Short answer
In the Hanafi fatwa position given by Deobandi institutions, smoking is makruh tahrimi (close to haram and sinful), because of its proven harm, the waste of money and the bad smell. Many other scholars and major fatwa bodies call it haram outright. Vaping, shisha and nicotine pouches fall under the same ruling.
Smoking cigarettes, shisha and vapes is makruh tahrimi. If a doctor confirms it is causing serious harm to a particular person, it becomes haram for that person. It does not break wudu, but the smell should be removed before going to the mosque.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Earlier Shafi'i scholars differed; many contemporary Shafi'i scholars hold smoking haram because of its proven harm.
- Maliki
- Earlier Maliki scholars differed; many contemporary Maliki scholars hold it haram.
- Hanbali
- Contemporary Hanbali scholars generally hold smoking haram because of its harm and waste.
Explanation
Tobacco reached the Muslim world centuries after the classical books were written, so scholars had to apply general principles. Early on they differed: some called it permitted, some disliked, some forbidden. Ibn Abidin records this debate. As the medical harm of smoking became certain, the rulings grew stricter.
The Deobandi institutions class smoking as makruh tahrimi, which in the Hanafi school is a sinful act a Muslim must avoid, one step below haram. Many scholars elsewhere, including major fatwa bodies in the Arab world, call it haram. Both views agree that a Muslim should not smoke, and that a smoker should work to quit. The reasons are the same:
- it damages the body Allah entrusted to you;
- it wastes money on something with no benefit;
- it harms others through second-hand smoke and smell.
Vaping and nicotine pouches: they remove some of the smoke but not the nicotine addiction or the harm to health, so the Deobandi muftis apply the same ruling. Shisha is not lighter than cigarettes; a session can deliver a lot of smoke.
Wudu and the mosque: smoking does not break wudu. But the Prophet ﷺ told those who had eaten raw onion or garlic to keep away from the mosque, and the smell of smoke is worse, so brush your teeth and freshen up before coming to pray. Smoking deliberately while fasting breaks the fast (see fasting rules). If you are trying to quit, Ramadan is a good time to start.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:195
وَأَنفِقُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تُلْقُوا۟ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى ٱلتَّهْلُكَةِ ۛ وَأَحْسِنُوٓا۟ ۛ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿١٩٥﴾
And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.
Forbids knowingly harming yourself.
Quran, Surah Al-A'raaf 7:157
ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ ٱلْأُمِّىَّ ٱلَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُۥ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَىٰهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْخَبَٰٓئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَٱلْأَغْلَٰلَ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُۥٓ ۙ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٥٧﴾
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.
Harmful, impure things are forbidden.
Sunan Ibn Majah 2340
Graded sahih... لا ضرر ولا ضرار ...
"There is to be no harm and no harming."
The principle behind the ruling on smoking and second-hand smoke.
Sahih al-Bukhari 855
Sahih... من أكل ثوما أو بصلا فليعتزلنا ...
"Whoever has eaten garlic or onion should keep away from us."
Bad smells are to be kept away from the mosque and the worshippers.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Ashriba, on tobacco. Records the early difference over tobacco.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Ashriba, on tobacco. Ibn Abidin's discussion of the views on smoking.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.