Fataawa (Rulings) concerning tobacco cigarettes

The colossal devastation of human health cause by tobacco use and smoking in the recent centuries cannot be denied by any sensible person. It is the single largest preventable cause of death all over the world causing unmentionable suffering and millions of debts yearly, yet even today the multinational tobacco corporations refuse to accept the conclusive scientific evidence and continue to selfishly promote their multi billion dollar industry often among those ignorant to the far reaching hazards and health consequences. The Islamic legal judgements of some of the most eminent scholars – Jurists of our era, - 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 countered the feeble claim that tobacco use is merely obnoxious (Makrooh) and therefore a lesser social evil to be tolerated society.