Cigarettes and Khabaa-ith

Q: In The Quran Shareef Allah Ta’ala declares khabaa-ith haraam, i.e. substances that are dirty, filthy. Don’t cigarettes fall under khabaa-th?

A: The definition of khabaa’ith varies according to different Ulema. It is, therefore, not so easy to apply the definition of khabaa-ith to cigarettes. In the first place, cigarettes are made from tobacco which is a plant. That in itself is not something filthy or dirty. Tea is also made from plants, and we drink this in abundance. No one has ever considered tea as a filthy or dirty substance. In fact cigarettes are not consumed as tea; instead the smoke of the burnt plant is inhaled. Per se, it cannot be placed under khabaaith. Yes, once it is smoked cigarettes leave behind a terrible odour, but that too, is not sufficient reason to call it khabaa-ith. Rasoolullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) prohibited people who ate raw onions and garlic from coming to the Musjid without removing the smell. Yet, the two vegetables are halaal and pure and are even mentioned in the Holy Quran. Yes, smoking will definitely be makrooh because of the harm it causes to the body. But one may not classify it as haraam. And Allah Knows Best.