Does writing on cigarette packs that they are harmful and cause death change the ruling of commanding good and forbidding evil from obligation to recommendation, especially with the widespread knowledge of the prohibition of cigarettes?
We have previously established that a smoker's mere awareness of the harms of smoking does not affect the ruling on enjoining good and forbidding evil. The levels of hisbah (accountability/enforcement) remain valid after informing (the person), which are: gentle admonition through speech, then reprimand and harshness (e.g., "O ignorant one," "O foolish one"), then forceful prevention (e.g., breaking instruments of amusement), and finally, intimidation and threatening with physical punishment. This last level is specific to the Imam. The consideration of benefits (masalih) and harms (mafasid) must be observed when practicing these levels, as enjoining evil has four degrees: its removal, its reduction, its replacement with something similar, or its replacement with something worse. The first two are permissible, the third is subject to ijtihad (independent reasoning), and the fourth is forbidden.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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