to eat and drink are categorized as following:

 

Haram (Unlawful)

 

Makruh Tahreemi (Strictly undesirable, to all intents and purposes forbidden)

 

Makruh Tanzeehi (undesirable) and so on.

 

Similarly those things which are not forbidden are also categorized:

 

Halal (permissible)

 

Sunnah (Established from the practice, command or silent approval of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam))

 

Mubah (optional, i.e. left to choice). 

 

Allah Ta'ala is the most compassionate and merciful on His servants.  If He has forbidden from certain things, it is because they hurt the human beings both inwardly and outwardly and if He has permitted eating anything, it is because humans can gain benefit from these things.  Thus, no order of the All-Wise Lord is without any wisdom in it.

 

Allah Ta’ala orders only those things, which His slaves are capable of doing and which have benefits of this world and the hereafter.

 

Allah Ta'ala intends to grant servants health and physical strength to His servants.  That is why He has ordered us to consume pure things and describes the reason of the permissible and the forbidden in this manner:

 

The Pure Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), who enjoins on them virtues and forbids them vices, declares wholesome things lawful and impure ones unlawful for them and removes from them their heavy burdens and yokes (shackles) weighing upon them (due to their acts of disobedience and blesses them with freedom).  (Surah Al A’araaf: 157)

 

Shariah and cigarette smoking

 

Almost 150 years back when cigarettes were invented, then all the scholars of Islam issued Fatwas of the undesirability of using it. 

 

The majority of the scholars gave the reason of the undesirability of smoking cigarettes was that smoking weakens the human body and that it is very harmful for health.  There are no 2 opinions about its harmful effects. 

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has forbidden from using all kinds of products which intoxicating and/or harmful.

 

Translation of Hadith: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has forbidden from all those things which are intoxicating and weaken the body.  (Sunan Abi Dawood, Vol. al nhi an al muskir, Hadith no:3688, Musnad Ahmed, Hadith Umme Salma Hadith no:27392)

 

Refraining from the use of harmful products

 

Usage of harmful products takes one towards destruction and death and the order to safeguard oneself from destruction is given in the Holy Quran:-

 

And do not cast yourselves into destruction with your own hands.  (Surah Baqarah: 195)

 

This verse is an evidence and proof of the prohibition of each and every thing which is harmful like smoking cigarette. 

 

Hadhrat Imam Nawavi (May Allah Ta'ala shower His mercy on him) says that:

 

Translation:  Everything, whose consumption is harmful, is Haram like glass, stone.  Those things whose consumption is not harmful are permissible, but consumption of dirty things is Haram. 

 

Restraining from consuming impure items

 

The religion of Islam orders us to eat pure and clean things and to stay away from unclean and filthy things.  Unclean and filthy things are those whose smell and taste is undesirable and other human beings shrink from it. 

 

Unclean and impure things cannot be on the same footing as pure and clean things.  Allah Ta'ala says:

 

Say: ‘(Both) the pure and the impure can never be alike, (O listener,) even though the abundance of the polluted and foul (objects) may fascinate you.  (Surah Ma’idah: 100)

 

On the basis of this, we are instructed to eat lawful and pure things as Allah Ta’ala says:

 

“O Mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and pure in the earth.”  (Surah Baqarah: 168)

 

If a company itself declares on its products that they are harmful for health, would anyone like to consume those products?  A sane person will definitely disagree with this.  On the cigarette pack, it is clearly written:  Cigarette smoking is injurious to health, but you still happily use it?