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In the name of Allah the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful.

BUYING AND SELLING | Buying

Trading in cigarettes

Question: What is the Islaamic ruling regarding one who trades in cigarettes which are sold under licence from the cigarette company?

Response: Smoking is haraam, growing tobacco is haraam, and trading in it is haraam, because of the great harm which it causes. And it was narrated in the hadeeth:

((There should be no causing harm nor reciprocating harm)),

and because it is (regarded as) one of the evil things (al-khabaa.ith).

Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) says, in describing the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam):

{He allows them as lawful at-Tayyibaat [all good and lawful things] and prohibits them as unlawful al-Khabaa.ith [all evil and unlawful things]}, [Soorah al-A'raaf, Aayah 157].

And Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) says (interpretation of the meaning):

{They ask you what is lawful for them. Say: 'Lawful unto you are at-Tayyibaat [all good and lawful things]}, [Soorah al-Maa'idah, Aayah 4].

And with Allaah lies all success and may Allaah send prayers and salutations upon our Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) and his family and his companions.

The Permanent Committee for Islaamic Research and Fataawa, comprising -
Head: Shaykh 'Abdul 'Azeez ibn Abdullaah ibn Baaz;
Deputy Head: Shaykh 'Abdur-Razzaaq 'Afeefee;
Member: Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Ghudayyaan;
Member: Shaykh 'Abdullaah ibn Qu'ood
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa.imah lil-Buhooth al-'Ilmiyyah wal-Iftaa. - Volume 13, Page 31, Question No.1 of Fatwa No.4947