If you see a man shaving his beard, letting his garment hang below the ankles, and smoking, which of these should you begin by forbidding?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, may Allah forgive you, if you see a man committing several wrongs, such as shaving his beard, smoking, and letting his garments hang below the ankles, which of these wrongs is more deserving and more entitled to being forbidden?
The Shaykh : Is it not possible to combine all of them?
The questioner : That is not feasible.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : It is difficult for the soul to accept.
The Shaykh : Which is greater, which is the greater sin? Letting the garment hang below the ankles is the greatest, because letting the garment hang below the ankles is among the major sins, and whoever drags his garment out of arrogance, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection, nor purify him, nor speak to him, and for him is a painful punishment. So it is more appropriate to begin by forbidding him from letting his garment hang below the ankles because it is the greatest, then shaving the beard, then smoking, because of these wrongs, smoking is the least.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh, now he is smoking at the time of the prohibition, meaning you found him on the road smoking.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Does that mean you forbid him?
The Shaykh : You, from your words, understood that a man possesses these characteristics, meaning he has shaved his beard, let his garment hang below the ankles, and smokes.
The questioner : He is in this state, smoking right now.The Shaykh : Yes, he is smoking right now, and his beard is currently present or not present?
The questioner : No, it is not present.
The Shaykh : Okay, he is shaved, and is his garment hanging down or raised?
The questioner : Letting it hang below the ankles.
The Shaykh : Then begin with the garment.
The questioner : And let him smoke, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, do not let him. Once you say that combining the three is difficult for him, we say: begin with the most severe, because smoking, may Allah bless you, he wants to smoke this cigarette and that is it, he stops, but the garment remains continuous with him, and it is greater, meaning dragging the garment out of arrogance is greater than smoking. Yes.
The Shaykh : Is it not possible to combine all of them?
The questioner : That is not feasible.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : It is difficult for the soul to accept.
The Shaykh : Which is greater, which is the greater sin? Letting the garment hang below the ankles is the greatest, because letting the garment hang below the ankles is among the major sins, and whoever drags his garment out of arrogance, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection, nor purify him, nor speak to him, and for him is a painful punishment. So it is more appropriate to begin by forbidding him from letting his garment hang below the ankles because it is the greatest, then shaving the beard, then smoking, because of these wrongs, smoking is the least.
The questioner : Okay, O Shaykh, now he is smoking at the time of the prohibition, meaning you found him on the road smoking.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Does that mean you forbid him?
The Shaykh : You, from your words, understood that a man possesses these characteristics, meaning he has shaved his beard, let his garment hang below the ankles, and smokes.
The questioner : He is in this state, smoking right now.The Shaykh : Yes, he is smoking right now, and his beard is currently present or not present?
The questioner : No, it is not present.
The Shaykh : Okay, he is shaved, and is his garment hanging down or raised?
The questioner : Letting it hang below the ankles.
The Shaykh : Then begin with the garment.
The questioner : And let him smoke, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, do not let him. Once you say that combining the three is difficult for him, we say: begin with the most severe, because smoking, may Allah bless you, he wants to smoke this cigarette and that is it, he stops, but the garment remains continuous with him, and it is greater, meaning dragging the garment out of arrogance is greater than smoking. Yes.