A Response to Those Who Permit Smoking on the Ground That It Is Sold in Shops

Question:
May Allah reward you. This questioner says: We have found people who say that a cigarette is lawful, and if it were forbidden, it would be banned from commercial shops, especially since we are in Islamic lands whose methodology is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). How do we respond to that? May Allah reward you.

Answer:
This is the speech of an ignorant person or one who follows his desires. The actions of people are not evidence, my brother. The actions of people, even if they are Muslims, sometimes contradict the truth; they disobey and deviate. Their actions are not evidence. The proof is by evidence. The fact that people sell tobacco is not evidence of its permissibility; they are mistaken in this. To argue from a mistake, to argue from a mistake, this is not evidence. So this is the speech of an ignorant person or a stubborn person, yes.