muslims only?

Question

asalamwalaikum

is smoking considered haram? i know many who will say smoking cigarettes is haram and then spend their weekends smoking hookah (shishah, nargeelah). both are tobacco.... how could one be haram and the other not? if you can, please support your answer with quran, hadith, or quotes from scholars. peace and blessings to all

*** for any who do not know hookah is a pipe used to smoke flavored molasses tobacco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

Answer 1

hi sakina!
read this article the fatwa issued by Mufti Ibrahim Desai, a prominent Muslim scholar, in this concern. It reads:
"It is a universally accepted that smoking has many serious health and life hazards amongst which is lung cancer. These hazards affect not only the smoker himself but those around him as well. Shari`ah has stressed the importance of being in good health to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) even advised Muslims in all ages to strike a balance in eating and drinking so as to evade any harmful effects on the health. He advised having dates, being hot in nature, with cucumber, as it (cucumber) has a cooling effect.
It is clear that cigarettes contain many harmful ingredients, for example, carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar and benzene vapor.
Therefore, smoking is harmful to the smoker as well as those around him. In his book, “Ninety Nine Harms of Smoking”, Muhammad Abdul Ghaffaar Al-Afghani stated that smoking results in many diseases which doctors have explained. These diseases number about ninety nine.
Doctor Salahuddeen Abdur-Rab An-Nabi, a neuro-surgeon in Cairo says: “When a person becomes enslaved to the habit of smoking, it affects his health badly to the extent that it has a direct effect on his heart. As a result his heart beat and blood circulation become unstable and he experiences drowsiness from time to time due to the shrinking of his brain arteries. Sometimes, specially at an old age, a smoker suffers from high blood pressure and angina. Similarly, his digestive and respiratory systems are harmed and he loses his appetite. He is also afflicted with a kind of cough known as the smoker's cough. When his nervous system is affected, the smoker feels a prickly sensation, a numbness in his limbs and also a pain in the nerves.'
in the annual conference of the American Doctors Council which took place in Chicago 1966, the main focus of the conference was the harms of smoking. Doctors, who were aware of the role of smoking in lung cancer, became alarmed when they heard that the least harm smoking causes is that it arouses anxiety. Doctor Edward Kweller Hammond, head of statistics in the Cancer Association of America said: “Verily, lung cancer which is caused by smoking cigarettes is not so serious in comparison to the injury caused by smoking with other bodily systems.” It is stated in the ninth edition of "World of Knowledge" magazine that the time has come wherein it has become necessary to expose all the harms of smoking. It should also be realized that these despicable substances even cause death.
it is also necessary to elucidate the harms of smoking in hope of saving many intelligent and educated youth, who will be astonished on how much has been written regarding this topic. In the above-mentioned magazine, we can read the following: "Cancer Caused by Smoking": This fatal illness is the culmination of many illnesses which are the result of thin blood and other sicknesses which are related to the blood vessels. All these are connected to this loathsome substances. However, lung cancer is the most likely outcome of smoking.
Lung cancer was a very rare disease but the end of this century witnessed a high rise in its occurrence, primarily in men and thereafter in women. In the beginning of the sixties, the death rate due to lung cancer increased compared to before. Smoking also yields other health hazards besides its general and specific economic harms.
Proof for the prohibition of smoking:
Smoking did not exist in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) but our great religion of Islam has laid down general principles from which many laws are derived. From these principles, Muslim scholars have come to the conclusion that smoking is prohibited (Haram).
In the Qur’an, we read: “be not cast by your own hands to ruin; and do good. Lo! Allah loveth the beneficent.” (Al-Baqarah:195). Smoking causes fatal sicknesses, for example, lung cancer, tuberculosis, etc.
in another verse, Almighty Allah says: “And do not kill yourselves.” (An-Nisaa’: 29). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Whomsoever drinks poison, thereby killing himself, will sip this poison forever in the Hell-Fire.”
Cigarettes consist of many poisonous substances and furthermore, the smoker indulges in a slow suicidal act by smoking this poison.”

Answer 2

Just because it is allowed in Saudi Arabia doesn't mean it is halal, Many people say it is either makruh(disliked) or haram(forbidden), there is no difference between cigarettes and all those other things, but there is no one answer to this question, from what I understand, it fulfills all the criteria that could make it haram, but it is widely held opinion that it is makruh. It is best not to legislate on these matters, I just don't smoke period. Legislating on things you are not sure of is very dangerous in Islam, so I just say I don't know and leave it alone

Answer 3

Asalamwalaikum
In my country the convention of Islamic researches decided that smoking whatever the way of it is harmful and prohibited , that was depending on 2 things .
Firstly : God Almighty says ( Do not but with your selves in harm ) Holly Quran .
Secondly : the Honor hadith ( Do not harm your self and other also ) in Arabic ( la darar wala derar )
And smoking make the both Because Its the short way to cancer .
Peace be upon our Prophet Mohamed

Answer 4

Its considered makrooh, or strongly disliked. It was never seen as haram during the Prophet's time, since the full extent of its harm on the human body was unknown, but even then the smell and smoke made it unpleasant.

So you will earn hasanat if you struggle for the sake of your religion to give up ciggies, but it is not a sin.

Answer 5

Never smoked any tobacco out of a Hookah but I definitely found some good uses for one in my younger years.

Answer 6

Human decided to declare smoking as haram. So most of muslim did not follow the new rule as they were addicted with tobacco.

Answer 7

Walaikumsalaam

Islamic scholars have differing opinions about smoking.

Some claim it is haram since it destroys the body and therefore it is a sin in the eyes of Allah (SWT).

Others claim it is not haram but only a disgusting/offensive practice therefore it is not a sin.

Personally, it is unhealthy and therefore should be avoided at all costs.

Insh'Allah, I hope this has been of help to you.

Asalamwalaikum.

Answer 8

I come here and allow myself to speak because I believe in quran. I am not full muslim yet though. But I would like to give you this input, as a muslim is supposed to believe in the quran bible and torah, that the bible says: "everything is allowed, but nothing shall imprison us". Also, the bible says "let us put away everything that makes us dirty", and smoking is considered a "vizio" in italy: a sin that one got used to doing. I think smoking cigarettes is an addiction and imprisons people (they have to smoke all the time>addiction). So please take what I said into consideration. Furthermore I hope you are a real moslem and do not reject me.

Answer 9

I have never heard that smoking is considered Haram. If it was why would i see so many people smoking constantly, those in their garbs even smoke!

Answer 10

alaikum salam

hi, i'm not someone who knows a lot about my religion islam. but from what i've been taught, smoking is considered makruh (not haram but not suggested) in the syariah. probably in rasulullah's time, smoking is not a big issue yet.

i say, why start smoking anyway? haram or not, smoking is damaging, and damaging yourself is forbidden in islam. even if it's not forbidden, why would you damage yourself? don't start smoking, or quit if you already smoke.

wassalam

Answer 11

Well...most of the islamic scholars say tht it is not haram but past few days ago i was listening to dr.zakir nayak speech i dont know its topic but he has said tht smoking is haram and also all other things related to it like huka...becoze scientifically it is prove tht every person who smokes decrease 10 minutes of his life...dr.zakir nayek theory is tht as this is called suicide...ofcourse ur smoking and decreasing ur own 10 min of life is suicide so suicide is haram in islam...so cigerate is also haram
.......................tea is not bad for ur health!!!so dont realte tea with cigeratte