How Smoking Is Perceived in Islam

When tobacco first appeared in the Islamic world, scholars had no precedent. Some initially permitted it (ibaha) or considered it merely disliked (makruh). The earliest known fatwa against tobacco was issued in Morocco in 1602, though it had little effect [citation:6]. Over time, as medical evidence of harm accumulated, the scholarly consensus shifted dramatically — especially after the 20th century [citation:1].

Hanafi School

The Hanafi school — predominant in South Asia, Turkey, the Balkans, and Central Asia — historically had a more permissive view. Many Hanafi scholars in the Indian subcontinent classified smoking as makruh tanzihi (mildly disliked) rather than haram, provided the smoker was not intoxicated and did not cause grave harm to themselves [citation:4].

However, contemporary Hanafi scholars increasingly issue rulings that smoking is haram. Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam of Darul Iftaa (UK) notes that while a difference of opinion exists, “to abstain and refrain from smoking is always advisable, no matter what the reason may be, as it wastes money, health, and eventually life” [citation:4]. The Pakistani government’s Council of Islamic Ideology has also declared smoking haram.

Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali Schools

Scholars from the Maliki (North and West Africa), Shafi’i (Southeast Asia, East Africa), and Hanbali (Saudi Arabia) schools overwhelmingly consider smoking haram (forbidden). This is based on several key principles of Islamic jurisprudence [citation:3]:

• Do not kill yourselves (Qur’an 4:29, 2:195) — since smoking causes death and disease [citation:2].
• Do not harm yourself or others — a sahih hadith that applies directly to secondhand smoke [citation:3].
• The Prophet forbids all that is impure/unwholesome — smoking is considered khabeeth (impure/harmful) [citation:9].

These schools also emphasize that smoking wastes wealth, which the Qur’an condemns as squandering (israf) and compares to the way of Satan [citation:8].

In 1979 and again in 2000, Al-Azhar University in Cairo — the most prestigious center of Sunni learning — issued definitive fatwas declaring smoking haram (forbidden). The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Nasr Farid Wasil, ruled that smoking is a major sin on par with alcohol use and acceptable grounds for divorce [citation:3][citation:6].

This ruling has been echoed by official fatwa councils across the Muslim world, including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Oman, the UAE, and others [citation:3][citation:6].

In Shia Islam, the highest authorities — the Grand Ayatollahs — have issued clear rulings on smoking based on the same jurisprudential principles. Some of the most influential fatwas include:

📜 Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi initially ruled that smoking is forbidden if it causes harm to health. After several decades, he revised his fatwa and imposed a strict and absolute ban (hurmah) on smoking cigarettes and hookah [citation:2]. His reasoning cites:

• Qur’an 2:195 — “Do not cast yourselves into destruction with your own hands.”
• The foundational fiqh rule: “There is no harm (in Islam)” (La darar wa la dirar).
• A hadith from Imam Reza stating that everything harmful to health is forbidden [citation:2].
• That “the Shari’ah issues the same ruling that reason issues” — and reason clearly sees the harm of smoking [citation:2].

📜 Ayatollah Sistani

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has not issued a blanket fatwa on all smoking, but he has clarified that it is forbidden (haram) if it causes significant harm to the smoker’s health. He also firmly denied a false rumor that he permitted smoking during Ramadan [citation:7].

📜 Historical Precedent: The Tobacco Protest (1891)

The most famous historical fatwa against tobacco was issued in 1891 by Grand Ayatollah Mirza Shirazi. He declared the use of tobacco to be haram in protest of a British monopoly on tobacco production in Iran. The fatwa sparked a nationwide boycott and forced the shah to cancel the concession — a landmark event in modern Iranian history [citation:3][citation:6].

The Ibadi school (predominant in Oman, Zanzibar, and parts of North Africa) has also issued clear rulings against smoking. In 1996, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamad Al Khalili, the Grand Mufti of Oman, issued a fatwa prohibiting smoking and the sale of tobacco, comparing smoking to “sipping poison.” He cited Qur’an 4:29: “Do not kill yourselves for God Almighty is most merciful to you” [citation:3].

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Indonesia’s Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) issued a nuanced ruling in 2009: smoking in public or near pregnant women is haram (forbidden), while smoking in general is makruh (disliked) [citation:3]. In 2010, the influential organization Muhammadiyah upgraded its ruling to declare smoking completely haram [citation:3].

🇲🇾 Malaysia

Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council first declared smoking haram in 1996 due to health harms. In 2015, it extended the ruling to include electronic cigarettes and vaping, also declaring them haram [citation:3][citation:6].

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia & 🇦🇪 UAE

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has ruled that smoking is impermissible based on authentic quotations, sound judgments, and the opinions of reputable physicians. The UAE went further, instructing imams in all mosques to read a sermon against smoking following Friday prayers in June 1999 [citation:3][citation:6].

Islamic rulings have been extended to newer tobacco products. In general, the same principles apply: if a product causes proven harm to health or is intoxicating, it is haram [citation:10].

📜 E‑cigarettes and Vaping

Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council declared e‑cigarettes haram in 2015 due to harmful health effects and bad smell [citation:3][citation:6]. The same principles (harm, waste of wealth, potential for intoxication) lead most contemporary scholars to apply the same ruling as for cigarettes.

📜 Shisha / Hookah

Russian muftis have explicitly declared hookah smoking haram, noting that a typical 40-50 minute session delivers more carbon monoxide and nicotine than multiple cigarettes [citation:10]. Canadian research has confirmed that hookah smoke contains higher levels of toxins than cigarette smoke.