Fatwa ID: 06760
Answered by: Alimah Jannatun Nessa
Question:
There’s a trend in North America New shops, popping up, to sell smoke and vape products.
The question is, is this business Halal, and permissible?
Here’s a brief description of what they sell:
These Smoke shops offer premium quality papers, glass, cigars, cigarettes, vapes, e-liquid, CBD, Delta-8/10 products, tobacco of all kinds, humidors and accessories, hookahs and shisha, and of course the ever-popular disposable vapes.
Please advise, if it’s permissible to own, or work there, as an employee is permissible?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The prohibition of being involved with alcohol, drugs and other intoxicants has been established in the following verse of the Quran:
یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَیْسِرُ وَالْاَنْصَابُ وَالْاَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّیْطٰنِ فَاجْتَنِبُوْهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُوْنَ ۟
O believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and drawing lots for decisions are all evil of Satan’s handiwork. So refrain from them so you may be successful. [Surah Maidah 5: Verse 90]
Intoxicants have been prohibited because there is more harm in them than benefit; they are bad for a person’s well-being and alter their state of mind, which not only makes them a source of potential harm to themselves and others but also makes them incapable of fulfilling their religious obligations properly.
یَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الْخَمْرِ وَالْمَیْسِرِ ؕ قُلْ فِیْهِمَاۤ اِثْمٌ كَبِیْرٌ وَّمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ ؗ وَاِثْمُهُمَاۤ اَكْبَرُ مِنْ نَّفْعِهِمَا ؕ وَیَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ مَاذَا یُنْفِقُوْنَ ؕ۬ قُلِ الْعَفْوَؕ كَذٰلِكَ یُبَیِّنُ اللّٰهُ لَكُمُ الْاٰیٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُوْنَ ۟ۙ
They ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about intoxicants and gambling. Say, “There is great evil in both, as well as some benefit for people—but the evil outweighs the benefit.” [Surah Baqarah 2: Verse 219]
Thereafter, the prohibition of selling these items has been stated clearly in the following hadith:
The Prophet ﷺ said that “whatever is haram to drink, is haram to sell”. [Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1579]
It is impermissible for Muslims to own anything haram or work in a place where the main business is haram even if they do not participate in the sale or production of these products. However, if the main business is halal, then there is no problem working there. This is because nowadays most businesses are not purely halal and it would be very difficult to find employment in such an environment. This ruling allows Muslims to have more flexibility in finding employment opportunities whilst also adhering to Islamic principles.
Islam prohibits the consumption of substances that are harmful to one’s health, and smoking or vaping tobacco and related products falls under this category. Additionally, the sale of these items promotes a habit that is detrimental to both physical and spiritual well-being. Therefore, Muslims must avoid involvement in such businesses.
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Jannatun Nessa
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[Bahr-ur-raiq, volume 6, page 287, Daar al kutub al ilmiyyah]
وبه قال مشايخنا: وإنما امتنع بيع الخمر لنص خاص في منع بيعها وهو الحديث (( إن الذي حرم شربها حرم بيعها))
[Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1579]
حَدَّثَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، بْنِ وَعْلَةَ – رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ مِصْرَ – أَنَّهُ جَاءَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ ح . وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، – وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ – أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي مَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ، وَغَيْرُهُ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ وَعْلَةَ السَّبَإِيِّ، – مِنْ أَهْلِ مِصْرَ – أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبَّاسٍ عَمَّا يُعْصَرُ مِنْ الْعِنَبِ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّ رَجُلًا أَهْدَى لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَاوِيَةَ خَمْرٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَلْ عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ حَرَّمَهَا قَالَ لَا فَسَارَّ إِنْسَانًا فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمَ سَارَرْتَهُ فَقَالَ أَمَرْتُهُ بِبَيْعِهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّ الَّذِي حَرَّمَ شُرْبَهَا حَرَّمَ بَيْعَهَا قَالَ فَفَتَحَ الْمَزَادَةَ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ مَا فِيهَا
‘Abd al-Rahman b. Wa’ala as-Saba’i (who was an Egyptian) asked ‘Abdullah b. Abbas; (Allah be pleased with them) about that which is extracted from the grapes, whereupon he said: A person presented to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) a small water-skin of wine. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said to him: Do you know that Allah has forbidden it? He said: No. He then whispered to another man. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) asked him what he had whispered. He said: I advised him to sell that, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Verily He Who has forbidden its drinking has forbidden its sale also. He (the narrator) said: He opened the waterskin until what was contained in it was split.
[Mufti Taqi Uthmani, Introduction to Islamic finance, page 143]
[Qawaid Fiqhiyyah, page 42]
الأمر إذا ضاق اتسع.
