What is the ruling on smoking, and what is your comment on al-Shawkani's opinion?

The questioner : This person is asking about the ruling on smoking from the perspective of the Shari'ah, and he is also asking about what is widely reported regarding Imam al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him), namely that he had an opinion on the matter, possibly holding that the tobacco plant is not impure. So what is your honorable opinion on this?

The Shaykh : Smoking did not occur until recently, and when it did, the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding its ruling, just as they differ on other matters that arise. The scholars differ on its ruling due to differences in their independent legal reasoning (ijtihad). The earlier scholars, when this tobacco first appeared, differed on it. Whoever wants to know the details of this disagreement, or is interested in it, should look for the collection of transmitted reports, which is a well-known and circulated book. Many scholars from Najd and others have written in it, and it mentions the scholars' disagreement on the ruling of smoking when it first emerged. As for al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him), if he had an opinion that it is permissible, he passed away before people today became aware of the harms of this smoking. People today have realized that this smoking causes severe harm and is a cause of incurable diseases that cannot be treated.
If we refer this matter back to the principles of the Shari'ah, it becomes clear that it is forbidden. The Book, the Sunnah, and sound reasoning indicate this. In the Book, Allah the Exalted says: and He says: and He, Mighty and Majestic, says: Thus, He prohibited us from giving our wealth to those who are foolish, and He made clear that our wealth is the foundation upon which we stand, and through which the interests of our religion and our worldly affairs are established. In the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and he prohibited the waste of water. There is no doubt that smoking is harmful and a waste of water, so it falls under what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited. As for reasoning, it is clear to every person of sound mind that this smoking is harmful, and by virtue of his intellect, he avoids it, because a person of sound mind never practices anything that harms him. Rather, if he does so, he is not a person of sound mind, because intellect, in reality, is what enables a person to understand what harms him and to protect himself from it. Then there is another aspect regarding smoking, which is that a person may sell his honor in order to obtain a single cigarette of this tobacco, as is well known in the stories told to us. With this, we now see that there is no room for disagreement regarding its permissibility, and that one should be firm in its prohibition, denying any disagreement on that point.