Question:
Assalamu‘alaikum SS Datuk Mufti. What is the ruling of smoking while fasting?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wbt,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the many countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Smoking invalidates someone’s fast, according to the majority of scholars. The reason is, there are great harmful effects of smoking on the liver and lungs of smokers. This is the opinion of Syeikh a-Syarbasi. According to the opinion of Syeikh Hasanain Makhluf in Fatawa Syar’iyah, the fast of someone who smokes while he is fasting, his fast is invalid and it is obligatory for him to qadha’ (replace) his fast and he has to pay the kaffarah, according to the sound opinion. This is written by al-Allamah Ibn Abidin and also al-Allamah al-Syarambalali in the book, Imdad al-Fattah.
The firmness on the decision made by scholars in this issue clearly shows how discouraged it is for Muslims with dignity from smoking. Hence, may we have the strength to improve ourselves in this blessed month of Ramadhan to stop smoking. Amin.