His Eminence the Father: We see in the streets many of what is wrong, especially the apparent ones, such as smoking and letting garments hang below the ankles, and many other things.

The questioner : He says: His Eminence the Father, we see in the streets many of what is wrong, especially the apparent ones, such as smoking and letting garments hang below the ankles, and many other things. So, is it obligatory for a person to forbid every instance of what is wrong that he encounters, even though this involves great hardship?

The Shaykh : The reality is that, as the questioner said, it is not possible for a person to forbid everything he sees in the market, given the abundance of what is wrong. If he did so, he would not take a step or two, because he would find someone who has shaved his beard, he would find someone smoking, he would find a woman displaying her adornment, he would find a man letting his garments hang below the ankles, and he would want to stop with each one. That is a problem. This is not obligatory, and it might even be a source of mockery for people if he did this. However, it is possible that from time to time he holds onto a man he sees is more likely to accept it and gently informs him that the action he is doing is forbidden and not permissible. And Allah the Exalted said: And He said: As for the brother’s question regarding the issue of smoking: I see, and praise be to Allah, that people have now turned away from it to a great extent. I mean, my opinion now is that, especially among the youth, there are not 20% who smoke, according to my knowledge. I do not know; I do not roam the markets, but this is what we observe. In any case, what a person should do is not to exaggerate matters beyond reality. Praise be to Allah, smoking is little, as far as we know. I do not know if you have anything that contradicts what I said? Yes. A lot. May Allah not increase it. In any case, regarding smoking, in reality, I am surprised by whoever consumes it. It is harmful to the body, a waste of money, a waste of time, a burden on worship, a destroyer of teeth, and a destroyer of breath. I mean, its ills are many. And it is said to me that in some countries that many people consider advanced in worldly matters, smoking is strictly prohibited, to the point that if one of them is compelled to smoke a cigarette, he goes into hiding. And these are lands of disbelief. It has even reached us that those on airplanes, when they pass over this government, refrain from smoking, from smoking while in the air. If this is the case with those disbelievers who do not know how to worship Allah Mighty and Majestic according to the Shari'ah, what about us Muslims? We ask Allah for guidance for everyone. Yes.