What is the Shariah ruling on using vaping (electronic cigarettes), shisha and nicotine pouches? Are these different from ordinary cigarettes in that they produce less smoke or no smoke?

The attribute of the Noble Prophet ﷺ is described in the Noble Qur'an as follows: ﴿وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمِ الْخَبَائِثَ﴾ (Surah Al-A'raf: 157), i.e. he makes pure things lawful for them and impure and filthy things unlawful for them. Allah Almighty says: ﴿وَلَا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ﴾ (Do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction) (Surah Al-Baqarah: 195) and ﴿وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ﴾ (And do not kill yourselves) (Surah An-Nisa: 29). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not cause harm (to yourself) and harm should not be caused (to another)” (Sunan Ibn Majah: 2341 — Sahih). And regarding wasteful squandering of wealth, He said: ﴿إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ﴾ (Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils) (Surah Al-Isra: 27). Whatever thing, by the unanimous observation of medical experts, is harmful to the body, filthy (khabith) and addictive, is prohibited under these very texts.

Saudi Arabia's Al-Lajnah Ad-Da'imah lil-Buhuth Al-Ilmiyyah wal-Ifta and Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, have explicitly declared cigarette smoking haram due to its being filthy, harming health, wasting wealth and causing addiction (Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 10922). Whenever a new form appears with these same causes, the ruling will remain the same; the ruling follows the cause, not the device or the flavour.

E-cigarettes contain nicotine, their vapours include toxic chemical substances, they are harmful to the lungs and heart and they create regular addiction. For these very reasons, contemporary scholars have placed vaping under the same ruling as cigarettes and declared it prohibited (Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 271543). Statements such as “there is no smoke” or “it is flavoured” do not change its reality, because both harm and nicotine are present.

Shisha is one form of tobacco itself; rather, one session of it delivers into the body, in quantity and duration, smoke equal to several cigarettes. Passing through water neither removes its poison nor its filthiness; therefore smoking shisha is also haram in the same way, and serving shisha or participating in its gathering and thereby promoting it is also not correct.

A nicotine pouch is placed in the mouth and it contains no smoke, but it contains pure nicotine, which causes diseases of the mouth and gums, affects the blood vessels and the heart, and creates a strong habit. The absence of smoke does not change the ruling, because the cause of prohibition is nicotine, harm and addiction, and that is fully present here as well; therefore, by application of the principles mentioned above, the use of nicotine pouches is also impermissible.

Trade and business in a thing whose use is haram is also not permissible, because Allah Almighty says: ﴿وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ﴾ (And do not cooperate in sin and transgression) (Surah Al-Ma'idah: 2).

Maqasid note: Among the great objectives of the Shariah are preservation of life (hifz al-nafs), preservation of intellect (hifz al-aql) and preservation of wealth (hifz al-mal). These items harm all three together; in particular, the young generation is being drawn towards this addiction through flavours and colourful advertisements — it is the responsibility of parents and teachers to remain alert to this and to protect their children.

Translated from the original Urdu fatwa.