I swore an oath and said, "By the Great Allah, I will not smoke," and then, to confirm the oath, I said, "Smoking is forbidden to me just as my wife is forbidden to me." What is the ruling on this oath?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Hello, peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The questioner: Shaykh Nasser's residence.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner: Shaykh, I would like to ask you a question, if you please, and answer it for me.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner: My lord, I am a married man and I smoke.
The Shaykh : May Allah grant you health.
The questioner: I swore an oath, Shaykh, that I would not smoke. I said, "By the Great Allah, I will not smoke," and then, to confirm the oath, Shaykh, I said, "Smoking is forbidden to me just as my wife is forbidden to me." The two oaths were made at a time of anger. What is the ruling in this matter, Shaykh, if you would be so kind as to answer us?
The Shaykh: First, regarding your words, rest assured that it has no connection to your wife.
The questioner: Shaykh, if you please, my intention was that smoking is forbidden to me just as intercourse with my wife is forbidden to me.
The Shaykh : I know.
The questioner : Please, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: If you had addressed your wife and forbidden her as you would forbid your mother, that would be the known zihar in Islam. But you forbade it with the intention of forbidding yourself the drinking of tobacco, and nothing else. That is what I understand from your words. Is that so, or do you intend something else?
The questioner: I, Shaykh...
The Shaykh: Hello, hello.
The questioner : Hello.
The Shaykh: Did you understand me?
The questioner: I understood, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Well, what is the answer?
The questioner: I want to mention that I swore an oath and then followed it up...
The Shaykh: My brother, may Allah bless you, answer the question and do not repeat the words. Answer the question if you understood it.
The questioner: Repeat the question one more time, if you please.
The Shaykh: Ah, may Allah forgive you. I am saying that this oath which I swore, I understand from it, and you know better what you intended from it. I understand that you intended to forbid yourself the drinking of tobacco for the rest of your life.
The questioner: Correct.
The Shaykh: And you did not intend to forbid anything else. That is how I understand it. So I am asking you now: is this understanding of mine of your words correct or not?
The questioner : That is correct, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Well, on this basis, I say: an expiation.
The questioner: I went back to smoking, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: I went back to smoking.
The Shaykh: By saying that, do not think about the expiation. You must remain upon your oath and forbid tobacco to yourself for the rest of your life, because it appears to me, and Allah knows best, that you are among the people who do not know that smoking tobacco is forbidden.
The questioner: I did not know, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Do you know now?
The questioner: No, no.
The Shaykh: So my suspicion was in its place. Therefore, you must know that smoking tobacco is forbidden, and it is not permissible for you to return to this forbidden thing, especially since you have sworn an oath.
The questioner: Shaykh, I went back and took just one cigarette.
The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe.
The questioner: With this cigarette, am I required to fast the expiation, meaning for the oaths I made?
The Shaykh: Yes, you are required to perform the expiation, but it is not permissible for you to follow one cigarette with another. You are required to perform the expiation because you smoked that cigarette, but it is forbidden for you to return to another cigarette.
The questioner: I will not return to it, if Allah wills, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: And beware of it, for the soul is a commander of evil, except what my Lord has shown mercy to. We ask Allah to keep us and you firm upon the truth.
The questioner: Amen, Shaykh. Now, Shaykh, I want to perform the expiation for having smoked. How do I perform this expiation? How do I atone for my sin?
The Shaykh: If you are well-off in wealth, you must feed ten poor people, each poor person a full meal.
The questioner: What is its value?
The Shaykh: No, no, I am not telling you to feed... to feed, meaning yes.
The questioner: You feed them food.
The Shaykh: Yes, meaning the food that you and your family eat. You cook it and invite the ten people, if you wish, all at once, or five by five, or two by two, or one by one, according to what is easy for you. But the feeding is necessary.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh: And this is if you are well-off. But if you are not well-off, you fast three days.
The questioner: But the situation, Allah will make it easy, if Allah wills. We will feed ten poor people, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: May Allah give you health. And I advise you once again not to return to smoking tobacco. And you must divorce her with three divorces, with no taking back.
The questioner : If Allah wills, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you.
The questioner: Thank you, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
The questioner : Goodbye.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
The questioner : Hello, peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The questioner: Shaykh Nasser's residence.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner: Shaykh, I would like to ask you a question, if you please, and answer it for me.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner: My lord, I am a married man and I smoke.
The Shaykh : May Allah grant you health.
The questioner: I swore an oath, Shaykh, that I would not smoke. I said, "By the Great Allah, I will not smoke," and then, to confirm the oath, Shaykh, I said, "Smoking is forbidden to me just as my wife is forbidden to me." The two oaths were made at a time of anger. What is the ruling in this matter, Shaykh, if you would be so kind as to answer us?
The Shaykh: First, regarding your words, rest assured that it has no connection to your wife.
The questioner: Shaykh, if you please, my intention was that smoking is forbidden to me just as intercourse with my wife is forbidden to me.
The Shaykh : I know.
The questioner : Please, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: If you had addressed your wife and forbidden her as you would forbid your mother, that would be the known zihar in Islam. But you forbade it with the intention of forbidding yourself the drinking of tobacco, and nothing else. That is what I understand from your words. Is that so, or do you intend something else?
The questioner: I, Shaykh...
The Shaykh: Hello, hello.
The questioner : Hello.
The Shaykh: Did you understand me?
The questioner: I understood, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Well, what is the answer?
The questioner: I want to mention that I swore an oath and then followed it up...
The Shaykh: My brother, may Allah bless you, answer the question and do not repeat the words. Answer the question if you understood it.
The questioner: Repeat the question one more time, if you please.
The Shaykh: Ah, may Allah forgive you. I am saying that this oath which I swore, I understand from it, and you know better what you intended from it. I understand that you intended to forbid yourself the drinking of tobacco for the rest of your life.
The questioner: Correct.
The Shaykh: And you did not intend to forbid anything else. That is how I understand it. So I am asking you now: is this understanding of mine of your words correct or not?
The questioner : That is correct, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Well, on this basis, I say: an expiation.
The questioner: I went back to smoking, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: I went back to smoking.
The Shaykh: By saying that, do not think about the expiation. You must remain upon your oath and forbid tobacco to yourself for the rest of your life, because it appears to me, and Allah knows best, that you are among the people who do not know that smoking tobacco is forbidden.
The questioner: I did not know, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Do you know now?
The questioner: No, no.
The Shaykh: So my suspicion was in its place. Therefore, you must know that smoking tobacco is forbidden, and it is not permissible for you to return to this forbidden thing, especially since you have sworn an oath.
The questioner: Shaykh, I went back and took just one cigarette.
The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe.
The questioner: With this cigarette, am I required to fast the expiation, meaning for the oaths I made?
The Shaykh: Yes, you are required to perform the expiation, but it is not permissible for you to follow one cigarette with another. You are required to perform the expiation because you smoked that cigarette, but it is forbidden for you to return to another cigarette.
The questioner: I will not return to it, if Allah wills, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: And beware of it, for the soul is a commander of evil, except what my Lord has shown mercy to. We ask Allah to keep us and you firm upon the truth.
The questioner: Amen, Shaykh. Now, Shaykh, I want to perform the expiation for having smoked. How do I perform this expiation? How do I atone for my sin?
The Shaykh: If you are well-off in wealth, you must feed ten poor people, each poor person a full meal.
The questioner: What is its value?
The Shaykh: No, no, I am not telling you to feed... to feed, meaning yes.
The questioner: You feed them food.
The Shaykh: Yes, meaning the food that you and your family eat. You cook it and invite the ten people, if you wish, all at once, or five by five, or two by two, or one by one, according to what is easy for you. But the feeding is necessary.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh: And this is if you are well-off. But if you are not well-off, you fast three days.
The questioner: But the situation, Allah will make it easy, if Allah wills. We will feed ten poor people, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: May Allah give you health. And I advise you once again not to return to smoking tobacco. And you must divorce her with three divorces, with no taking back.
The questioner : If Allah wills, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you.
The questioner: Thank you, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
The questioner : Goodbye.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.