The Ruling on Wasting Money in Smoking and Other Matters

Question:
Some claim that wasting money is disliked, not forbidden. Regarding wasting money in smoking, they also say that prohibition requires an explicit text. What is your opinion of this statement?

Answer:
Wasting money without a legitimate Shari'ah basis is forbidden without doubt, and there is no disagreement among scholars on this; rather, it is a matter of scholarly consensus that wasting money in anything other than a permissible or Shari'ah matter is not permissible for many reasons and based on much evidence. This is because Allah made wealth and created it to benefit people, to meet their needs, to strive in the path of Allah with it, to support the poor and the needy with it, and to establish charitable projects and public benefits with it. Therefore, it is not permissible to squander it.
Among this is His saying (Exalted and Majestic is He): [Al-Isra: 26]. The scholars said that squandering is wasting money, meaning spending it in other than its proper purpose, such as spending it on intoxicants, spending it on smoking, spending it on sins, throwing it into the sea, and the like. This is part of squandering.
Likewise, extravagance: Allah prohibited extravagance and said: [Al-An'am: 141]. So extravagance is exceeding what is needed. If exceeding what is needed is prohibited, how much more so is wasting money entirely and fundamentally! Also, what is authentic in the two Sahihs from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the hadith of al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:
Allah is displeased with this, and whatever Allah is displeased with, we must abandon it, as established by much evidence besides this. Because spending it on smoking and intoxicants is undoubtedly squandering and forbidden, and there is no doubt in that. Along with what is established and known about smoking being among the harmful impurities, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) only permitted for us the good things, where He said: : . Allah said to His Prophet: [Al-Ma'idah: 4]. No sane person, whether a doctor or not, says that smoking is among the good things. Thus, it is known by the explicit text of the Qur'an that it is not among the permissible things.
And He said (Glorified is He) in describing the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): [Al-A'raf: 157]. So everything that is not good is among the category of impurities. Allah sent His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to make lawful the good foods, drinks, rides, clothes, and other things, and to forbid the impurities that harm the servant greatly, either mostly or purely. The harms of smoking are purely impure, with no good in them. We ask Allah for well-being.