Can Muslims Smoke? Is Smoking Haram In Islam?
Smoking is harmful to health, and it wastes money. So, if you think logically, such activities are unacceptable as part of awareness. But what does Islamic Shariah say?
Can Muslims smoke? Is smoking haram in Islam? No, Muslin can’t smoke, and it is haram in Islam. There is no direct mention of smoking in the Quran and Hadith, but it relates to a lot of things, which make it haram.
Let’s discuss whether smoking haram or not in Islam with references.
Can Muslims Smoke? The Reasons That Make Smoking Haram
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Are Muslims allowed to smoke? No, Muslims can’t smoke, and it is haram. Many reasons make it haram. We have discussed the reasons with references below.
Smoking Is Injurious to Health: Every Harmful Activity in Islam Is Haram
Allah Subhanahu-Ta’la says in the Quran,
“…[the Prophet] who will enjoin upon them the doing of what is right and forbid them the doing of what is wrong, and make lawful to them the good things of life and forbid them the bad things, and lift from them their burdens and the shackles that were upon them [aforetime]………..” [Surah Al A’raf 7:157]
Allah Subhanahu Ta’la forbids every wrong deed haram for human kinds through Prophet Mohammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be Upon Him). So, don’t you think smoking is harmful to health?
According to hundreds of researchers, it is medically proven that smoking is adverse to health. [Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking, Cigarette Smoke and Adverse Health Effects]
Allah Subhanahu Ta’ala also says in the Quran,
“….And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.” [Surah Nisa, 4:29]
Since smoking kills, you are not permitted to harm yourself. And harming yourself is haram. Remember, you are not the owner of your body, ultimately, your entire existence, but Allah is.
Anything harmful done by yourself to your health and body is not permitted in any way, and you must explain this to Allah on the day of judgment.
Smoking Wastes Money, and Wasting Is Haram in Islam
Since smoking harms your health, there is no legitimacy in spending money on it. It harms your health, and spending money on it is a total waste. So, can Muslims smoke cigarettes?
Allah Subhanahu Ta’la says in the Quran,
“O Descendant of Adam! Beautify yourselves for every act of worship, and eat and drink [freely], but do not waste: Indeed, He(Allah) does not love the wasteful!” [Al A’raf 7:31]
Prophet Mohammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be Upon Him) said: “Eat, drink, give charity, and wear clothing as long as it is not mixed with extravagance or arrogance.” [Ibn Majah: 3605, Sunan Nasai: 2559]
Note that spending in disobedience to Allah (sin) is extravagance, and not spending in the way of Allah is miserliness. And spending according to the instructions of Allah and in the way of His obedience is to adopt the middle way. [Fathul Qadir]
Exceeding the limit at similar necessary expenses and legitimate expenses is considered wasteful.
Just think, people who spend on smoking are doing multiple wrong deeds.
- First, they are wasting money.
- They are spending money to commit harm to themselves.
- They waste so much money, which can be used to feed the starving people worldwide if the wasted money could be collected together.
Where excessive expense for necessary things is wasteful, there is no doubt expending on smoking, which is harmful to health, certainly a wasteful expense. And Indeed, extravagance is haram.
You Are Offending Non-Smokers With the Smell
Non-smokers are offended by the smell of smoking. It is unbearable for many people. So, when a smoker stands next to a non-smoker, whether at home, office, road, or mosque, it becomes nasty for those people.
In Islam, troubling Mumins is haram. For example,
After smoking, if you stand next to a non-smoker in a mosque performing prayer, you can’t bear the smell of smoking.
Also, think about how offended the wives of smokers are every day when they come close to their husbands. They have been bearing such trouble for years.
Alla says in the Quran,
“And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned [i.e., deserved] have certainly borne upon themselves a slander and manifest sin.” [Surah Ahzab, 33:58]
Prophet Mohammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be Upon Him) said:
He is the Muslim from whose tongue and hand all Muslims are safe, and he is the true Muhajir, the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden. [Sahih Al Bukhari, Iman, 10. Sahih Muslim, 6484]
So, Allah forbids trouble Believing men and women. If you trouble them, it is clearly haram.
On the other hand, smoking near your children puts them at risk of different health issues. They include coughing and wheezing, pneumonia and bronchitis, ear infections, and worsening of asthma. [Children’s Hedonic Judgments of Cigarette Smoke Odor]
Can Muslims Smoke Weed?
No, smoking weed is haram. Weed is undoubtedly intoxicant, and intoxicants are haram in Islam.
Allah Subhanahu Ta’ala says in the Quran,
“O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.” [Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:90]
Allah also says,
“They ask you about intoxications and gambling. Say, “In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people.” [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:219].
Allah also says about performing prayer when people are intoxicated;
“O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying or in a state of janabah, except those passing through [a place of prayer], until you have washed [your whole body]…….” [Surah An-Nisa 4:43]
This verse prohibits participation in salah while intoxicated. So, what other times can drugs be taken?
No, under no circumstances should intoxicants be taken. In Islam, it is forbidden to consume intoxicating substances, be they small or large. This is clear in the light of the Quran and Sunnah.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be Upon Him) said,
“All kinds of intoxicants are forbidden. A ‘farak’ (mashak) quantity (drinking) of a substance that causes intoxication, even an anjal (hand palm) quantity of it is haram.” [Sahih Tirmiji]
Related Questions
Here are some relevant queries about smoking being haram.
- Can you smoke during Ramadan?
No, you can’t. Since smoking is haram, it is also haram in Ramadan, too. Rather, Ramadan is the month of mortification. You should quit smoking during Ramadan and should take an oath not to smoke forever.
- Does smoking break fast?
Yes, smoking breaks fast. Because it enters your stomach. Anything that enters your stomach is enough to break your fast.
- Is tobacco haram?
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamad Al Khalili of Oman issued a Fatwa in 1996 that smoking and the sale of tobacco is haram. [Islamic Ruling on Smoking]
Final Thoughts
So, certainly, smoking is an evil work, and it is haram, ruled by all 4 Islamic Sunni Schools of Thought, including Hanafi, Shafi’i, Hanbali, and Maliki.
So, as Muslims, we must obey our Almighty’s rule and should cause harm to ourselves.
