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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(109): "Ruling on Smoking and Selling Cigarettes

Date Added : 28-12-2015

Resolution No.(109): "Ruling on Smoking and Selling Cigarettes"

On 3/5/1427 AH, corresponding to 30/5/2006 AD

 

We received the following question: 

What is the position of religion on selling cigarettes, hobble bubble (water pipe), all kinds of tobacco and renting out stores for this purpose?

Answer: All of success is due to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds

 

The Board of Iftaa’ sees that tobacco and all its kinds were not known in the time of the prophet and his companions - may Allah Be Pleased with them - nor in the time of the scholars of the main doctrines. Tobacco came to be known in the eleventh Hijri/Islamic century, and as there is no religious text that forbids it, and as it does not intoxicate, the scholars have disagreed over the religious stand on smoking whether it is forbidden, disliked, or allowed in accordance to their understanding of what harm it may cause the smoker.

 

  Studies have proved much harm caused by smoking to health, environment, society and economy. Cigarettes contain poisonous nicotine, and the ratio of smokers who suffer from cancer is very high. Its harm extends to the nonsmokers who happen to be present in places where people smoke as they actually inhale the smoke with air, it penetrates their bodies, and they get affected directly by its hateful smell. In addition it is very harmful economically and is considered as extravagance and reckless spending, because Allah The Almighty Says (What means): “And waste not by extravagance. Verily, He likes not those who waste by extravagance.” [Al-An'aam/141]. In addition, Allah The Almighty Says (What means): “Verily the spendthrifts are brothers of the devils” [Al-Israa'/27]. In Jordan, as sources reveal, the yearly waste expenditures that result from smoking exceed one billion and five million Jordanian dinars.

 

   Consequently, the Iftaa’ Board thinks that smoking is a general calamity. Thus, the Board sees that smoking is forbidden to whoever is ascertain that it causes serious damage, or whose cure is delayed because of this bad habit. In this regard, Allah, The Most Exalted, Said (What means): “And do not kill (or destroy) yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you!” [Al-Israa'/29]. Smoking becomes surely forbidden for the one who spends all his money on cigarettes and deprives himself and his family of life necessities such as food, drinks, clothes, house rent, medicine or education. The prophet (PBUH) says: “It is enough sin for a person to thwart those whom he supports.” (1)

 

  Smoking becomes also forbidden in public places such as mosques, hospitals, busses, cars, schools and other places where nonsmokers exist. It becomes forbidden in these places because it is forbidden for a Muslim to hurt others, as the prophet (PBUH) says: “Don’t cause any harm to yourself nor hurt others.” (2) He also said: “A Muslim is the one who other Muslims are safe from his tongue and hand,” i.e. who does not hurt others with his tongue nor with his hand. (3) Consequently, and because of the disastrous harms caused by smoking to health, environment, and economy, the Iftaa’ Board sees that resisting smoking with all possible means is obligatory and that publicizing it or encouraging others to smoke must be prohibited.

 

  For all of the above, the Board of Iftaa’ recommends people neither to sell cigarettes, tobacco nor hobble bobble in their stores nor to rent out places to be used for these purposes. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Iftaa’ Board

Head of the Iftaa’ Board

The Supreme Judge/ Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Helayel

                                Shaikh Abdel Kareem al-Khasawneh            

Dr. Yusuf Ali Ghayithan

                                Dr. Abdel Majeed el-Salaheen                     

                 Dr. Wasef Abdel Wahaab el-Bakri

                                  Sheikh Na’eem Muhammad Mujahed           

                       Sheikh Said Abdel Hafeeth al-Hajjawi

 

 

 

(1) Narrated by Al Nisaa’iy in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra (The Great Reports of the Prophet, (vol.5/pp.374) from Abdullah Bin Amro. It is also in Muslim no.(996) but in different words: "It is enough sin for a believer to prevent his support from those whom he owns."

(2) Narrated by Ibn Majeh in Sunan, Book of Rules, under the title He Who Builds on His Place What Hurts His Neighbor, Hadeeth/saying no.(2340). Al-Nawawy said in Al-Athkaar "it is graded as sound/Saheeh narration" (pp.502).

(3) Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Book of Faith, under the title the Muslim is he who other Muslims are safe from his tongue and hand, hadeeth/saying no.(10). Also narrated by Muslim in Book of Faith under the title Which Status is Better in Islam, hadeeth/saying no.(40).

(4) This advice is by what is mentioned above about smoking being forbidden.

 

Decision Number [ Next ]


Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on reciting the Chapter after Al-Faatihah , and what should a worshiper who forgets it do?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.                                                                                                                                                                  Any other part of Qur'an that a worshiper reads after Al-Faatihah during the first and the second Rak`ahs is a Sunnah, and forgetting to do so doesn`t nullify prayer, and doesn`t require performing Sujood As-Sahw (prostration of forgetfulness). And Allah Knows Best.

Which is better for a traveler: fasting or breaking the fast?

Fasting is better, unless it causes hardship—in that case, breaking the fast is better.

What are the conditions for a valid Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
First: The age of the animal must meet the Sharia requirements. These requirements vary depending on the type of sacrifice:
 
Camels: Must have completed five years and entered their sixth.
 
Cows: Must have completed two years and entered their third.
 
Goats: Must have completed two years and entered their third. As for Sheep, they must have completed one year and entered their second.
 
Some scholars have permitted goats that have completed one year and entered their second.
 
The Hanafi school, along with an opinion in the Maliki school, permits sacrificing sheep that are at least six months old, provided they are healthy and physically substantial. According to the Shafi’i school, it is permissible if the sheep sheds its front teeth (ajdha') before reaching one year [Al-Iqna’, by Al-Shirbini (Vol.2/P.588)].
 
Second: Soundness and freedom from defects. The animal must be free from any defect that causes a decrease in its meat or market value. This is based on the hadith narrated by Al-Bara' bin 'Azib, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
 
"Four [defects] are not permissible in sacrifices: A one-eyed animal whose blindness is evident, a sick animal whose illness is evident, a lame animal whose lameness is evident, and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones." [Reported by Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi, who graded it as authentic].
 
These defects are detailed as follows:
 
Evident Lameness: It is not permissible to sacrifice a lame animal if the lameness is severe enough to prevent it from walking to the pasture or seeking food, as this leads to a decrease in its meat. However, slight lameness that does not hinder its grazing is overlooked.
 
Evident Blindness (One-eyed): It is not permissible to sacrifice a sheep, cow, or camel that has a white film over its eye blocking light, or one that has lost an eye entirely. Weak vision that does not affect its ability to eat does not prevent the sacrifice from being valid.
 
Evident Illness: An animal with a clear sickness that prevents it from eating or moving is not valid. This includes severe mange (Jarab) that spoils the meat.
 
Extreme Emaciation: An animal so thin that there is no marrow left in its bones is invalid. The standard for emaciation that invalidates the sacrifice is that which spoils the quality of the meat to the point that people would find it undesirable even in times of plenty.
 
Additional Considerations:
These are the defects mentioned in the Prophetic tradition, and any defect that causes emaciation or reduces the meat or value is compared to them by analogy. This includes animals that are mentally unstable (diseased), those with mange, or those with a missing ear. In contrast, a slit or pierced ear does not affect the validity of the sacrifice. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is Zakah (obligatory charity) obligatory on indebted merchant?

Debt doesn`t abrogate the dueness of Zakah, thus a debtor who has money, articles of merchandise, or other Zakah funds at his disposal should pay their Zakah.

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