Title: Smoking again.
Asalam O alaiykum.
I have two questions.
I have been a chain smoker for 7 years. My mother saw me smoking one day, she cried in front of me and asked me to quit smoking. So I responded with this sentence, ” I won’t smoke again after the one’s left in the pack”. So I made my best friends quit smoking too and so did I. We made a pact that we won’t smoke agian and will help each other out.
I have not been smoking for 2 years but now all of a sudden, I want to start smoking again, but I know if I’d start smoking again, there are possibilities that my friends would might start smoking again if they get to know that I’m smoking. Being a good friend, I don’t want them to start smoking.
I also made this reason of quitting smoking; that it brought tears in to my mothers eyes so I would not smoke ’till she’s alive because I love her a lot. Now, I feel very weak mentally.
Question#1: If I start smoking again without letting them know, would it be considered as cheating? What does Islam has to say about breaking the pact?
Question#2: If a person smokes without letting his parents know, would it be considered as a sin as it is against his parent’s will or it could hurt them?
Please response me, thank you.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa-ramatullahi wa-barakatuh.
Smoking is prohibited in Shariah. According to some Ulama the prohibition of smoking is categorised as haram. To engage in a haram act is sinful. It incurs the anger and wrath of Allah. Allah granted you the tawfeeq to quit smoking. Your mother was a means of you leaving the haram act. If you resume smoking, you will not only be hurting your mother and cheating on your friends, you will be displeasing Allah. You will also be ungrateful to Allah for giving you the tawfeeq to quit smoking before. Furthermore, smoking is injurious to health. It is not permissible for anyone to deliberately cause harm to one`s health. Our bodies and health is a trust from Allah for which we are answerable to Allah.
If you smoke without your mother and friends knowing, how will you hide from Allah? If you will feel ashamed to smoke in front of your mother and friends, will you not feel ashamed to smoke while Allah is seeing you? Allah is most deserving of your obedience, respect and shame. When you where smoking, you were deprived of the company of angels of mercy. The angels resent bad and foul smell. Are you prepared to risk to lose the company of angels once again?
Turn to Allah and ask Allah to strengthen your resolve and keep you away from the sin of smoking.
And Allah Ta`ala Knows Best.
Hussein Muhammad.
Student Darul Iftaa
Tanzania
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.