Using Qat and Tobacco

The questioner:
My master.

The Shaykh:
Yes.

The questioner:
A group is asking about the ruling on eating at certain times, given that the eaters do not miss the congregational prayer in the schools of jurisprudence?

The Shaykh:
Regarding qat, those who know it among the scholars of Yemen and others have stated that it is not permissible to use it, that it intoxicates and clouds the mind, and that it causes many harms. Therefore, it is not permissible to consume qat, nor to consume tobacco. Both tobacco and qat are wrong and forbidden, and their harms are many and their evil is great. Many of our brothers in Yemen have been afflicted with this matter. We ask Allah for health and guidance for us and for them, and we ask Allah to cut off its root and remove it from existence; because its evil is great and its harm to them and others is immense. It is obligatory to be cautious of smoking, and to be cautious of qat, and likewise all nuts and narcotics; one must be cautious of them, for their evil is great and their corruption of hearts and bodies is significant. We ask Allah for health.