Question
What is the ruling on buying and selling shisha. Also what is the ruling on smoking Shisha?
Answer
1). To the best of our knowledge the same ruling applicable to smoking cigarettes would also apply to Shisha smoking as Shisha also contains tobacco and other harmful ingredients such as carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar and benzene vapour etc.
The fact that smoking is proven to cause certain diseases such as lung cancer and other fatal diseases, is the primary reason for which many Ulama regard smoking as Haraam. Since it is Haraam to harm oneself they assert that smoking is also Haraam. The other reasons for which they
declare smoking as Haraam is that smoking is a means of causing difficulty to others just as it results in the squandering of wealth, both of which are Haraam and have been severely condemned in Shariah. In the Qur’aan Allah has classified those that waste as the brothers of Shaytaan.
Nevertheless, those Ulama who classify smoking as Haraam substantiate their view by those verses of the Qur’aan and Ahaadeeth of Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam which prohibit giving difficulty to others, squandering of wealth and harming of one’s own body. These three evils are
found in smoking as a result of which these Ulama have been forthright in branding smoking as Haraam.
Some other Ulama however, have adopted a more cautious stance and have thereby desisted from branding it as Haraam. Hence these Ulama have classified smoking as Makrooh Tahrimi which in reality implies that it is Haraam in practice. Whichever ruling one applies, the end result is that smoking cigarettes is impermissible and strictly prohibited. Despite the general feeling that smoking Hookah and Shisha is free from major harm of any nature, modern day research has proven that the harms of Hookah and Shisha smoking are several, in fact many experts are of the view that smoking Shisha is more harmful and detrimental than cigarette smoking. Hence, in view of the aforementioned reasons due to which smoking cigarettes is prohibited, smoking Shisha will also be classified as prohibited.
2). Since the usage and smoking of Shisha is impermissible (Makrooh Tahrimi), to buy or to sell Shisha will also be impermissible (Makrooh Tahrimi).
Checked and Approved By:
Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.