Is smoking permissible? A poem.

If smoking has not been medically proven to be harmful to the body at this time and in this era, it is still forbidden. Did you notice this qualification? If it is not proven that smoking is harmful in this era, because you know that science advances every day, then if the harm of smoking is not proven, it is religiously forbidden; yes? Because prohibition has many causes. For example, the prohibition might be for something that harms the person himself, but it also harms others. An example is eating garlic and onions. Eating garlic and onions is not prohibited, neither religiously nor medically. In fact, we know from our reading of some scientific magazines—and you are more knowledgeable about this, being a doctor—that garlic and onions are beneficial from a health perspective, right or not? To confirm our old information.
The Doctor: Yes, that is correct.

The Shaykh : Yes, and yet the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
The Doctor: Does "the foul tree" refer to garlic and onions?

The Shaykh : Yes, garlic and onions. Do you see? I mean its foulness is in terms of its smell. This is indeed something every person feels who has not eaten this food. For example, you and I, when one of us sits in conversation having eaten garlic and onions, we are disgusted by it; because the smell is foul, do you see? And because it is obligatory for every Muslim to perform the five daily prayers in the mosques of the Muslims in congregation, if he has eaten garlic and onions earlier, the smell has not yet left his mouth. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says to him: "Beware of coming to the mosques." Why? Because you harm the Muslims, and you harm the angels who are present for the Muslims' prayer in their mosques. So you notice with me here that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the Muslim who ate garlic and onions, which are lawful, from attending the Muslim congregation because of the harm he causes them. What about smoking? When you, or someone else, smokes, its smell becomes an inseparable part of his body. The proof is that someone like our story, whom Allah has spared from smoking, enters a room, especially if it is narrow, small, and enclosed, and immediately knows that this person is a smoker. So he harms others, even if smoking does not harm him, or in the first sense, if the harm of smoking is not proven, but he harms others with his foul smell, just as he harms the Muslims in their mosques with the smell of garlic and onions, which is lawful by the consensus of Muslims. Therefore, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said a wonderful hadith, which is considered among the eloquence of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), his clarity, and his concise words, which he expressed by saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . Concise words are few in expression but many in meaning. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . What is the meaning of ? It is not permissible religiously to harm yourself, and it is not permissible to harm others. So if we suppose that a person does something that does not harm himself but there is harm to others, it is not permissible for him to engage in that thing which does not harm himself but harms others. The scholars of Islam and jurists of the religion reached such precision on this specific point that, for example, "Do not drink with your left hand, may Allah bless you, use the right hand, the right hand." The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to eat with the right hand, drink with the right hand, give with the right hand, and take with the right hand. These are religious commands that Muslims today are deeply ignorant of. The point is, what did the jurists say? If you are in the mosque and you want to recite the Qur'an, is there harm in reciting the Qur'an? Absolutely not. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: من قرأ القرآن فله بكل حرف عشر حسنات ، لا أقول الم حرف ، بل ألف حرف ، ولام حرف ، ميم حرف Whoever recites the Qur'an, he has ten good deeds for every letter. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but rather Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter, and Mim is a letter.. Merely reciting records for you with the Lord of the Worlds automatically—as they say in this era—thirty good deeds. What about if you recite al-Fatihah and other surahs? The jurists said: If you sit in the mosque reciting the Qur'an and there is a man sleeping, taking his rest, it is not permissible for you to raise your voice in reciting the Qur'an. What about if you raise your voice and there are people praying, not sleeping, they are praying, one is praying on time, one is praying the greeting of the mosque, and so on. And there might also be readers like his story who are disturbed by it. Therefore, he (may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him) said: . Do not harm the believers by reciting aloud. Allahu Akbar. If there is harm to the believer in the recitation, it is not permissible. So it is not permissible for one to smoke, even if there is no harm or prohibition in smoking itself. What about when two calamities are combined in smoking: harm and causing harm to others? I mean harm and causing harm to others. But smoking—as you know better than I—is harmful to health and the body, and its foul smell is like garlic and fouler than garlic and onions. Because some people might not eat garlic, but there is no person who does not eat garlic and onions; it is somewhat customary for them; because many foods contain garlic and onions. Therefore, several calamities are combined in smoking, Doctor: The first calamity is harm to the body, the second calamity is harm to the brothers, the third calamity is causing harm to wealth; because this is extravagance and wasting money, squandering it on something that harms and does not benefit. In the past, one of the shaykhs was asked, before it became a scientific fact that smoking is harmful and may lead to this malignant disease, cancer—as you know—this has certainly become popular among people recently, whereas before it was not known. One of the scholar-jurists was asked about smoking at that time, and he was in doubt about its harm to the body, but he was a jurist, so he reasoned through the ruling, and he answered with a beautiful poem saying: "The original ruling in it religiously is permissibility"; because it is a plant from the earth:
"The original ruling in it religiously is permissibility, and the prohibition of it is absolute, it is abhorrent."
Absolute means without detail. He then details it, saying, meaning to express doubt because he does not know.
"If it harms him in mind or body, or if he has a necessity for the price,
its use is forbidden, otherwise it is permissible in our religion and lawful.
The Shaykh : But excessive use of it is distracting, and its foul smell is prohibited.
...there is an increase in desire, their silence and their prohibition of it are equal.
Rather, it may incite a young man obsessed with it, to drink it, and he disregards the expense.
The Shaykh : And the ultimate word in it is that it is from plants, and it is all lawful,
Except that which harms the bodies, or the prohibition of the minds, that is another matter.
Allah has informed, then the Chosen One, about the honey of bees that it is a healing.
The Shaykh : Even though it harms the one with a fever, and the prohibition of the harmful is known."
Do you see?
"Allah has informed, then the Chosen One, about the honey of bees that it is a healing.
The Shaykh : Even though it harms the one with a fever, and the prohibition of the harmful is known."
So every harmful thing is forbidden to commit. This is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers like you, if Allah wills.
Abu Layla : The Doctor has many questions.

The Shaykh : This is a great good news, - he laughs, may Allah have mercy on him -
Abu Layla : Yes, and he likes to inquire, so now is his chance to ask if he has something in his mind.
The Doctor: By Allah, one is not prepared, because sometimes one comes up with things that might be understood opposite to their truth, do you understand?

The Shaykh : Of course, the issue is one of specialization.
The Doctor: Sometimes even the meaning of a verse, one might understand it in a way, welcome.The Shaykh .

The Shaykh : Welcome.