Hookah / Sheesha (Shisha) Smoking: Safer than Cigarettes? Haram or Halal?
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< src="http://muslimmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/hookah-smoking.jpg" alt="hookah-smoking.jpg" align="left" height="194" width="245" />As if our youth didn’t have enough distractions and bad habits readily available to pick up, we now have the hookah fad. Step aside cigarette smoking, there’s something cooler in town (for our youth to destroy their bodies with)! Different flavors, different settings, a “Muslim export”… how cool is that?Actually not cool at all. And what’s worse is that some Muslims are actually promoting this lifestyle.
First the ground rules: Most scholars now agree that cigarette smoking is haram, i.e. prohibited for Muslims due to its harmful effects on the human body, which directly go against an injunction in the Qur’an.
“And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the Fire and that is easy for Allah” [Qur’an 4:29]
“And do not throw yourselves into destruction.” [Qur’an 2:195]
So, this post is not going to detail issues about cigarette smoking, because not only is cigarette smoking far less socially acceptable, but many Muslims recognize that it is haram (forbidden), even if some are stuck at the makruh (disliked) mistake. Initially, when the harmful effects of smoking were not proven scientifically, scholars hesitated on giving the haram ruling, and instead considered it makruh. However, one would have to be sitting in a cave not to now KNOW and RECOGNIZE the direct link that exists between cigarette smoking and extremely harmful effects to the body, including lung cancer.
Muslim scholars in the past differed in opinion regarding smoking because of lack of evidence relating cigarette smoking to disease. Those who considered Makruh (a hated act) regarded this lack of evidence. But since 30 years ago the evidence clearly demonstrates that smoking is injurious to health. The majority of Ahl Sunnah wal-Jama’ah scholars and Jumhur (majority) have clearly stated that smoking is Haram. [Afifi]
Muhammad Afifi also provides a collection of statements of scholars from a wide spectrum of methodologies and madahibs. In this online booklet, Muhammad Al-Jibaly describes many of the reasons for its forbidden status.
We all know that Satan is such a wonderful con artist. He loves to deceive people. If he can’t get things one way, he uses another. Since cigarettes were becoming harder to sell, Satan is now selling hookah smoking full-force.
Folks, read my words carefully: hookah smoking is in fact MORE dangerous and harmful than cigarette smoking, because you inhale more nicotine via this method. Don’t believe me? Then read what this lung specialist from the prestigious Mayo Clinic has to say:
There is a myth that hookah smoking is safer than smoking cigarettes because the hookah smoke is filtered through water before it is inhaled. But recent studies have found that hookah smokers actually inhale more nicotine than do cigarette smokers because of the massive volume of smoke they inhale…
According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) advisory, a typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette. Even after passing through the water, the tobacco smoke produced still contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens). [More info here]
Here is more information from American Cancer Society:
Hookah is also called narghile (nar-guh-lee) smoking. It started in Asia and the Middle East and involves burning tobacco that has been mixed with flavors such as honey, molasses, or dried fruit in a water pipe and inhaling the flavored smoke through a long hose. Charcoal is usually used to heat the tobacco mixture, which is known as shisha. Hookah smoking is usually a social event which allows the smokers to spend time together and talk as they pass the pipe around. It has recently become popular among younger people in Western countries.
Hookahs are marketed as being a safe alternative to cigarettes. This claim is false. The water does not filter out many of the toxins. In fact, hookah smoke has been shown to contain concentrations of toxins, such as carbon monoxide, nicotine, “tar,” and heavy metals, that are as high or higher than are seen with cigarette smoke. Several types of cancer, including lung cancer, have been linked to hookah smoking. Hookah is also linked to other unique risks not associated with cigarette smoking. For example, infectious diseases including tuberculosis (which can infect the lungs or other parts of the body), aspergillus (a fungus that can cause serious lung infections), and helicobacter (which can cause stomach ulcers) may be spread by sharing the pipe or through the way the tobacco is prepared.
BOTTOM LINE: If smoking cigarettes is harmful and haram, then hookah smoking is only worse.
So, whoever is thinking that they are safe with hookahs as opposed to cigarettes are only fooling themselves. It is especially sad to see this trend catching on fire in the Muslim world. In my trip to Pakistan, I noticed how this has become the “cool” alternative thing to do!
Let’s do whatever it takes to halt this phenomenon, especially in preventing our youth from picking up this harmful/haram habit. Spread the word!
At the request of readers who would like PDF copies for easy distribution, the following file can be downloaded, printed or attached for easy distribution: hookah-smoking-haram.pdf
P.S. Many thanks to Riya for bringing up this subject as a comment on an unrelated post.
See Also:
- Next time a person offers you a hookah pipe or a cigarette be like “Chill Yo Islam Yo”
- Last gurgle for the binge-shisha-smokers
- Mufti Ibrahim Desai on slow suicidal act by smoking this poison
- Hookah/Sheesha: The Silent but Dangerous New Fad in the Tobacco Industry
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Two thumbs down for a pathetic “Muslim export” and to those who are reviewing and providing information about “hookah bars”. What’s next? Tips on the best way to commit suicide?
JazakAllahukhair for making the truth plain. I find it astonishing how some people continue to argue for the “mere” disliked nature of smoking(the meaning of Mukruh is not that simple).
I thank Allah who never allowed me to be exposed to these two evils, and made for me an easy path.
Salam Yo, Jazakullah for the shout out, appreciate it…nice article.
Wasalaam..
http://www.chillyoislamyo.com!
Props Amad. I’m loving the PDF style…I do that too once in a while and it helps with the Dawah to spread things around.
As-Salaamu ‘alaikum,
Alhamdu lillah, in this country they banned smoking in indoor public spaces and the hookah bars of the outer West End protested because they said it would wreck their business. But they got no mercy and I don’t know how many of them are still going. A lot of places are so much more pleasant for the lack of tobacco smoke although some people now know they’ve got to do something about their personal hygiene …
Thx Dawud, just for you!
Yusuf, I wish they do it more here.. Philly I think recently went all non-smoking. If people want to smoke, they should go outside and do it, no reason to make everyone else inhale the poison.
What’s funny is that there are some people who claim some “islamic ties” to hookahs… I think they probably thinking Aladdin! Amazing how “Islamic” urban legends find a way into Muslim homes. Just like mujrahs and qawalis are “islamic” too! When people describe such things as Islamic, they are exposing their pitiful lack of any basic Islamic knowledge.
w/s
Another great article on this topic by a friend of mine:
http://www.hahmed.com/blog/2006/05/23/hookahsheesha-the-silent-but-dangerous-new-fad-in-the-tobacco-industry/
Salaam
Bro, this is sick! I didn’t know that it actually is worse then cigarettes. Man, people have been so ignorant about this issue. But alhamdulilah, with this new scientific evidence, hopefully inshallah it will open their eyes and minds to the truth that it is VERY harmful, more harmful then smoking cigarettes.
H. Ahmed, I linked to the article from the main post. Don’t know how I missed it! < src='http://muslimmatters.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' />
Ali, I didn’t know either that it was worse… you know hookah seems so benign, almost friendly and inviting. And then they create the environment, which usually involves some funky arabian nights tunes… its all a plot!
Disclaimer: I haven’t had the opportunity walhamdulilah to engage in this evil practice, but I have seen a few of them.
Man thats crazy. Im from Chicago, and its ridiculous how many Muslim youth are into this (and I mean A LOT), and they often market it as ‘It’s ONLY makhruh’.
Speaking of which, I think MM should post this vid on the subject (its pretty scary): http://youtube.com/watch?v=1yq9lh_Ncu8
“…But they got no mercy and I don’t know how many of them are still going.”
Yusuf, in the East End one I know of evaded restrictions by re-opening as a ‘private house’.
What is worth noting is all of the other evils that go along with this. I have known of husbands and fathers returning home gone 3am from sheesha and music infested parties.
Asim, those “Shaytan” videos are kind of cheezy… a bit humorous too… not sure if people would respond to them, i.e. be affected positively… what do you say, others?
Aboo Uthmaan, and all for a makruh, but “not haram” purpose (music, smoking toxic mix!)… what a lie… how deceptive is the Shaytan!
Thanks for the heads up…I used to smoke shisha before I reverted (as a social thing, not religiously related at all), but I haven’t in the few months since, alhamdulillah. I’ve always wondered about the health effects of shisha, especially since I grew up with parents who were cigarette smokers and I’ve always made it a point not to start that habit.
The one thing that does strike me is that, at least in my experience (being your average white American and so I can’t really comment on Muslims in particular or immigrants; most of the people who smoke at the bars here are white college students), people who smoke shisha tend to do so socially and not addictively. I used to smoke once a month or so and now I do so maybe once every few months; most people I know prefer to go out to bars to do it, which can be prohibitively expensive, so they only do it max once a week or so and aren’t physically addicted to it (they can stop when they can’t afford it). Versus growing up with people who are addicted to cigarettes, I know what cigarette addiction looks like, and what a three-pack-a-day habit looks like. I’m just wondering if shisha isn’t considered preferable by some because it’s more of a social thing (at least among white Americans) and not an actual physical addiction, and because it tends to be indulged in much, much less often than most cigarette habits (even if we say the average cigarette smoker only smokes a pack a day, a hookah a month has to be somewhat less damaging).
Also, another thing that I think might cause some to consider it preferable to cigarettes is that a lot of shisha smokers I know don’t actually inhale - they just do it for the taste/social experience and avoid actually taking the smoke into their lungs (at least as much as possible). I’m wondering what the effects are of this compared to a shisha smoker who does inhale, or who smokes more often.
Just thinking out loud. Jazakallahkhair! This is a wonderful post and really good information.
@ Amad - I remember once sitting in a khutbah that the Shaykh was delivering on smoking cigarettes, after giving all the proofs as to why it is haram he made mention of those who claim such an act is makrooh. The Shaykh said let’s say hypothetically that smoking is makrooh, who is it you are displeasing with this “makrooh” act?
salam Meghan, thanks for stopping by.
You make some good points.
The way I see it… Islam comes to cut off the root of the problem. A cup or two of alcohol won’t kill you either (and actually healthy), but Allah forbade it. Similarly, Allah forbade the coming close to zina… Some people can save themselves, but many couldn’t. So for the society as a whole, Allah forbade those.
Now, some people may argue that Allah didn’t forbid smoking… but at the same time they will be ok with saying that cocaine, for instance, is haram. That is due to the principle of Qiyaas (analogy). So, in “new matters” we rely on scholars.
Since it seems that most scholars disallow this, we have to just leave it. And as Br. Aboo Uthmaan said, and I am guessing that you are aware from your experience, the social experience is usually not that halal either… music, mixing, etc.
Alhamdulilah, Allah has given us enough halal socially beneficial and healthy outlets… so lets use them like:
Muslim Culture vs. Pop Culture: Halaal Alternatives
Amad, thanks for your response. < src='http://muslimmatters.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' /> I totally agree…Allah subhanu wa ta’ala is all-knowing and wise. I was responding more from a secular perspective only because I already agree that all mind-altering substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs) are haraam, except when medically necessary, and I was really particularly interested in shisha vs. cigarettes and the health issues involved just because this particular perspective is new to me.
Thanks so much for the Halaal Alternatives link! That is really helpful for me, as a new revert < src='http://muslimmatters.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' />
I think some clarification is needed. There are definitely top reliable and God-fearing scholars who consider smoking makruh. HOWEVER, if any harm is caused, the ruling is that of makruh tahriman (Sinful & Borderline haram). And who said doing things that are makruh tahriman is okay. The scholars who rule smoking is makruh tahriman ALSO rule that makruh tahriman is worthy of punishment in the hereafter and if it goes unrepented and God decides not to forgive one, it is worthy of time in Hellfire. So I suggest people who keep saying “it’s makruh yo” go and read up on what the ruling really is, and what it implies.
Secondly, the scholars who rule it as makruh tahriman when harm is caused (Which is true in most cases) canNOT be looked down upon. They certainly have there proofs, and they are quite strong despite what most people think.
In conclusion, it is permissible to hold smoking to be makruh tahriman, and makruh tahriman is worthy of Hellfire, so don’t take it lightly.
salam Br. Ammaar, of course no one is saying that the scholars who said it is makruh are not God-fearing. But if you read the attached article, and the opinion from wide spectrum of muftis (including Mufti Desai of Hanafi opinion), they are moving towards haram. Once you lay out the evidences, it is tough to deny it.
Also, this is a matter, where it is better and more beneficial to be firmer and “harsher” than to be light… because there is not benefit to be gained in letting people smoke.
wallahualam
But the point is the scholars that permit smoking yet hold it to be makruh tahriman also hold makruh tahriman to be sinful, so there is no ‘loophole.’ So either way, if you are a habitual smoker, it is sinful Islamically.
I don’t understand SA/Arab Muslims when they argue that the Hookah is part of their “Islamic” culture. The Hookah originated in India (OK, so it has some pull for SA Muslims. Forgive the pun). Tabacco was not introduced into Islamic lands until at least a thousand years after Muhammed started the religion when Columbus discovered the Americas (OK, not “discovered” that goes to the East Asian-extracted Natives and the Vikings; but discovered for purposes of permanent trade lines).
And it always puzzles me that Muslims will not go near an alcoholic beverage as it is “Haram” but while they are denying it they are chain-smoking on filterless cigarettes that smell awful.
Me, My one drug is Caffeine and I take it in Coffee form. And lots of it.
This is the most lenient fatwa in the realm of valid and reliable ones:
http://www.daruliftaa.com/question.asp?txt_QuestionID=q-14175250
Again, I definitely do not promote smoking, I’m just laying out both sides.
Given the evidence and taking into account all fatwas, I urge everyone to leave tobacco in all its forms ASAP.
JAZAKALLAHU KHAYR. This is one myth that needs dispelling.
I have been a strong advocate against the tobacco company and when i saw a rise in the popularity of hookah i was disgusted by how much all these people were fooling themselves.
Long time ago people thought weed, cigarettes, alcohol were all good them… and they’ve continiusly been proven wrong… how many examples do people need before they make the right decision??
andd i wanted to add some info
->average puff on a waterpipe = 500 ml of smoke, while the average puff on a cigarette = 50 ml of smoke.
-> A hookah smoker =100 puffs with a waterpipe (i.e., in a single 30-45 minute session) while a cigarette smoker = 10 puffs.
->STILL produces SECOND HAND SMOKE which is still harmful to those around you
and my general rule of thumb is… any kind of smoke that you inhale is bound not to be good for you.
Jazakallah for the article! I’ve been trying to tell family and friends this stuff for ages but they actually get angry if you criticise sheesha (sign of addiction I guess!). They’re adamant that a) sheesha doesn’t have nicotine or anything harmful like tobacco, b) the water filters everything to make it less concentrated, and c) any damage it does to your lungs is reparable.
It’s good to have hard facts and statistics on your side!
All smoking is yucky!
Seriously though, I’m dead set against smoking of any type because my grandpa used to smoke a LOT - since the age of 13! - and his lungs were/ are terrible… alHamdulillaah since his heart attack he was forced to stop ‘cuz the doctors told him straight up that if he started smoking again, they wouldn’t even let him near the hospital. But I really wish it didn’t take something so drastic to make him (and others) stop!
Just like mujrahs and qawalis are “islamic” too!
Uhhhh, what are mujrahs and qawalis?
Qawali’s are those songs right? Usually sung by overweight uncles, accompanied by an accordion thing and a drum and stuff. Probably an acquired taste.
Tight post. I copy and pasted it into a Facebook note. =)
Jazzakumulahu khayr for posting this br Amad.
Recently, on our travel through a US airport, my husband and I saw a Muslim sister alone in a very crowded smoking-room full of non-Muslim men smoking and puffing away with them.
If it wasn’t due to her full hijab and jilbab, we wouldn’t have known she’s a Muslimah.
Yeap, bad enough for a man to smoke but a sister?
Worst still when children are around. One hand is holding a child, another flicking a cig.
May Allah reward you for your post on this topic…Just a quick question. What do some of your scholars have to say on this matter? Unfortunately for some people…the proof you mentioned is not enough…they want to know what the “Sheikhs” have to say. I think hookah is the biggest fitnah in our community and marriages have almost broken up over it. People spend like $100 bucks a week on it. Ugh!
Khawla: Yeap, bad enough for a man to smoke but a sister?
Haram is just as haram whoever’s doing it!
I do get your point though, it somehow looks more vulgar when women smoke/drink than men.
Umm ibraheem
Inshallah will try to get response.
Yeck! While I respect the right for one to smoke(as it is not around me), it’s a health hazard.
I think about the late comedian George Burns. The guys smoked cigars from a pre-teen until the age of 100. Although his doctors said that he didn’t die of of a respiratory illnesses, I have wondered what his lungs looked like? I could be wrong, but I just cannot see his lungs being healthy with all of that smoking that he was doing, even if the smoke is supposed to be exhaled.
Another thing that I find irritating with cigaratte/cigar smoking is the smell. I would get irrititated when I would use my neighbor’s dryer, then come back with half my clothes smelling like cigaratte. I could ghet my clothes dried up her house or just go there just to borrow something, but I end up smelling like her house. I have never smoked in my life.
umm ibraheem, This is the response from Sheikh Waleed who believes it is haram:
“It is Haram by the Fatwa of Sh. Bin Baz and the committee of the kibaar-Ulama in KSA. It is like smoking”
Definition of Smoking-
From Smoking A Social Posion By Sheikh Muhammad al-Jibaly
Smoking refers to the action of lighting a cigarette, a pipe, a cigar, a water pipe, or any other object made from tobacco or materials of similar effects. The object is then sucked on with the lips to extract smoke. This smoke is inhaled into the chest and then exhaled from the nose and mouth as a thick white smoke. “Smoking” is now used to refer to the action of producing this smoke in English, Arabic, and other languages.
So consuming Hookah and Shisha come under the heading of smoking as per the definition stated above
What about cigar and pipe smoking in which a person does not inhale the smoke into his lungs, rather just sucks in order to draw the smoke into his mouth. Sure, nicotine is absorbed via the salivary glands and through the cheeks and there is still the threat of oral cancer but as the rate of nicotine absorption is low it is a lot less addictive and harmful. Most cigar smokers can control the amount they smoke and only smoke once a month or so. My question is, that if this too is haram, then muslims cant really unwind, relax and socialize in any gathering in the mordern world (especially in non-muslim gatherings). Just as a clarification, i do not smoke but after i discovered how less harmful and totally natural cigars are, i kinda feel like changing my mind. I find cigarette smoking and addiction disgusting but was wondering if cigars really are a good alternative to cigarettes.
i will not even try to atempt to say that smoking tobacco is not haram because i know that the muslim religion believes it is so, and i may say i bdo believe that is justified. I do still feel its necessary to say that the myth that hookah is smoke is more dangerous than cigarette smoke is being blown out of proportion. Most if not all studies that say this is conclusivley true are using extremely high temperature figures(600C to 700C), assuming the hookah smoker is fully charring and burning the tobacco until it turs into ash. Most people who are smoking hookahs during social situations and are not already cigarette smokers burn the tobacco around 100-200C. Smoking the tobacco at this heat NEVER burns the tobacco but simply heats it up to release some amounts of nicotine and flavor. This way is still surely not the best thing for your helath and can cause lung caner, but if smoked this way a hookah will never come to close to being as dangerous as smoking a pack of cigarttes a day every day.
As muslims we need to put things in perspective of Who we are disobeying…this is no joke! we are disobeying Allah!!
and we must see how those things are affect us and our level of faith in Allah.
Does smoking and hookah making me a good musliM or a bad one?
Do i want my last action before i die to be smoking or hookah?
It is affecting my prayer also…do i goto interview with smoking breath?
how can i dare choose to smoke and then pray? it discourages from prayer also,
and most of Allah swt forbade harming one’self and why shud we then choose to harm ourselves with something we know isnt good for us?
and Allah swt knows best, we just want to try our best to be close to Allah in this life and the next since everyone will be judged on the day that man will be hold accountable for his deeds.
may Allah swt forgive us all and give us the strength and love for Him to leave such things that take us away from Him. ameen.
thanks for the article but it seems to me that the author is giving a fatwa. we must all be very careful not to give fatwas if we are not qualified. i asked a scholar of fiqh from al azhar with a phD in fiqh and he did not clearly say that it haram but instead he said that you should stay away from it. By doing this, he did not take a solid position because he was not 100% sure of the ruling. may Allah protect us from smoking and all other things that will harm us in this world and the next
Brother abuabdullah, the author is not giving a fatwa, because he (me) is not REMOTELY in a position to do so. I provided links to opinions of scholars to summarize a position that I defer to. There is a big difference between issuing a ruling, and summarizing a conclusion based on OTHER rulings. I respect that the scholar you asked differs from the position stated in this article, but I don’t think we should pass an opinion of one scholar that is opposition to what seems to be the jamhoor (majority) that smoking is indeed impermissible. I also believe that a less than firm attitude in this matter provides that little opening that many will abuse, and will cause people to keep on smoking, believing (or wanting to believe) that its just a makrooh thing. I hope inshallah more and more scholars will put their foot down on this firmly, based on information now available (which was not available years ago) about the harms of smoking, so that there is no ambiguity about tobacco, a substance that has nothing inherently beneficial about it. Wallahualam.
this article is such an eye opener for all the mislead youths of today who think that hukkah/ sheesha bars are a great “islamically acceptable” alternative to pubs and clubs. unfortunately i was one who gave into this new found buzz when at university. i saw my friends who otherwise were very islamical in their dress and attitude, frequented visits to hukkah bars and enjoyed the bliss of puffing away the smoke. for a good while i thought this was nowhere near as dangerous as cigarettes and didnt think it contained tobacco either…untill i watched a television program on the very harmful effects of hukkah.
we as an islamic community need to do much more to raise awareness amongst our vulnerable youngsters …….and need to sign petitions to close down existing sheesha bars.