What is the ruling on one who smokes while believing that it is forbidden?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I say: We were in a session after the 'Asr prayer today, or shortly before 'Asr, and the conversation turned to the issue of smoking. Some of them said: "I smoke because I am unable to quit smoking."
The Shaykh : Unable to do what?
The questioner : Unable to quit smoking. He cited as evidence that this sin will be forgiven, based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:31]. So this smoker said: "But I do not commit major sins, and this, if Allah wills, is forgiven?!"
The Shaykh : Very good.
The questioner : I know that he prays the five daily prayers and is observant, I mean!
The Shaykh : I mean, do I understand from your words that he admits that smoking is forbidden?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: I don't think so
The questioner : He considers it among the minor sins.
The Shaykh : Keep up with me.
The questioner : The book that my brother 'Ali wrote on smoking contains seven pieces of evidence. He did not discuss anything except one of the pieces of evidence, which indicates that he accepts the rest of the evidence. ... He said: "Don't say I smoke, I am with you, but I am not able to quit smoking?"
The Shaykh : So the answer to my question is that he believes it is forbidden.
The questioner : That is what appears to me. I do not know what the brothers' opinion is.
Al-Halabi : Yes, it is so.
The Shaykh : So. Is he convinced?
Al-Halabi : What appeared to us from him is that he is convinced that smoking is forbidden.
The Shaykh : I do not think so. I do not think he is convinced. If I were to ask him: "Why is smoking forbidden?" Could he answer?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : What does he say?
The questioner : He cites verses and hadiths as evidence.
The Shaykh : For example?
The questioner : For example:Sunan Ibn Majah 2340Da'if (Darussalam).
The Shaykh : Okay; there is a hadith:Sunan Ibn Majah 2340Da'if (Darussalam). Does he permit himself to harm others because it is not a major sin? Is that what I understand from your words?
The questioner : What appeared to us is that he argues with this verse that this sin will be forgiven.
The Shaykh : But this opens up many doors for us on one hand, and on the other hand, one must be reminded of the saying of the poet, which is taken from the authentic saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The poet said:
"And most of the Fire is from the one who belittles the sparks," taken from the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). I do not have it memorized right now, if any of you has it memorized.
The questioner : .
The Shaykh : Yes; because if these minor sins gather, they destroy their owner. Why? Because this one is small and this one is small, and they gather and overcome him and destroy him. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a wonderful example: that people are on a journey, they gather a twig from here and a twig from here, and lo, it becomes a blazing fire. This does not mean that a Muslim should belittle the commission of minor sins; this is on one hand. On the other hand, the verse[An-Nisa 4:31], meaning: minor sins, and as in the other verse: ; meaning the minor sins that a person deliberately commits under the claim that he avoids major sins so that the minor sins are erased. Rather, naturally, a person is bound to commit these minor sins.
The questioner : The unintentional ones.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : The unintentional ones.
The Shaykh : Ah, but one who persists in minor sins and deliberately commits them, and on what basis? That these are major sins that erase them? This is a reversal of the intended meaning of the noble verse, so it is not permissible. Moreover, I believe that any person who says such words, which indicate some degree of faith, is not fully convinced that smoking is forbidden. It is forbidden because it harms his health, forbidden because it harms his wife, forbidden because it harms his children, forbidden because it harms his friends and brothers with whom he sits, forbidden because it harms his wealth, and so on. When all these harms gather, he tells you: "Allah will forgive us because they are minor sins." One destroys his own state with his own hand on the basis that they are minor sins. No, if he believed this with certainty, he would not have said this word, nor would he have argued with this argument.
What about others?
The questioner : Here, my Shaykh, this hadith has a beautiful comment of yours in the same chapter. It is:Riyad as-Salihin 1045. Comment: Meaning, unless you commit?
The Shaykh : This has another discussion.
The questioner : Nothing remains of his prayers...
The Shaykh : It has another discussion.
The questioner : My Shaykh, do you consider all of this - my Shaykh - to be applied to the unintentional?
The Shaykh: What is it?
The questioner : Meaning the mistakes and these things that he commits.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Is it applied to the unintentional?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The Shaykh : Unable to do what?
The questioner : Unable to quit smoking. He cited as evidence that this sin will be forgiven, based on the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins
إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ ...The Shaykh : Very good.
The questioner : I know that he prays the five daily prayers and is observant, I mean!
The Shaykh : I mean, do I understand from your words that he admits that smoking is forbidden?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: I don't think so
The questioner : He considers it among the minor sins.
The Shaykh : Keep up with me.
The questioner : The book that my brother 'Ali wrote on smoking contains seven pieces of evidence. He did not discuss anything except one of the pieces of evidence, which indicates that he accepts the rest of the evidence. ... He said: "Don't say I smoke, I am with you, but I am not able to quit smoking?"
The Shaykh : So the answer to my question is that he believes it is forbidden.
The questioner : That is what appears to me. I do not know what the brothers' opinion is.
Al-Halabi : Yes, it is so.
The Shaykh : So. Is he convinced?
Al-Halabi : What appeared to us from him is that he is convinced that smoking is forbidden.
The Shaykh : I do not think so. I do not think he is convinced. If I were to ask him: "Why is smoking forbidden?" Could he answer?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : What does he say?
The questioner : He cites verses and hadiths as evidence.
The Shaykh : For example?
The questioner : For example:
It was narrated from 'Ubadah bin Samit that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ruled: “There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”
لا ضرر ولا ضرارThe Shaykh : Okay; there is a hadith:
It was narrated from 'Ubadah bin Samit that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ruled: “There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”
لا ضرر ولا ضرارThe questioner : What appeared to us is that he argues with this verse that this sin will be forgiven.
The Shaykh : But this opens up many doors for us on one hand, and on the other hand, one must be reminded of the saying of the poet, which is taken from the authentic saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The poet said:
"And most of the Fire is from the one who belittles the sparks," taken from the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). I do not have it memorized right now, if any of you has it memorized.
The questioner :
Beware of the minor sins
إياكم ومحقّرات الذنوبThe Shaykh : Yes; because if these minor sins gather, they destroy their owner. Why? Because this one is small and this one is small, and they gather and overcome him and destroy him. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) gave a wonderful example: that people are on a journey, they gather a twig from here and a twig from here, and lo, it becomes a blazing fire. This does not mean that a Muslim should belittle the commission of minor sins; this is on one hand. On the other hand, the verse
If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins
إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْExcept for minor sins
إِلَّا اللَّمَمَThe questioner : The unintentional ones.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : The unintentional ones.
The Shaykh : Ah, but one who persists in minor sins and deliberately commits them, and on what basis? That these are major sins that erase them? This is a reversal of the intended meaning of the noble verse, so it is not permissible. Moreover, I believe that any person who says such words, which indicate some degree of faith, is not fully convinced that smoking is forbidden. It is forbidden because it harms his health, forbidden because it harms his wife, forbidden because it harms his children, forbidden because it harms his friends and brothers with whom he sits, forbidden because it harms his wealth, and so on. When all these harms gather, he tells you: "Allah will forgive us because they are minor sins." One destroys his own state with his own hand on the basis that they are minor sins. No, if he believed this with certainty, he would not have said this word, nor would he have argued with this argument.
What about others?
The questioner : Here, my Shaykh, this hadith has a beautiful comment of yours in the same chapter. It is:
The five (daily) Salat (prayers) and the Friday (prayer) to the Friday (prayer) expiate whatever (minor sins) may be committed in between, so long as major sins are avoided.
الصلوات الخمس ، والجمعة إلى الجمعة كفَّارة لما بينهنَّ ما لم تُغشَ الكبائرThe Shaykh : This has another discussion.
The questioner : Nothing remains of his prayers...
The Shaykh : It has another discussion.
The questioner : My Shaykh, do you consider all of this - my Shaykh - to be applied to the unintentional?
The Shaykh: What is it?
The questioner : Meaning the mistakes and these things that he commits.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Is it applied to the unintentional?
The Shaykh: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.