Fataawa (Rulings) Concerning Tobacco and Cigarettes

Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Aal Ash-Shaikh, Imam Abdur-Rahman Ibn Nasir As-Sa’dee, Imam Abdul-Aziz Ibn Baz The colossal devastation of human health caused by tobacco use and smoking in recent centuries cannot be denied by any sensible person. It is the single largest preventable cause of death worldwide, causing unmentionable suffering and millions of deaths yearly. Yet, even today, multinational tobacco corporations refuse to accept the conclusive scientific evidence. They continue to selfishly promote their multi-billion dollar industry, often among those ignorant of the far-reaching hazards and health consequences. The Islamic legal judgements of some of the most eminent scholars and jurists of our era, translated here for the first time in this booklet, prove unequivocally that the use and promotion of all tobacco products is strictly prohibited (haram) and juristically punishable according to Islamic Law and legal precepts. The lucid, intelligent, and legally sound arguments presented counter the feeble claim that tobacco use is merely obnoxious (makrooh) and, therefore, a lesser social evil to be tolerated in society.