The Shaykh’s discussion with some who do not consider smoking to be forbidden
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The sound of the bell...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Hashish is a narcotic. What is your understanding? Is it lawful or forbidden?
The questioner : It is forbidden.
The Shaykh : Is there a text regarding its prohibition?
The questioner : It takes the mind, meaning it changes a person’s mind.
The Shaykh : Intoxicants are intoxicating. This is a narcotic. Do you have a text regarding the prohibition of narcotics?
The questioner : Whatever takes the mind is forbidden!
The Shaykh : I am asking you: do you have evidence? Have you seen evidence that it is a narcotic? You are repeating the reasoning that it is a narcotic... but is this narcotic forbidden or lawful for you? If you say it is forbidden, do you have evidence? Say you have it or you do not have it. The best speech is that which is little and proves its point.
The questioner : I do not have evidence. As for you, you are the one obligated to search for the evidence.
The Shaykh : I am not obligated, because you are the one who testifies that it is forbidden... How do you know that he is an imam? I am asking you: is smoking forbidden or lawful? You say, "I did not find a text regarding its prohibition." Well, did you find a text regarding the prohibition of narcotics?
The questioner : It applies to the characteristic of the forbidden thing, which is taking the mind.
The Shaykh : What is the evidence?
The questioner : This is the evidence present in the Shari'ah regarding the prohibition of intoxicants.
The Shaykh : We told you: this is a narcotic, not an intoxicant.
The questioner : The intoxicant and the narcotic are one.
The Shaykh : What is your evidence? I say the intoxicant and the narcotic are one. Abu Mazin said one thing, and Abu Hazim said another, that the intoxicant, the narcotic, and smoking are one thing.
The questioner : No Muslim has given a reason for the prohibition.
The Shaykh : The prohibition of what?
The questioner : Smoking.
The Shaykh : I am giving it to you, and I am a Muslim, but it is not permissible for you to say no one has done so. Here is one person in front of you.
The questioner : You say: it is permissible, and perhaps your evidence is not one we are convinced by.
The Shaykh : It is not important that you are convinced by it.
The questioner : ... You must know a Shari'ah source, because prohibition is not a simple matter to say: this is lawful and this is forbidden.
The Shaykh : What is your statement regarding his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 2340Da'if (Darussalam)?
The questioner :Sunan Ibn Majah 2340Da'if (Darussalam) This is a sound hadith from the Messenger.
The Shaykh : What does it mean?
The questioner : It means avoiding what is harmful.
The Shaykh : Well, do you know that smoking is harmful or not harmful?
The questioner : Sometimes it is harmful and sometimes it is not.
The Shaykh : Doctors do not say "sometimes it is harmful." That is your statement. You are neither a scholar nor a doctor. Do doctors say that the characteristic of smoking is that it is harmful, or that it is sometimes harmful and sometimes not? Doctors are not you.
The questioner : They say it harms whoever smokes it.
The Shaykh : Alright, we are discussing this point.
The questioner : People’s testimony is not of this nature. You believed and accepted that this is forbidden. Is it not valid for you to smoke it?
The Shaykh : Because it is defective.
The questioner : Then the testimony is invalid.
The Shaykh : This is not testimony regarding a Shari'ah ruling; this is testimony regarding knowledge. O Shaykh, may Allah guide you. Did the disbelievers or the Muslims put the moon up?
The questioner : We have nothing to do with disbelievers or Muslims. All people put the moon up.
The Shaykh : They went up to the moon.
The questioner : They did not go up. They are disbelievers.
The Shaykh : No, let me ask you: those who went up to the moon and came down from it, were they Muslims or disbelievers?
The questioner : Disbelievers, among whom some became Muslims.
The Shaykh : Some of them became Muslims. May Allah bring good news. Who among them?
The questioner : The one who became Muslim among them, they killed him.
The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah. May Allah guide you, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman.
The questioner : People killed him because Islam would not be the correct one.
The Shaykh : Well, how did you know that these people went up to the moon? Did you receive news that a Muslim went up and told you, "We went up to the moon"?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Then how did you know?
The questioner : Knowledge has no limit!
The Shaykh : News from a Muslim or a disbeliever?
The questioner : From the bulletins, newspapers, and news. That is what we hear.
The Shaykh : You did not answer me. You know the answer, O Abu Mazin. You know my question. How did you know that these disbelievers went up to the moon?The questioner : ... From the disbelievers.
The Shaykh : Then you have accepted their testimony now.
The questioner : This is scientific testimony.
The Shaykh : And also, the examination of the harms of smoking is scientific. Also, the testing of smoking and its harms is a scientific matter.
The questioner : No, it is not scientific. It is all lies...
The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Hashish is a narcotic. What is your understanding? Is it lawful or forbidden?
The questioner : It is forbidden.
The Shaykh : Is there a text regarding its prohibition?
The questioner : It takes the mind, meaning it changes a person’s mind.
The Shaykh : Intoxicants are intoxicating. This is a narcotic. Do you have a text regarding the prohibition of narcotics?
The questioner : Whatever takes the mind is forbidden!
The Shaykh : I am asking you: do you have evidence? Have you seen evidence that it is a narcotic? You are repeating the reasoning that it is a narcotic... but is this narcotic forbidden or lawful for you? If you say it is forbidden, do you have evidence? Say you have it or you do not have it. The best speech is that which is little and proves its point.
The questioner : I do not have evidence. As for you, you are the one obligated to search for the evidence.
The Shaykh : I am not obligated, because you are the one who testifies that it is forbidden... How do you know that he is an imam? I am asking you: is smoking forbidden or lawful? You say, "I did not find a text regarding its prohibition." Well, did you find a text regarding the prohibition of narcotics?
The questioner : It applies to the characteristic of the forbidden thing, which is taking the mind.
The Shaykh : What is the evidence?
The questioner : This is the evidence present in the Shari'ah regarding the prohibition of intoxicants.
The Shaykh : We told you: this is a narcotic, not an intoxicant.
The questioner : The intoxicant and the narcotic are one.
The Shaykh : What is your evidence? I say the intoxicant and the narcotic are one. Abu Mazin said one thing, and Abu Hazim said another, that the intoxicant, the narcotic, and smoking are one thing.
The questioner : No Muslim has given a reason for the prohibition.
The Shaykh : The prohibition of what?
The questioner : Smoking.
The Shaykh : I am giving it to you, and I am a Muslim, but it is not permissible for you to say no one has done so. Here is one person in front of you.
The questioner : You say: it is permissible, and perhaps your evidence is not one we are convinced by.
The Shaykh : It is not important that you are convinced by it.
The questioner : ... You must know a Shari'ah source, because prohibition is not a simple matter to say: this is lawful and this is forbidden.
The Shaykh : What is your statement regarding his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
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 :
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 : What does it mean?
The questioner : It means avoiding what is harmful.
The Shaykh : Well, do you know that smoking is harmful or not harmful?
The questioner : Sometimes it is harmful and sometimes it is not.
The Shaykh : Doctors do not say "sometimes it is harmful." That is your statement. You are neither a scholar nor a doctor. Do doctors say that the characteristic of smoking is that it is harmful, or that it is sometimes harmful and sometimes not? Doctors are not you.
The questioner : They say it harms whoever smokes it.
The Shaykh : Alright, we are discussing this point.
The questioner : People’s testimony is not of this nature. You believed and accepted that this is forbidden. Is it not valid for you to smoke it?
The Shaykh : Because it is defective.
The questioner : Then the testimony is invalid.
The Shaykh : This is not testimony regarding a Shari'ah ruling; this is testimony regarding knowledge. O Shaykh, may Allah guide you. Did the disbelievers or the Muslims put the moon up?
The questioner : We have nothing to do with disbelievers or Muslims. All people put the moon up.
The Shaykh : They went up to the moon.
The questioner : They did not go up. They are disbelievers.
The Shaykh : No, let me ask you: those who went up to the moon and came down from it, were they Muslims or disbelievers?
The questioner : Disbelievers, among whom some became Muslims.
The Shaykh : Some of them became Muslims. May Allah bring good news. Who among them?
The questioner : The one who became Muslim among them, they killed him.
The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah. May Allah guide you, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahman.
The questioner : People killed him because Islam would not be the correct one.
The Shaykh : Well, how did you know that these people went up to the moon? Did you receive news that a Muslim went up and told you, "We went up to the moon"?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : Then how did you know?
The questioner : Knowledge has no limit!
The Shaykh : News from a Muslim or a disbeliever?
The questioner : From the bulletins, newspapers, and news. That is what we hear.
The Shaykh : You did not answer me. You know the answer, O Abu Mazin. You know my question. How did you know that these disbelievers went up to the moon?The questioner : ... From the disbelievers.
The Shaykh : Then you have accepted their testimony now.
The questioner : This is scientific testimony.
The Shaykh : And also, the examination of the harms of smoking is scientific. Also, the testing of smoking and its harms is a scientific matter.
The questioner : No, it is not scientific. It is all lies...
The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah.