Does smoking break wudu?

Shaykh Bali's answer comes in two parts — smoking is haram, but it does not break wudu. And he went through the reasons why it is haram, one by one, listing five.

The five reasons the Shaykh mentioned

• Waste — the money spent every day adds up to thousands within a year, and you will have to give an account of it
• Harm to oneself — doctors say smoking is a cause of more than thirty diseases
• Bad smell — the worshipper standing beside you is troubled
• Hurting your wife — however much perfume you put on, the smell of your breath remains
• Harm to the people around you — what is called passive smoking

The Shaykh's answer

Smoking is haram by the consensus of the scholars — but it is not one of the things that break wudu, so it does not break wudu.

The Shaykh says — the words of the Prophet ﷺ: “There is to be no harm, and no returning harm for harm.” Smoking harms one's own body, harms the people nearby, and also hurts one's wife.

He says that the Prophet ﷺ told people to stay away from the mosque because of the smell of garlic and onion; the smell of smoking is even stronger than that — the smoker does not notice it himself, but the person beside him does.

Evidence — no one has the right to cause harm

لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ

There is to be no harm, and no returning harm for harm. (Sunan Ibn Majah and Musnad Ahmad)Copy

وَٱلصَّاحِبِ بِٱلْجَنۢبِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ

Worship Allāh and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allāh does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful, (Surah An-Nisaa 4:36 — Saheeh International; meaning of the complete verse)Copy

The Shaykh says — the closest “companion” is the wife; it is a duty to treat her with ihsan, not to cause her distress.

What to do

1. Make the intention to quit smoking — it is haram, and you will also have to account for the money spent.
2. Until you are able to quit, at least do not go to the mosque or into crowds carrying the smell.
3. Do not smoke beside others at home or in the car — the harm to those beside you is the greater one.
4. Remember — it does not break wudu, but to be saved from the sin, tawbah is needed.

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Source: Based on the talk of Shaykh Wahid Abdussalam Bali

Translation and compilation: Raqi Faisal Ahmed Sabit — Al Qur'an Ruqyah Healing Center