[Q 315] Ruling on Smoking Cigarettes in the State of Ihram

Question

What is the ruling on smoking cigarettes in the state of Ihram?

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب

Answer

Smoking cigarettes, whether in the state of Ihram or not, is permissible as long as it does not cause intoxication. However, it is better to avoid it because it causes bad breath and can be harmful to health.
However, if someone smokes a cigarette while in the state of Ihram, no expiation (kaffara) is required because firstly the tobacco in cigarettes generally does not contain fragrance. And even if a cigarette has a flavour, the fragrance is transformed into smoke due to burning, and the principle is that that fragrance which is affected by fire does not require expiation.
Note: A person in Ihram often visits the Masjid and engages in the remembrance of Allah. Therefore, he should absolutely avoid smoking cigarettes as entering the mosque with bad breath is haram, and engaging in the remembrance of Allah and Salah in such a state is disliked.

In Fatawa Radawiyyah, Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Rida Khan عليه رحمه الله writes: “If tobacco is cooked with fragrance in its composition, then consuming it in the state of Ihram is permissible even if it emits a fragrance.”

(Fatawa Razawiyyah, Vol. 10, p. 716, Raza Foundation)

Allama Alauddin Muhammad bin Ali al-Haskafi عليه رحمه الله (d. 1088 AH) states in Durr al-Mukhtar:

“لو جعله في طعام قد طبخ فلا شيء فيه”

Translation “If it is put into cooked food, there is no issue with it.”

(Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Book of Hajj, Chapter on Violations in Hajj, Vol. 2, p. 546, Beirut)

Imam Ahmed Raza Khan عليه رحمه الله (d. 1340 AH) further clarifies this statement in Jadd al-Mumtār:

لأنه لم یأکل الطیب بل المطیب۔اقول :ولعلہ یستفاد منه حکم خمیرۃ التتن المقلی فیھا سنبل الطیب و المسک ونحوھما فإن الخمیرۃ لا تؤکل ولا تشرب لا ھی ولا جزء منھا بل تؤثر فیھا النار فتحیلھا دخانا فتنقلب حقیقتھا و قلب العین مغیر للحکم فھو لم یأکل طیبا ولم یشربه و إنما شرب دخانا مطیبا فینبغی أن لا شیء علیه غیر الکراھة أن وجدت الرائحة ثم الکراھة حیث اطلقت للتحریم فیلزم التاثیم فیما یظھر بل لعل الاظھر أن ھذا لعمل النار یلتحق بالمطبوخ وقد علم من الشرح ان لا شیء فیه ولا کراھة حیث قابله بقوله :ان لم یطبخ و کان مغلوبا کرہ اکلہ و…. و الطیب الممزوج فی الخمیرۃ عمل فیہ النار فینبغی ان لا حکم فیھا للطیب اصلاً۔

Translation:

“Because he did not consume the fragrance itself, but the food mixed with fragrance. I say: It may be understood from this that smoking tobacco with added fragrance, such as fragrant herbs and musk, is not subject to the same ruling as consuming or drinking fragrance. The tobacco undergoes combustion and turns into smoke, thus changing its nature, and this change in substance alters the ruling. Therefore, he did not consume or drink the fragrance; rather, he inhaled perfumed smoke. Hence, there should be nothing against him except for the dislike (makruh) if the smell is found. Furthermore, when ‘dislike’ is mentioned without qualification, it implies “Tahrimi” (sinfulness). However, it is possible that the more apparent opinion is that the effect of fire on tobacco aligns it with cooked food, which, as explained, entails no prohibition or dislike. This is particularly evident from the statement: ‘If it is not cooked and other than it is predominant, its consumption is disliked…’ Thus, the fragrance mixed in tobacco is subjected to fire, and its use should not be subject to the ruling of consuming fragrance at all.”

(Jadd al-Mumtār, Book of Hajj, Chapter on Violations, Vol. 4, p. 322, Madinah al-Ilmiyyah)

It is prohibited to enter the mosque with bad breath:

As stated in Sahih Bukhari, narrated by Abdul Aziz that Anas رضي الله عنه was asked about garlic, and he said:

“فقال من اکل فلا یقربن مسجدنا”

Translation: “Whoever eats it should not come near our mosque.”

(Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Hadith 5136, Damascus)

Commentator of Bukhari, Allama Badruddin Aini عليه رحمه الله explains in Ummdah al-Qari: “This means that the person who has eaten garlic should not come close to anyone to avoid causing harm with its smell, whether in Salah or outside of it… and this is not specific to the Prophet’s Mosque.”

(Ummdah al-Qari, Vol. 6, p. 150, Beirut)

Imam Ahmed Raza Khan عليه رحمه الله writes: “It is disliked to pray with bad breath and it is haram to enter the mosque in such a state until the mouth is cleaned. It is also haram to cause harm to other worshippers with bad breath, and even if there are no other worshippers, it causes harm to the angels, as stated in the Hadith:“إن الملائكة تتأذى مما يتأذى منه بنو آدم” ‘Indeed, the angels are harmed by what harms the children of Adam.’

(Fatawa Razawiyyah, Vol. 7, p. 384, Raza Foundation, Lahore)

Answered by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 10th June 2024