What is the ruling in the Shari'ah regarding an imam who smokes cigarettes and vocalizes his intention aloud?
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The questioner : What is the ruling in your view regarding an imam who leads people in prayer and smokes cigarettes? For the record, he vocalizes his intention aloud in its entirety. Is it permissible for us to pray behind him?
The Shaykh : Smoking cigarettes is forbidden, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:[An-Nisa 4:5] Allah the Exalted has made wealth for us as a means by which our religion and our worldly life are established. If a person spends it on something that does not establish his religion or his worldly life, that is foolishness and a waste of wealth. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): .
Smoking cigarettes is harmful to the body, as the doctors have mentioned and they have agreed upon it.
Smoking cigarettes is a cause of contracting serious diseases that are difficult to cure, such as lung cancer, gum cancer, and the like.
Smoking cigarettes constricts the breath if a person delays beyond his usual time, so he does not like anyone to speak to him, and prayer becomes heavy for him, and fasting becomes even heavier for him.
Smoking cigarettes is a cause of harming others if someone sits with him or he sits with someone and he smokes, for his companion will be bothered by the smell from one aspect, and will be bothered or harmed by what comes from his smoke. Therefore, we find that nations that care about their worldly life prohibit smoking in public gatherings, because they know with certainty the harm that occurs therein.
By this and by other things we have not mentioned, it becomes clear that smoking cigarettes is forbidden, as well as what is similar to it in meaning, like it or worse, such as the shisha and others, for what resembles a thing is given its ruling. Accordingly, I offer this advice from this pulpit, the pulpit of "Light on the Path," to my Muslim brothers who have been afflicted with smoking cigarettes: let them repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, from what they are doing. Things that help them in this repentance are:
First: Sincerity to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, by leaving it for the sake of Allah, abstaining from His disobedience and entering into His obedience.
Second: Seeking help from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to leave it, such that he feels he will not be able to do so except with Allah's help, so he seeks help from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, with his heart and his tongue. Allah the Exalted referred to these two matters in His saying:[Al-Fatihah 1:5] In is the sincerity of worship, and in is the sincerity of seeking help.
Third: He should stay away from sitting with those who smoke cigarettes, for sitting with them necessitates that he not forget his smoking of cigarettes, and perhaps they are bad companions who would lead him to smoke with them.
Fourth: If he is able to cut this off in one go, meaning he cuts off smoking cigarettes in one go and stops it completely, that is stronger in resolve and closer to persisting in leaving it. If he is unable to do this, let him leave it little by little. If it is his habit to smoke twenty cigarettes a day, let him smoke fifteen for a week or ten days, then ten cigarettes, and so on gradually. Perhaps Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will benefit him and grant him guidance and steadfastness from Him.
As for this imam about whom the questioner asked, who used to smoke cigarettes and vocalize his intention, we say: If there is someone better than him in righteousness and in recitation, reciting the Qur'an, it is obligatory for those responsible for the mosques to remove the imam who smokes cigarettes and appoint someone better than him. If this smoker who was made an imam is the best of the people, then necessities have rulings, so let him pray behind him, and the prayer is valid, because the stronger opinion among the opinions of the scholars is that prayer behind a sinner is valid if he does not do something that disrupts the prayer.
As for his vocalizing his intention, I advise him and others who vocalize their intention secretly or aloud when performing an act of worship; I advise them to leave this act, meaning vocalizing the intention, because vocalizing the intention only occurs if the one to whom you are worshipping does not know what is in your heart, so you inform Him of it with your tongue. But if He knows what is in the heart, He does not need to be informed by the tongue.
It is known that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows what is in the heart, as Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:154] And He said: [Qaf 50:16] And He said: [Az-Zukhruf 43:80] For this reason, the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and his way is the most upright and best of ways, was that he did not speak the intention, neither in prayer nor in fasting nor in zakah nor in Hajj nor in any other act of worship. That is, he did not say: "O Allah, I intend to pray" or "I intend to fast" or "I intend to perform 'Umrah" or "I intend to perform Hajj."
Accordingly, vocalizing the intention secretly or aloud is not prescribed. I hope that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, will cause this advice of mine to reach receptive ears and aware hearts, and that they will leave what they are doing and turn to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his Companions were upon, for they are upon the truth and upon the straight path.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Smoking cigarettes is forbidden, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:
And do not give the weak-minded your property, which Allah has made a means of sustenance for you
وَلا تُؤْتُوا السُّفَهَاءَ أَمْوَالَكُمُ الَّتِي جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ قِيَامًاThat he prohibited the wasting of wealth
أنه نهى عن إضاعة المالSmoking cigarettes is harmful to the body, as the doctors have mentioned and they have agreed upon it.
Smoking cigarettes is a cause of contracting serious diseases that are difficult to cure, such as lung cancer, gum cancer, and the like.
Smoking cigarettes constricts the breath if a person delays beyond his usual time, so he does not like anyone to speak to him, and prayer becomes heavy for him, and fasting becomes even heavier for him.
Smoking cigarettes is a cause of harming others if someone sits with him or he sits with someone and he smokes, for his companion will be bothered by the smell from one aspect, and will be bothered or harmed by what comes from his smoke. Therefore, we find that nations that care about their worldly life prohibit smoking in public gatherings, because they know with certainty the harm that occurs therein.
By this and by other things we have not mentioned, it becomes clear that smoking cigarettes is forbidden, as well as what is similar to it in meaning, like it or worse, such as the shisha and others, for what resembles a thing is given its ruling. Accordingly, I offer this advice from this pulpit, the pulpit of "Light on the Path," to my Muslim brothers who have been afflicted with smoking cigarettes: let them repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, from what they are doing. Things that help them in this repentance are:
First: Sincerity to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, by leaving it for the sake of Allah, abstaining from His disobedience and entering into His obedience.
Second: Seeking help from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, to leave it, such that he feels he will not be able to do so except with Allah's help, so he seeks help from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, with his heart and his tongue. Allah the Exalted referred to these two matters in His saying:
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُYou alone we worship
إياك نعبدYou alone we ask for help
إياك نستعينThird: He should stay away from sitting with those who smoke cigarettes, for sitting with them necessitates that he not forget his smoking of cigarettes, and perhaps they are bad companions who would lead him to smoke with them.
Fourth: If he is able to cut this off in one go, meaning he cuts off smoking cigarettes in one go and stops it completely, that is stronger in resolve and closer to persisting in leaving it. If he is unable to do this, let him leave it little by little. If it is his habit to smoke twenty cigarettes a day, let him smoke fifteen for a week or ten days, then ten cigarettes, and so on gradually. Perhaps Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will benefit him and grant him guidance and steadfastness from Him.
As for this imam about whom the questioner asked, who used to smoke cigarettes and vocalize his intention, we say: If there is someone better than him in righteousness and in recitation, reciting the Qur'an, it is obligatory for those responsible for the mosques to remove the imam who smokes cigarettes and appoint someone better than him. If this smoker who was made an imam is the best of the people, then necessities have rulings, so let him pray behind him, and the prayer is valid, because the stronger opinion among the opinions of the scholars is that prayer behind a sinner is valid if he does not do something that disrupts the prayer.
As for his vocalizing his intention, I advise him and others who vocalize their intention secretly or aloud when performing an act of worship; I advise them to leave this act, meaning vocalizing the intention, because vocalizing the intention only occurs if the one to whom you are worshipping does not know what is in your heart, so you inform Him of it with your tongue. But if He knows what is in the heart, He does not need to be informed by the tongue.
It is known that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows what is in the heart, as Allah the Exalted said:
And Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts.
وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِAnd We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُOr do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private conversations? Yes, [We do], and Our messengers are with them recording.
أَمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّا لا نَسْمَعُ سِرَّهُمْ وَنَجْوَاهُمْ بَلَى وَرُسُلُنَا لَدَيْهِمْ يَكْتُبُونَAccordingly, vocalizing the intention secretly or aloud is not prescribed. I hope that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, will cause this advice of mine to reach receptive ears and aware hearts, and that they will leave what they are doing and turn to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his Companions were upon, for they are upon the truth and upon the straight path.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you, O honorable Shaykh.