Smoking tobacco using sheesha, narjeela or the like is haram (prohibited) not only disliked or makruh.
Elaborating on this, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Ash-Shanqiti, Director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas , states: “As for smoking, we do not say it is permissible – it is absolutely forbidden. Even if someone scholars in the past regarded it as disliked, it was because we were not sure about its dangers and health effects.
Now, after the danger of smoking has been scientifically proved beyond any shred of doubt, there is almost a consensus among Muslim scholars that it is forbidden.”
Having stated the above, we’d like to point out the fact that it has become universally known that smoking is extremely dangerous to one’s heath. This fact has been proven beyond any shadow of doubt. Hence, it is no wonder to say that the juristic disagreement that has arisen among Muslim scholars since the initial appearance of smoking is not based on legal proofs, but it is based on the certainty of the harm it causes, which is decided by physicians, not juristic scholars.
Scientists have proven the harm of smoking. Thus, the legal ruling on smoking rises from detestability to the degree of prohibition. In other words, due to the certainty that smoking is a health hazard, it is deemed prohibited for Muslim scholars state that whatever is proved to be harmful is prohibited.