Smoking and Chewing Tobacco

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatahu,

I have noticed that the topic I want to stress on today is very “subdued” in our Muslim community, everyone is Masha’Allah a practicing Muslim…yet this subject is ignored among us all.

We see our fathers, husbands, uncles, and brothers do it, yet we don’t stop them, don’t advise them. But we all know it’s wrong, we all know it’s harmful, we all know it causes diseases YET we don’t stop them. For indeed Halaal and Haraam has been made clear to us in the book of Allah, the Quraan and the Sunnah, Ahadith of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) and yet many amongst us refuse to accept them and plainly follow our Hawa (desires).


Brothers and sisters, I am talking about smoking and chewing tobacco.

So, are the people who smoke and chew tobacco REAL practicing Muslims? By following all of Allah commands, yet doing one of the biggest sins. Are they considered as practicing Muslims? I will let YOU decide.

Before proceeding let us first make clear in the words of our Prophet (pbuh) on the Haraam, Halaal and the doubtful matters:

“What is lawful (Halaal) is evident (clear) and what is unlawful (Haraam) is evident (clear), and in between them are the things doubtful which many people do not know. So he who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honor blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his animals round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and it is the heart.” (al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Let us now go into the effects of smoking and chewing tobacco:

Chewing tobacco:

Chewing tobacco also known as smokeless tobacco is equally bad as smoking. It is a myth that chewing is not as harmful as smoking. Chewing tobacco is made of tobacco, nicotine, sweeteners and chemicals. The continuous chewing process gives a constant high to the person. This high gives temporary relief from stress and anxiety. Small temporary relief leads the person to use it frequently and before the person realizes he is addicted.

Effects of chewing tobacco leads to numerous side effects, which can be internal or external. The main harmful effects of tobacco are:

· Erodes Tooth

· Early Decay of Tooth

· Gum Slump (the gums get infected and the grip on tooth loosens which exposes the sensitive area of tooth)

· Affects Eating Habits (taste buds desensitize due to excessive chewing of tobacco, therefore increases intake of sugar, spice and salt)

· Damage to tongue, lip and jaw (Discoloring of lips and lip cancer, sore throat, difficulty in movement of jaws and tongue, rashes or irritation on tongue, burning sensation on lips and tongue)

· Lung Cancer (Reports show that 90% of lung cancers are cases of people who either smoke or chew tobacco. Destructive agents termed as carcinogens in tobacco injure the cells in the lungs. Over a period of time, these spoiled cells may develop into lung cancer.)

· Oral Cancer (People who indulge in tobacco chewing have higher risk of oral cancer to people who take alcohol. The most infected area in oral cancer is the tongue and the area below the tongue)

Smoking:

I will be more detailed about this topic as majority of Muslims smoke rather than chew tobacco.

Smoking sometimes happens to be the root cause of all bad habits. Many people who smoke admit that it all started in fun. Peer pressure is another major reason attributed to smoking. The pathetic fact is that many smokers continue with the habit despite knowing the facts of smoking and the potential dangers. Their justifications are only a lame excuse in many cases. Smoking sabotages not only your health but also those who stand by or pass you. You are causing damage to others health also.

There's hardly a part of the human body that's not affected by the chemicals in the cigarettes you smoke. Below are the harmful effects of smoking:

· Tooth Decay

· Gum Disease

· Smoker’s Cough (Moving down to your chest, smoke passes through the bronchi, or breathing tubes. Hydrogen cyanide and other chemicals in the smoke attack the lining of the bronchi, inflaming them and causing that chronic smoker's cough. Because the bronchi are weakened, you're more likely to get bronchial infections. Mucus secretion in your lungs is impaired, also leading to chronic coughing)

· Lung Cancer (Smokers are 10 times as likely to get lung cancer and emphysema as nonsmokers)

· Cardiovascular Diseases (The effects of smoking on your heart are devastating. Nicotine raises blood pressure and makes the blood clot more easily. Carbon monoxide robs the blood of oxygen and leads to the development of cholesterol deposits on the artery walls. All of these effects add up to an increased risk of heart attack. In addition, the poor circulation resulting from cholesterol deposits can cause strokes, loss of circulation in fingers and toes and impotence)

· Reduces Calcium Reproduction (Smoking affects the calcium content in bones. This can decrease the strength of bones and weaken a person. Smoking also affects the blood flow to bones and reduces calcium reproduction. This also makes the bones less resistance to diseases and healing of wounds in bones or fractures can take a quite long time.

· Other Fatal Diseases (The digestive system is also affected. The tars in smoke can trigger cancer of the esophagus and throat. Smoking causes increased stomach acid secretion, leading to heartburn and ulcers. Smokers have higher rates of deadly pancreatic cancer. Many of the carcinogens from cigarettes are excreted in the urine where their presence can cause bladder cancer, which is often fatal. High blood pressure from smoking can damage the kidneys)

Furthermore, there are thousands of different chemicals in cigarette smoke, including many known carcinogenic and toxic chemicals and their compounds, examples of which are common: ammonia, acetone, benzene, cadmium, nickel, formaldehyde, lead and mercury. These toxins are spread around and stores in every tissue and cell in the body where they can speed up the growth of cancer cells and various degenerative diseases. Filters do not remove most of these deadly toxins; they are used by the advertising companies to convince smokers that cigarettes are somehow safe (Kleinman & Melissa-Kleinman, 2001)

Passive Smoking:

By smoking you cause damage to others health also. This is called passive smoking. The innocent children also become victims succumbed to the hazards of smoking without their knowledge. In other words the people around are affected as much or a little less than the smoker. A woman living with a smoker husband, a child or an adult in whose family one or more person happens to be a smoker, and even smoking in public and work places are all classic examples of passive smoking.

· Children:

Children are easily affected by passive smoking if their parents or other members in their house happen to be smokers. Owing to the delicate system and soft muscles they are prone to health hazards and infection is likely to spread at a faster rate than the other. Another problem with children is that they spend most of their time in their own houses. They have no choice to escape from the smoke unlike the adults who can choose to stroll along in a non smoky place or ignore visiting a smoky place.

Children breathe quickly when compared with adults because their nostrils are very small. Therefore they can inhale lots of poisonous substances than adults. Children affected by passive smoking suffer from diseases like asthma, neurological impairment. By and large it affects their immunity system. In case of infants they are likely to die if they are affected badly. In general it increases the rate of sudden infant death syndrome.

· Public Places:

Passive smoking in public places is very dangerous.

Public places are usually flooded with people. This is cited as one of the main reason for the fast spreading of cancer. Smoking in public places can at times cause severe repercussions than a heart attack or cancer especially if the masses are congested and there is inadequate fresh air. The effects of passive smoking can be compared to the food cooked in a micro oven.

The harmful effects of passive smoking are:

· Respiratory Problems

· Lung Cancer

· Cardiovascular Diseases

Now that we’ve read some effects (there are a lot more) of these two habits, let’s look into the Islamic perspective:

Smoking and chewing tobacco are things which have caused a lot of problems and harm these days and they have spread like wild fire. Before we discuss this topic in detail, we should know that Allah the Almighty has divided things in the world into two types, good or permissible (al-tayyibaat, al-halaal) and evil or prohibited (al-khabaa'ith, al-haraam), and there is no third type.

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

"And He makes good things halaal for them and bad things haraam." (7:157)

Considering this fact, these two habits (smoking and chewing tobacco) can either be permissible and good or prohibited and evil.

Harming Yourself

There is no disagreement among the physicians and sane people that smoking and chewing tobacco is harmful for health. It is one of the major causes of lung cancer and other diseases. It is also one of the major causes of death (as we have seen above from the effects). Since, it is known that the Islamic law prohibits everything that is harmful for a human being.

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

"Do not kill yourself. Allah is Merciful unto you." (4:29)

‘Do not cast yourselves, with your own hands, into destruction.’ (2:195)

And the prophet (pbuh) said:

‘No harm may be inflicted on oneself or others.’ (Ahmad and Ibn Maajah from Ibn Abbaas and Ubaadah)

‘Whoever consumes poison, killing himself with it, then he will be consuming this poison in the hellfire, and he will abide in it permanently and eternally.’ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim from Jaabir)

‘Among those who came before you there was a man who was wounded and he panicked, so he took a knife and cut his hand with it, and the blood did not stop flowing until he died. Allah said: ‘My slave hastened to bring about his demise; I have forbidden Paradise to him.’ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim from Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah)

SubhanAllah! Is this not enough proof for these people, who consume poison every day, every hour?! Smoking and chewing tobacco is nothing but a gate to eternal hellfire!

These habits are also harmful to the human mind and its power to 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, control his emotions (mostly anger and irritability), concentrate, solve a problem, or do any important matter, until he smokes.

His digestive system is also affected, causing him frequent nervousness and trembling of the hands. He passes through periods of excitability and he becomes an insomniac (in most cases).

Therefore, instead of being the slave of Allah, they become slaves to their cigarette and tobacco. The faculty of reason, clear and unobstructed, is one of Allah’s great bounties on people. Allah has praised it in numerous places of the Quran; 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 has stated:

‘Allah wants to let you into His mercy, whereas those who follow the desires want you to drift far away (from the right path).’ (4:27)

Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) have classified smokeless tobacco and cigarette smoking as ‘addictive weakening substances’.

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

“Prohibited on us is every intoxicant and weakening agent” (Ahmed and Abu Dawood from Umm Salamah)

In regards to tobacco which gives a certain “high” to the person, this can also be as if taking drugs because drugs also give a “high” to a person whether it has a lot of affect on the person or just a little. IT IS HARAAM!!

It dulls the senses and fogs the mind, and whatever does that is haraam, because the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Every intoxicant is khamr, and every intoxicant is haraam. Whoever drinks khamr in this world and dies persisting in that and without having repented, will not drink it in the Hereafter.” (Muslim)

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: The general meaning of the words, “Every intoxicant is haraam,” is taken as evidence that whatever causes intoxication is haraam, even if it is not a drink. So that includes hashish, smokeless tobacco and other things. Al-Nawawi and others were certain that it is an intoxicant, and others were certain that it dulls the senses, and it is arrogant to say otherwise, because its visible effects are the same as those of khamr, such as euphoria and addiction. Even if we assume that it is not an intoxicant, it is proven in Abu Dawood that all intoxicants and relaxants are haraam. (Fath al-Baari, 10/45)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Everything that takes away one's senses is haraam, even if it does not result in drunkenness or intoxication. If it takes away the senses it is haraam according to the consensus of the Muslims.

Fasting

These habits also ruin fasting. Fasting becomes very hard on 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 throughout the month of Ramadan he will be reluctant to fast on other days, or he will fast some days in Ramadan and some days he won’t be able to. Thus he loses the great reward of those who fast even one day in Allah’s path. Also, the whole day ahead of him during a fast is like a burden of frustration and anger because he has been craving a cigarette or tobacco. With the frustration comes anger and impatience which he will take out on any one who so much as wishes him well.

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

“Whoever did not observe fast for one day of Ramadan for no legal excuse or on account of a disease can never make it up later” (Al Bayhaqi, Ibn Majah, Thirmidhi and Abu Dawood)

Similarly to one who cannot make up their prayers of which they missed intentionally is the same ruling for those who do not fast with no reason. Craving and feeling sick throughout the day because you did not have your “daily dose” is considered as NO excuse for not fasting.

"Whilst I was sleeping, two men came to me and took hold of my upper arm, and brought me to a rugged mountain. They said: 'Climb up.' I said: 'I cannot do it.' They said: 'We will make it easy for you.' So I climbed up until I was at the top of the mountain. There I heard loud voices. I said: 'What are these voices?' They said: 'This is the screaming of the people of Hell.' Then I was taken and I saw people suspended by their ankles, with the corners of their mouths torn and pouring with blood. I said: 'Who are these?' They said: 'These are the people who broke their fast before it was time to do so.'" (Ibn Khuzayman and Ibn Hibban from Abu Umaamah al-Baahili)

Hence, there is a great punishment awaiting the Muslim who does not complete the fast on a day without reason. It would be expected that a person who does not fast at all would face a much greater punishment than this.

Harming Others

Also there is no disagreement among the physicians and sane people that smoking is harmful for the health of others who inhale the polluted breath of the smoker. The offensive smell caused by smoking is a source of pain to the worshippers of Allah among humans.

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

"Those who cause harm to believing men and women without any reason do a great sin." (33:58)

“And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein; and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him” (4:93)

No mother shall expose her own child to harm, nor shall any father expose his child to harm. (2:233)

How can you not harm your children when passive smoking, can give them diseases. Indeed that is a way of harming your children.

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Anyone who causes harm to a believer shall suffer harm brought against him by Allah" (Thirmidhi and Abu Dawood)

"Whoever does not show compassion to our young ones does not belong to us" (Al-Bukhari)

One of the most essential aspects of compassion to young ones is to protect their health and to prevent their illness. Yet, smokers do not show compassion to their young ones because their own desires are much more important than their children’s health.

Wasting Money

The prophet (saw) said:

Allah hates for you three things: gossiping, begging, and wasting money. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

‘The feet of a human being will not depart, on the day of Judgment, from his standing before his Lord, until he is questioned about five things: his lifetime - how did he pass his youth - how did he use his wealth - where did he earn it and how did he spend it, and how did he follow what he knew.’ (At-Tirmithi and others from Ibn Mas‘ud and Abu Barzah )

They waste their wealth on that which harms and has no benefit; they will be asked about their wealth and how they spent it, as has been cited in the Hadith earlier. Their wealth belongs to Allah, so how would they dare to waste it in disobedience to Him.

Allah states in the Quran:

‘And do not entrust to the imprudent ones the possessions that Allah has placed in your charge.’ (An-Nisa 4:5)

‘And do not waste (your resources) extravagantly. Indeed the squanderers are the brethren of the devils.’ (Al-lsra’ 17:26-27)

Without doubt, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are a shameful waste of money. First of all, there is the money spent on these items then the less obvious spending, but more expensive, is the high price they must pay for medical treatment for the serious and debilitating diseases discussed above.

And for those who cannot afford expensive medical bills, they end up taking loans to pay it off. Allahu Akbar! How corrupt are those people who have with Allah’s will been cured yet they turn to their desires and once again fall into Shaytaan’s trap?! Only they would know the pain they went through if they had any surgeries done to cure them, to be in a hospital, to be constantly poked and probed, yet they forget all that suffer once they come back to their cigarette or tobacco. They don’t care of Allah’s blessings. Surely they will be asked of this on the Day of Judgment, then with what face will they stand in front of their Lord and say that their desires were stronger than their good health and Allah’s mercy on them!??!?!

Imitating the Kuffar

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.

Islam forbids the Muslims to imitate the kuffaar, especially the Jews and Christians to the point that Prophet (pbuh) dissociates him from the Ummah, as clearly mentioned in the below Hadith:

Ibn Abbas (ra) reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said: "He is not one of us who imitates other than us. Do not imitate the Jews or the Christians." (At-Tirmidhi)

And no doubt these habits are greatly considered as imitating the kuffaar.

The Prophet (pbuh) stated:

“You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you hand span by hand span, cubit by cubit, to the extent that if they entered the hole of a lizard, you will enter it too.” We said: “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?” (Al Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Saeed Al Khudri)

“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Abu Dawood by Abd-Allah ibn Umar)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

This at the very least indicates that it is haraam to imitate them, although the apparent meaning is that the one who imitates them is a kaafir.

Since, it was the kuffar who discovered tobacco and made use of it, the most major leading brands of cigarettes are also made from kuffar brands (Malboro, L&M, etc). And so many kuffars are addicted to smoking and tobacco. This shows quite directly that this is also a way of imitating the kuffar.

Revolting the Humans and Angels

The Prophet (pbuh) 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.’ (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Those people, with clean and pure 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. Everything that has an offensive smell is subject to the same ruling as garlic and onions, such as a smoker or a person who has an offensive smell in his armpits or other smells that are offensive.

Role Model

A smoker, whether he likes it or not, makes an example of himself for his children and others to follow. He leads them to commit this evil. Actions sometimes have a stronger affect than words. So, even if he advises them or forbids them from smoking, his partaking of it provides them with a strong excuse to do it. You will be a part of their sins, because it was because of you they learnt to smoke.

Brothers and sisters, if it hasn’t been clearly mentioned already from all this research then let me make it clear. THESE SUBSTANCES ARE HARAAM IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY! HARAAM, HARAAM, HARAAM!

Have you decided? Are they really practicing Muslims? Not yet, not with the addiction of smoking and chewing tobacco. They can’t be true believers until they get rid of this haraam substance that comes between them and Allah.

But inshAllah they can change, what is addiction in front of Allah’s power? No one can ever give an excuse that they cannot leave these habits, never. Put your trust in Allah to help you, beg Allah in every Salah to help you, and repent, sincerely with a pure heart that you will never go back to these foul habits that is hated by Allah. Seek refuge against Shaytaan as he is the only one who makes these desires stronger in you, and indeed Shaytaan, the accursed, the outcast is our true enemy and anyone who follows Shaytaan, will follow him into the fires of Hell!

Allah says in the Quran:

‘When you decide on a certain course of action, place your trust in Allah.’ (Al-lmran 3:159)

Stop immediately instead of claiming it is best to do it gradually. The gradual approach is the way of one who does not trust his determination and the will power that Allah has granted him. Let the example be taken from the Sahabah who, as soon as Allah’s command reached them regarding alcohol:

‘Will you not then desist?’ (Al-Maa’idah 5:91) they immediately poured out all the alcohol that they had and said, "We desist our Lord, we desist!" They did this despite the fact that alcohol has a greater addictive power over those who drink it.

It is not easy, but neither is the path of the believer.

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

“Paradise is surrounded by hardship and hellfire is surrounded by temptations/desires” (Muslim)

“Whenever Allah wills good for a person, He subjects him to hardship" (Al Bukhari)

“The amount of reward is in accordance with the amount of suffering. When Allah (SWT) loves some people, He tries them (with affliction). He who then is content (with Allah's decree) has achieved the acceptance (of Allah), and he who is dissatisfied (with Allah's decree) will attain the anger (of Allah)." (Thirmidhi by Anas)

And the most important thing in the end to remember is that we Muslims (all of us) do not follow our Haraam desires and try to live Paradise in this temporary Worldly life unlike the kuffar, for we are nothing but travelers and for us our final destination is the Hereafter, the life after death. It is upon us if we desire the Ultimate Paradise or the burning eternity in Hell.

Exactly how our beloved Prophet (pbuh) said:

"The world is prison for the believers and paradise for the disbelievers." (Muslim)

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) took hold of my shoulder and said, “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.” Mujahid added: Ibn Umar used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death. (Bukhari)

May Allah help us all to stay on the right path, make our imaan strong and protect us from Shaytaan and his traps. May Allah ease our pains and difficult situations and help us succeed in all our trials from our Rabb. May Allah forgive our major and minor sins for He is truly Al-Ghaffar. May Allah make us among the inhabitants of Jannah and save our faces from the scorching fires of Hell. Allahumma Ameen! Allahumma Ameen!