Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamualikum,
May Allah s.w.t reward you for providing us this forum/database . MashAllah Islamhelpline is an amazing website,a one-stop site to all my questions on Islam.

I wanted to know whether owning and runing a Cigarette factory is Haram and whether smoking itself is Haram. If you could please shed some light on this I would be grateful.

Thank you  

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Answer:

Cigarettes haraam

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause. We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Question: I wanted to know whether owning and runing a Cigarette factory is Haram and whether smoking itself is Haram. If you could please shed some light on this I would be grateful.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 157 Surah Aaraaf verse 157:

157 "Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet (Mohamed (saws)) whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures); in the Torah and the Gospel; for he (saws) commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil: he (saws) allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He (saws) releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him: it is they who will prosper."

Dear and beloved Brother in Islam, although cigarettes and its evil are not mentioned by name in the Quran and the Sunnah, it is sufficiently proven without a doubt that cigarette smoking is an evil and is severely injurious to human health, and all the good scholars in Islam are unanimous in their opinion that the evil of cigarettes is extremely close to the forbidden in Islam.

It would not befit the character of a believer to be an accomplice in something which works towards the detriment of mankind; and it would be best if a believer who owns or is thinking of making or selling cigarettes sought to employ his talents elsewhere in search of his lawful sustenance.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan