Is smoking haram?

Introduction

 

 

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.

 

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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 cigaretles
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.