The Ruling on Isbal, Smoking, and Comparing the Two

Question:
Is isbal a major sin among the major sins, and which is more severe: isbal or smoking?

Answer:
Letting the garment hang below the ankles is a major sin, because it meets the criterion for a major sin. The criterion for a major sin is that a fixed punishment is prescribed for it in this world, or it is concluded with the anger of Allah, a curse, the Fire, or a warning in the Hereafter. Letting the garment hang below the ankles carries a warning; it carries a warning, because it is mentioned in the hadith: This is a warning. Likewise, it is mentioned in the hadith that And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is a warning. These are the criteria for major sins. So, letting the garment hang below the ankles is a major sin. Letting the garment hang below the ankles means it goes below the ankles. As for what is at the ankles and above, that is the Sunnah, down to the middle of the shin. All of this is Sunnah. However, a person should not go against the community if the community is following the prescribed Sunnah of the ankles. If people let their garments hang from the ankles, he should let his hang from the ankles, because the community is upon the Sunnah, and praise be to Allah. He should not be the only one with a garment to the middle of the shin while everyone else has theirs to the ankles. It is all Sunnah, from the middle of the shin to the ankles; all of this is Sunnah. So, as long as the community is upon one aspect of the Sunnah, do not go against them to the point where they look at you and say, "So-and-so and so-and-so." Unless the community is upon something contrary to the Sunnah; in that case, no. We follow the Sunnah. If the community lets their garments hang below the ankles, we say, "No." This is forbidden, even if the community is doing it. So, be aware of this.
Now, this is regarding isbal. As for the smoker, there is no doubt that he is disobedient to Allah and His Messenger, harms himself, throws himself into destruction, and consumes something impure and harmful. By the consensus of the world's doctors and organizations, smoking is a deception and it causes serious diseases. So it is forbidden. However, the one who smokes is not considered to be committing a major sin; he is considered to be consuming a forbidden thing, because forbidden things include some that are major and some that are less than that.
But the scholars of knowledge say that persisting in a minor sin makes it a major sin. And perhaps if he knows that smoking is forbidden, hears the advice, and does not accept it, then by this it becomes a major sin for him, because he persisted in this minor sin and was stubborn about it after knowing and recognizing that it is forbidden. So this makes it a major sin. Huh? The secret habit is forbidden, and if a person persists in it while knowing its ruling, it is considered a major sin. As for the one who is satisfied with it and does not know this, he is considered a sinner.