Advice the Shaykh gave to smokers.

The Shaykh: Go ahead.

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; I cannot stop smoking."

The Shaykh : You cannot do what?

The questioner : I cannot stop smoking. He argued that this is a sin that will be forgiven, citing the saying of Allah the Exalted: . He said, "I smoke, but I do not commit major sins, so this is forgiven, if Allah wills."

The Shaykh : Very good.

The questioner : And that he is a worshipper who prays the five daily prayers and is diligent in them, meaning

The Shaykh : Do I understand from your words that he admits that smoking is forbidden?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : I do not think so.

The questioner : He considers it among the minor sins.

The Shaykh : Keep up with me.

The questioner : The book that the brother 'Ali wrote on smoking contains seven pieces of evidence, and he only discussed one of them; this indicates that he is Muslim regarding the remaining evidence. Therefore, he said, "Don't tell me I will smoke; I am with you, but I am not able to stop smoking."

The Shaykh : Yes, meaning the answer to my question is that he believes it is forbidden.

The questioner : This is what appeared to me; I do not know what the brothers' opinion is.
Al-Halabi : Yes, it is so.

The Shaykh : Like this, are you convinced?
Al-Halabi : Of course, this is what appeared from him: that he is convinced that smoking is forbidden.

The Shaykh : I do not think, I do not think that he is convinced. Now, if we asked him why smoking is forbidden, could he answer?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: What does he say?

The questioner : He would argue with verses and hadiths.

The Shaykh : For example.

The questioner : For example, "There is no harm and no reciprocating harm."

The Shaykh : The hadith . He permits himself to harm others because it is not a major sin? That is how I understand 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.
Al-Halabi : Of course.

The Shaykh : On one hand, and on the other hand, it is obligatory to mention, for whoever remembers, the saying of the poet taken from the authentic hadith of the Messenger, the saying of the poet: "And the most intense fire is from the one who considers the sparks insignificant." This is taken from the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Now, I am not recalling it; if any of you is recalling it.

The questioner : .

The Shaykh : Yes, because if these minor sins gather, they destroy their owner; why? Because this is a small one and this is a small one, so 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 and they gather a twig from here and a twig from here and a twig from here, and behold, it is a blazing fire. This does not mean that the Muslim should be careless about committing minor sins. This is on one hand; on the other hand, it does not mean that the verse , i.e., the minor sins, or as in the other verse , i.e., the small sins that a person deliberately commits under the claim that "I avoid major sins, so the minor sins are erased," but rather, naturally, a person must inevitably commit these minor sins.

The questioner : Not the deliberate ones.

The Shaykh : Yes, but as for one who persists in minor sins and deliberately commits them on the pretext of what? 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. I believe that any person who says such a thing, instead of something 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 this whole group of harms gathers, he tells you, "Allah forgives them 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 argued with this argument; yes, otherwise.

The questioner : Here, my Shaykh, this hadith has a beautiful comment of yours in the same chapter.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed, it is nine and a third of the hour.

The questioner, the comment is "unless you commit."

The Shaykh : This has another discussion.

The questioner : .

The Shaykh : It has another discussion, yes.

The questioner : Meaning, we accept this for the non-deliberate.

The Shaykh : What is it?

The questioner : Meaning, the mistakes and these things that a servant commits are attributed to the non-deliberate.

The Shaykh: Yes.