SMOKING

Praise Be to Allah - we praise Him, we seek aid from Him, we seek guidance, and we seek from Him refuge from the evils of ourselves, and our bad deeds. It is He whom Allah guides that is on true guidance; but he whom He leaves astray, for such wilts thou find no protector to lead him to the right way. And I profess that there is no god but Allah alone, & He has no partners. And I admit His lordship, compelling this truth for those who denied Him and disbelieved in Him. And I profess that our master Muhammad, May Allah's Peace & Grace be upon him, is the messenger of Allah, the master of the created and the human race, and I keep professing that for as long as sight can be seen with an eye, for as long as news can be heard with an ear.
O Allah, our Lord, have peace and blessings upon our master Mohammed, upon his folks, his companions, his descendants, and those who allied with him and followed him until the Day of Judgment. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, and let us make use of what Thou hast taught us. O Allah and advance us in knowledge. O Allah show us the righteousness as right as it is, and bless us with following it. O Allah our lord make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of it, and admit us, by Thy Grace, to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Thy Vicinity.

First sermon:

Tobacco leaves are made up of 300 components that differ according to the kind of tobacco. But the basic and most poisonous component of tobacco is nicotine, which is so dangerous that if a dog is injected with 1\10 gram thereof, it dies immediately; if one drop of this dangerous substance is injected into the blood of a human being, he\she dies instantly; and if four drops are injected into the vein of a horse, it dies in four minutes. Another component of tobacco contains 200 times poisonous matter as much as that permitted by health organizations and committees of food industries.

Another poisonous component of tobacco weakens the work of erythrocytes, because it combines with them and hinders exchange of O2 and CO2, which makes a smoker pant and feel constantly exhausted.

In the smoke of tobacco are two poisonous gases that cause cancer as confirmed by most up-to-date studies. And in the U S A 1000 people die because of smoking-related diseases everyday, which is seven times more than the number of those who are killed by traffic accidents. World Health Organization considers smoking as a definitive cause for a great many deadly diseases.

Some people wrongly think that there are two kinds of tobacco, refined and non-refined, and that smoke of tobacco is refined by means of special filters, which is completely wrong. The clear scientific fact is that the filter prevents tar only to enter the lungs, while all other kinds of poisonous substances go through the filter into the lungs.

The dangerous thing about smoking is that its detrimental effects are innumerable, not only on the smoker himself but also on those around him: his wife, children, work-colleagues…etc. In other words, if one stays for four hours in a room where someone is smoking, it is as though one has smoked ten cigarettes. Such people are called “passive smokers” and are badly effected by tobacco smoke even if they do not smoke. Those who smoke and enjoy smoking cause harm to others unintentionally.

Some people might say that there are certain cases, rare as they are, in which one smokes but is not injured. But the answer to such claims: Are you sure that this very rare case apply to you?!

A very brilliant doctor, whose father was addicted to smoking but, nevertheless, lived for more than eighty years, wrongly thought that smoking is not detrimental at all. Therefore, he went on smoking excessively until, when he was fifty-two, he had a serious heart-disease. When he returned from America, after having had vein transplantation, he was asked: “How come that you smoke while you are a brilliant doctor?!” He replied regretfully, “I fancied through my father’s case that smoking is not detrimental!”

Can any of us ever be sure that he\she will be one of such rare cases in which a smoker is not badly affected by smoking?!

The indisputable fact is that neither the smoker himself nor his physician can ever be able to predict that he will be safe from the deadly dangers of smoking; and such rare cases as above-mentioned have very complicated explanations.

Let us now try to study the detrimental effects of smoking on the different parts of the human body:

The Respiratory System:

What is the relationship between smoking and the respiratory system? Scientists hold that the worst smoking-effected parts of the human body is the respiratory system, because it is like a bunch of grapes, each grape is like a pulmonary vesicle in which the exchange between CO2 and O2, which is indispensable for human life, takes place. But what does smoking do to such pulmonary vesicles?

Smoking destroys tissues of pulmonary alveolus which are vesicles.

Inside the human windpipe there are cilia that are planted on the walls thereof. These cilia are always moving up in order to drive away any alien body that exists in the lungs and windpipe. But nicotine paralyzes these cilia, and therefore, these infections and remnants accumulate in the windpipe, because the mechanism of cilia, which should drive them away, is rendered inoperative by nicotine.

A smoker is more vulnerable to be infected with windpipe and lung diseases as well as emphysema. Moreover, there is an obvious positive relation between smoking and lung-cancer.

Calculations show that out of one thousand smokers, there are sixty who are infected with lung-cancer, whereas out of one thousand non-smokers, there are only two persons who are infected with such horrible disease.

Some scientists hold that poisons of tobacco cause mutations in the cell which are caused by scratches, and which, in turn, cause cancer of tissues.

The heart and blood vessels:

Most of the deadly cardiac and vascular diseases are attributed to smoking.

Physicians of heart surgery state that most of the surgical operations they carry out on the heart are necessitated by smoking-related diseases.

A man with throat cancer once came to an otolaryngologist, who suddenly put his hand over the man’s chest to find a packet of cigarettes. He exclaimed: “Cancer comes from this packet.”

The first reason for these fatal diseases is that the poison of nicotine combines with hemoglobin and thus terminates one of the most important biological operations, which is exchange between O2 and CO2.

I would like to draw your attention to a very important fact, namely that Allah, the Almighty, has honored man by providing him with very complicated apparatuses and mechanisms in order to protect him from the different dangers around him. Hence, if one of us sees a frightening thing, like a snake for example, what happens to him? The picture of this snake is imprinted on his retina, which transmits the picture to the brain through the optical nerves. The brain recognizes this picture according to the previously acquired conceptions. The brain, which is the king of the nervous system, orders the pituitary gland, which is the queen of the hormone system, to deal with this situation. This queen, i.e. the pituitary gland, has effective hormone elements. It sends an order to the adrenal gland in order to excrete five hormones: the first one accelerates the heart-beating; the second increases the work of lungs; the third narrows surrounding blood vessels in order that blood goes to the muscles and not to the skin; the fourth increases sugar in the blood; and the fifth increases the hormone of thrombosis. All of this happens thanks to the hormone of adrenaline excreted by the adrenal gland.

Therefore, when man is afraid of something, his heart-beat and his lung-palpitation increase, his vessels’ orifices narrow and, therefore, he becomes pale. The rate of sugar in the blood and that of the hormone of thrombosis both increase. The poison of nicotine performs the same function as that of the adrenaline. Hence, the heart-beat of a smoker, and his lung-palpitation increase, his vessels’ orifices narrow, and the rate of sugar in his blood and the hormone of adrenaline both increase. Therefore, he is eight times more vulnerable to be infected with thrombus than others.

One of the reasons for chronic diseases is smoking, since smoking increases the rate of viscidity in blood, which makes it difficult for the blood to pass through narrow vessels. Thus, one’s lower limbs begin to die out.

Smoking causes a rare disease which is called “inflammation of embolism”, for when vessels become inflamed, their apertures are closed due to lack of blood in the limbs’ vessels; and, hence, the limbs begin to die out.

There is another disease which affects smokers, some of whose symptoms are cyanosis and erythrism.

The brain and nerves:

The human brain is the noblest part of man. It includes one hundred and forty milliard supporting cells whose function is not known yet. It also includes fourteen milliard cortical cells, which are the domain of man’s intellectual activities. It is the most complicated apparatus in man, and man is, in turn, the most complicated machine in the universe.

But what does smoking do to the human brain?

If poisons of smoking reach the brain, it receives them easily and voraciously; and therefore, man soon feels a little narcotized. Nicotine, which is dissolved in the blood, and which reaches the brain, makes man feel sometimes narcotized and sometimes active. This is because tobacco smoke is both assuasive and activating at the same time; and this is the secret behind addiction.

This poison, which gets into the brain, weakens the brain-nerves and causes nerve-inflammation. One of the great many bad effects of this poison on the nerves is constant trembling of limbs. A smoker’s hands and legs are constantly trembling because of the brain-nerve inflammation resulting from lack of blood supply to the brain.

The sense of taste of smokers weakens; and they also suffer headaches, pain in the limbs, weakness of memory and forgetfulness. Another nerve-related symptom of smoking is weakness of intellectual activity; therefore, a non-smoker is usually cleverer and faster in responding to stimuli than a smoker.

Scientific research, which included 6800 cases, showed clearly the existence of a negative relationship between smoking and intelligence.

The eye:

It has been found out that smoking causes conjunctivitis, dryness of eye-lids, and inflammation of optic nerves. It also causes lack of vitamin (B12).

The digestive system:

90 % of lip-cancer cases are found among smokers, who are also exposed greatly to tongue-cancer, esophagus, gum and tongue ulceration, inflammation and hypertrophy of salivary glands, and sometimes difficulty in swallowing. Moreover, smoking causes poisoning of liver-cells, cirrhosis, and liver-cancer.

The genital system:

Smoking is one of the main reasons for sexual impotence. It causes deformity of sperms, sterility of both men and women, and it spoils the relationship between spouses. Most of the cases of abortion, premature and dead-born babies, under-weight, high rate of birth-deaths, deformation, infant death, infant asthma, and deaf-born babies are caused by mother-smoking.

The incredible thing about smoking is that the new-born baby receives its poisonous effects directly from the milk of a smoker-mother. Therefore, continual vomiting, spasm, and increase of hear-beat of new-born babies are all caused by mother-smoking.

Intensity of smoke poisons in the breast of a smoker-woman results in breast-cancer.

Due to lack of information about the dangers of smoking, Muslim scholars previously differed as regards prohibition of smoking. In his book “Al-Hashiah”, which is considered as one of the largest encyclopedias of the Hanifite school of Islamic jurisprudence, Ibn Aabdeen says, “Some scholars said that it is prohibited, others said it is reprehensible, and others said it is permissible. That was because its dangers on the human body were not known to them, and in Islam all things are initially lawful. Therefore, when some scholars previously made smoking lawful, this was because of their lack of knowledge about its harms. Had they known its harms, they would have prohibited it more than we do.”

There is a basic rule in Islam, namely that all things are initially lawful unless there is textual evidence of prohibition. However, this does not apply to kinds of worships and devotional services, which are strictly revelation-specific.

Having displayed such clear definitive facts about the dangers of smoking, it goes without saying that it is strongly prohibited. This is because Allah, the Almighty, sent His Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH), as a mercy for all mankind, and in order to make lawful for them what is good, and prohibit what is evil or detrimental.

Is there a single sane person who takes out a cigarette and says before smoking: “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”; and when he finishes, he says: “Praise be to Allah. O Allah! Increase these Favors upon us.”?!! This is impossible. Hence, this is a natural evidence that smoking is unlawful.

Allah, the Almighty, says:

“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures) – in the Torah and the Gospel – for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him – it is they who will prosper.”

[VII ; 157]

There is another serious fact, namely that out of one hundred persons who drink wine, fifteen become addicted thereto; whereas, out of one hundred smokers, there are eighty five ones who become addicted to smoking. Hence, the percentage of addiction to smoking is much higher than that of addiction to wine.

Statistical data in America shows that victims of smoking in the USA, alone, are 350,000 persons a year. This means that every day, one thousand smokers die because of smoking. Also, 50,000 negative smokers, who do not smoke, but their parents, relatives, or friends do, die every year.

The number of those who die because of smoking in one of the western countries is 400,000 ones, i.e. more than 1,000 people every day.

Tobacco that is imported, or smuggled, from the USA is both very bad and harmful, because the rate of its poisons is ten times more than those of any other kind of tobacco. In other words, the packet, trademark, and price are the same, but tobacco that the USA exports to the countries of the Middle East is of the worst quality.

An Egyptian scientist heard that leaves of tobacco are soaked in wine. So he went to America in order to see that with his own eyes before he writes about it. He saw, with his own eyes, that leaves of tobacco there are soaked in wine before they are made into cigarettes; so he wrote a book about that. Hence, when one hears any of such American brands being advertised: “Come to where the flavor is!”, it is actually the flavor of wine in which it has been soaked!

A research that has been recently made in England on eighty three smokers shows that out of ten smokers three will certainly die because of diseases caused by smoking and the others will inevitably suffer from smoking-related chronic diseases.

Concerning losses incurred by fires caused by cigarette-ends, they are far more than all of the profits of all tobacco companies or the taxes received from this industry.

In one of the most beautiful forests of our country an ignorant picnicker once threw a cigarette-end and caused two hundred and fifty hectares of green woods to burn. All such enormous loss was due to one single cigarette-end.

Some smokers may wrongly think: “Well, we do not suffer from any thing, we can walk and run; and we have good health although we are smokers.” Actually, such people are ignorant of a serious fact, namely that harms of smoking accumulate in the human body until it is time to show out when its physical defense mechanism finally collapses, just as happens when one puts on a pan of a balance five kilograms and then starts putting on the second pan one, two, three, four kilograms and the first scale is still inclined; but as soon as one adds five kilograms and a few more grams, the second pan begins to move down. What makes this pan move down? Is it the last few grams?!! No…What makes it move down is the previous accumulations of all the weights. It is just like the straw that is said to have broken the back of the camel!

One of the western scientists says: “Companies of tobacco are companies of murder, or companies which trade in death.”

A handsome man, whom companies of tobacco used to employ for advertising their products, used to appear in cowboy clothes and a nice hat on his head inviting people to smoke the brand he was made to advertise, died at a very young age because of smoking. When he was on the death-bed, he said most regretfully, “I was lying to you; smoking has killed me. Never be victims of evil cheating! Do not be easy prey to dishonest advertisements of dishonest companies that seek only financial profit even at the expense of the health of other fellow humans!” In this context, Allah, the Almighty, says:

“And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loves those who do good.”

[II ; 195]

Those who smoke actually contribute to their own destruction. Allah, Most Gracious, says:

“O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities; but let there be amongst you trade by mutual good will; nor kill (or destroy) yourselves, for verily Allah has been to you Most Merciful”

[IV ; 29]

Islam strongly prohibits committing suicide; and smoking has been described by scientists as a slow suicide. In fact, there are two kinds of suicide: a fast one, as when one stabs oneself with a knife in a deadly place of his body, and a slow one, namely “smoking”. Allah, All-Mighty, strongly bids mankind:

“Do not kill yourselves!”

Abu Houraira (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Whosoever throws himself from a mountain and, thus, kills himself, he will be thrown in Hell-Fire forever and ever. Whosoever drinks a poison and, thus, kills himself, his poison will be in his hand, and he will drink thereof in Hell-Fire forever and ever. Whosoever kills himself by a piece of iron, his piece of iron will be in his hand, and he will stab his abdomen therewith in Hell-fire forever and ever.”

Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) prohibited all kinds of intoxicants or anesthetics. Umm Salama said:

“The Prophet (PBUH) prohibited all kinds of intoxicants or anesthetics.”

A poor smoker is best called “a Fool”, and a rich one is best called “a Spendthrift”. And Allah, All-Wise, says:

“Verily spendthrifts are brothers of Shayateen (devils); and the Shaytan (Devil-Satan) is ever ungrateful to his Lord.”

[XVII ; 27]


If the vast Tobacco-fields were planted with vegetables and fruits, instead of tobacco, things would be much better, income would increase, people would be healthier, and all mankind would be far more prosperous and happy.

Smoking has been declared unlawful by a great many Muslim religious scholars, most prominent of whom are: the greatest scholar of the Ottoman State, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Laqqani, Sheikh Salem As-Sunbouri, the Mufti of K.S.A., Sheikh Badr Ad-Deen Al-Hasani, Sheikh Ali Ad-Daqr, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hamid.

The head of Al-Azhar scolars, Jad Al-Haq, may Allah have mercy on him, delivered the following religious judgment about smoking: “It has become very clear that smoking, with all of its different brands and methods of use, causes a great harm to man, sooner or later, in both his soul and money. It inflects him with various and numerous kinds of diseases. Therefore, it is strongly prohibited and considered as unlawful by virtue of the textual evidences which have been mentioned previously. Hence, in view of preserving people’s souls and money and avoiding its detrimental effects, it is considered unlawful for a Muslim to use it (tobacco) under all circumstances.”

All of the above-mentioned facts have been taken from international health organizations, high standard universities, or advanced research centers.

A committee of prominent medical scientists presented a 387-page report, entitled “Smoking and Health”, confirming deadly dangers of smoking.

A prominent Swiss magazine issued the following report supported with adequate statistical data: Tobacco companies in the world produce two cigarettes a day for every man on earth. In other words, they produce 10,000,000,000 cigarettes a day. The amount of poisonous substances included in that amazingly great number of cigarettes produced everyday would cause immediate death to all mankind if they were injected into their blood, which is far greater and more serious than that of the biggest atomic bomb.

In 1975, The International Health Organization published a detailed account, in which it states: The number of those who die or lead a miserable life because of smoking are more than the total number of those who die of such fatal diseases and epidemics as pestilence, cholera, variola, tuberculosis, leprosy, typhoid, and typhus. The number of smoking-caused cases of death greatly out-number those caused by all other cases of death.

The total amount of taxes imposed by the developed countries on tobacco companies is far lesser than that spent on the treatment of smoking-related diseases.

Furthermore, a new phenomenon has come into existence, namely that diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and blood-diseases, which do not usually show before the age of sixty, are now showing up much earlier due to smoking. There are now a great many cases of heart-attacks and sudden death at the age of thirty, twenty-five, or even twenty-two, all because of smoking.

Priorities of human life are three things, the most important of which is “right guidance”, the second is “good health”, and the third is “self-sufficiency”. In other words, self-sufficiency is meaningless without good health; and good health is meaningless without right guidance. Physical health is a basic pillar of a believer’s life, as it enables him to accomplish his being Allah’s Viceroy on earth, to fulfill the mission for which he has been created, and to enjoy His Lord’s Guidance and Provision. Hence, when he gets to know that smoking destroys his health, it will be completely unreasonable and unwise that he should smoke even one single cigarette.

Allah says:

“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures) – in the Torah and the Gospel – for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him – it is they who will prosper.”