Smoking: ‘impermissible, undesirable, unlawful’, Islamic scholars issue fatwa

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) assembled a group of Islamic experts on Thursday who issued a fatwa (ruling) declaring smoking impermissible, undesirable and unlawful due to its negative consequences of health, reports Dawn.

The Islamic experts were gathered at a conference that was organised by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) in collaboration with (CII).

It was noted that increasing lethal effects of smoking are increasing in the society.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan said that in a youthful country like Pakistan, the impact of smoking will be magnified as the population ages and develops a variety of health problems linked to tobacco use, such as chronic lung and heart disease, as well as practically all cancers.

He further said that in the absence of changes in tobacco taxation for years, policy planning to check tobacco consumption and meet international targets needs urgent revision.

Chairman of CII Qibla Ayaz while addressing the audience talked about a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and added that smoking is not only a danger to oneself but to others as well, as cigarettes have proved to be a source of several diseases, both for smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke.

He stated that, in light of the dangers of cigarettes, the CII and other major Islamic scholars present at the meeting agree that smoking falls into the category of behaviours that must be avoided under Islamic law.