Grand Ayatollah Shirazi remarks on consuming tobacco, cigarettes

The daily scholarly meeting of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Sadegh al-Hosseini al-Shirazi was held on the first Saturday of Rajab. In this session, like the previous meetings, the Marja answered the questions of the attendees about various jurisprudential issues.

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi discussed the ruling on tobacco and cigarette consumption, and said: Consuming tobacco and cigarette is permissible, although it may be Makruh as it poses minor harm, but it is not associated with serious harm.

With regard to the ruling on the use and sale of narcotics, his Eminence said: It is not permissible to use and sell narcotics, except as a treatment and to the extent necessary, but if it causes harm and corruption in the society, it is forbidden.

Regarding the consumption of tobacco, cigarettes, and drugs in Ramadan, he said: Some of the ‘breakers’ of fasting are agreed upon unanimously, and some are disagreed upon among jurists. There is a narration regarding thick dust: Someone swept a house and dust entered his nose and throat. The majority of the jurists have issued a fatwa or a mandatory precaution that thick dust reaching the throat breaks fasting. They have also said the same about thick vapor and smoke.

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi further said: Of course, some jurists have argued as a scholarly opinion that there is no problem in consuming narcotics, but in terms of fatwa, including among the various annotations that have been written on Urwa al-Wuthqa, there is not a single case of fatwa that says consuming narcotics is permissible. Therefore, in Urwa al-Wuthqa, both thick cigarette smoke and thick steam are considered as examples of thick dust.