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:

i would like to know that in islam is smoking allowed and also i would like to know about shisha? what is the difference between the two or are they the same?

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Answer:

Smoking and sheesha

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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: i would like to know that in islam is smoking allowed and also i would like to know about shisha?

Cigarettes, cigars, ‘sheesha’, or tobacco smoking were not available or prevalent at the time of the Revelation of the Quran, thus there is no specific mention of tobacco smoking in the Quran or the Sunnah. Thus it is upto the jurists and the scholars in Islam to come to a consensus regarding its ruling and verdict in light of the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 29:

O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good-will: nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 195:

And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to your destruction, but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 157:

157 "Those who follow the apostle 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 allows them as lawful what is ‘tayyebaat’ (good and pure) and prohibits them from what is ‘khabaayith’ (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."

The absolute majority of the scholars (and even the scientific world for that matter!) are unanimous in their opinion that any kind of tobacco smoking is extremely dangerous to one’s and others’ health, and tantamount to the violation of the above commands of the above quoted verses of Surah Nisaa and Surah Baqarah where Allah Subhanah commands the believers ‘not to kill or destroy yourselves’ nor ‘make your own hands contribute to your destruction’! Besides, in light of the clear guidance of the above quoted verse of Surah Aaraaf, every ‘khabaayith’ (evil, bad, impure thing, etc.) is forbidden to the believers.

To declare a substance ‘haraam’ or ‘halaal’ is the sole and exclusive Right of Allah and His Messenger (saws) alone. Because the likes of cigarettes, cigars, ‘sheesha’ or tobacco smoking, etc. are not specifically declared ‘haraam’ by name in the Quran and the Sunnah, the good scholars have abstained from declaring it as ‘haraam. But the absolute majority of the scholars are of the opinion that since tobacco smoking seriously harms one’s health and is amongst the ‘khabaayith’ (evil, bad, impure substances); it is definitely closer to the ‘haraam’ than to the ‘halaal’. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Your Question: what is the difference between the two or are they the same?

This question is best answered by one who is an expert in the field of medicine or has done studies and experiments which would scientifically determine the evil of the two. The difference between cigarette and ‘sheesha’ smoking would never be a determination between a good and an evil; but rather between something which is evil and harmful, and something which is more evil and more harmful!

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