Is a person who smokes secretly a hypocrite or a transgressor, and how can one reconcile the Hadith "All of my Ummah are forgiven except those who publicize their sins" with the Hadith about violating Allah's sanctities when one is in seclusion?
Smoking is forbidden in Islamic law due to the harm it causes to oneself. However, a smoker concealing their smoking does not make them a hypocrite. Rather, Islamic law commands concealment of sins while urging repentance from them, and it prohibits publicizing sins due to the resulting display of iniquity and the setting of a bad precedent for others. The "they violate prohibitions in private" applies to those who outwardly appear righteous but act contrary to that in private. As for someone who sincerely performs good deeds, but then their resolve weakens and their desires overcome them, and they conceal their sin, we hope that they will not fall under this warning. It is incumbent upon anyone who knows such a person to conceal their sin, advise them, explain the ruling and the harms of smoking to them, pray for them, and not expose them as long as they remain concealed.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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