Issue No: 192
14th March 2014
12th Jamadi ul Awwal 1435 A.H.
Salamun alaykum,
Sacred puff:
When one adds up the health risks, cost, stinking smell and endless hours spent shivering outside (despite being in one’s own home!) to have that ‘sacred puff’, it's a wonder people start smoking at all. But they do.
It’s time to be victorious:
‘V for Victory’ is the theme for the National No Smoking Day observed this weekin the United Kingdom on 12th March, 2014. This annual health awareness day,set on the second Wednesday in March, is intended to inspire hundreds of thousands of people to be victorious over smoking and give it a go to quit.
Danger to Your Health:
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 different chemicals. At least 50 are known carcinogens (cause cancer in humans) and many are poisonous.
The harmful effects of cigarette smoking, both to the active smoker and the passive smoker are universally known. Cigarette smoking causes a number of health problems that often ultimately result in death.Over 3 million people worldwide die from smoking-related causes each year.
Hubbly Bubbly: The Hookah / Shisha Fad:
Stepping aside from cigarette smoking some people have taken up smoking the ‘Shisha or ‘Hookah’ - the traditional Middle Eastern pipes. This habit is now considered to be cool in town and is being promoted as a lifestyle. Most youths would start hookah /shisha smoking just to conform to peer or social pressures. They get a feeling of being "grown up."
There is some talk doing the rounds that hookah /shisha smoking is safer than cigarette smoking because the hookah smoke is filtered through water before it is inhaled. This is not true. It’s a myth.
It is 100 times worse than cigarettes:
"Contrary to popular belief, shisha is not safer than smoking cigarettes.” said Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation. Shisha smoking is linked to the same serious and life-threatening diseases as cigarettes.
A single session smoking the popular shisha waterpipes yields a nicotine intake equivalent to more than one pack of cigarettes, a report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed.
The WHO study reported that a typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette. Even after passing through the water, the tobacco smoke produced still contains high levels of toxic compounds,including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens).
Danger to Your Health:
Hookah smoking is not safer than cigarette smoking. The bottom line is if cigarette smoking is harmful, then hookah /shisha smoking is only worse.
Smoking - an addiction:
In the article: Smoking, or Health, Third Report 1977, p.98.published by The Royal College of Physicians “..Tobacco smoking is a form of drug dependence different from but no less strong than that of other addictive drugs—the most stable and well-adjusted person will, if he smokes at all, almost inevitably become dependent on the habit…”
Break the habit:
Most smokers would really like to stop, but find it hard to do so. Habits like smoking are difficult to break. However the effort is Divinely rewarded.
“The best of worship is to abandon the (harmful) habits.” Imam Ali bin AbiTaliba.s.
The Noble Quran: Our Guide:
In several instances the Noble Quran has ordered us to protect ourselves from harm.
…”and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands…” Sura Al Baqara 2:195
...nor kill (destroy)yourselves..." SuraAnNisa 4:29
Can one as amuslim be deceived by the ‘sacred puff’ or the Hubbly Bubbly Fad, be a cause of spreading second hand smoke and choose to ignore the Noble Quran?
Guidance from Marja Taqleed Ayatullah Al Udhama Seyyid Ali As-Seestani:
Question:
Medical literature states that smoking is the main cause for heart and cancer diseases, and it also shortens the life span of the smoker. So, what is the rule on smoking concerning (a) the beginner, (b) the compulsive smoker, and (c) the passive smoker? In the third case, the medical experts say that the smoke also harms a person sitting besides a smoker. What would be, the ruling if he considers passive smoking to be of considerable harm?
Answer:
(a)Smoking becomes harãm for the beginner if it entails serious harm, even at the future, regardless of whether that serious harm is certain, most probable, or just probable so much so that sensible people would demand caution. However, with the protection from serious harm (for example, by smoking less frequently), there is no problem in it.
(b)If continuing to smoke will cause serious harm to the compulsive smoker —as explained above— it is necessary for him to refrain from it unless the harm in quitting is similar, greater than to the harm in continuing, or the great difficulty that he will face in quitting is such that it cannot be normally tolerated.
(c)The same rule as explained in (a) for the beginner, applies in this case also.
Will you free yourself from smoking and those around you from second hand smoke?Is it not now the time for you to be victorious?
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat