Is Smoking a Major Sin or a Minor Sin in Islam?

Is Smoking a Major Sin or a Minor Sin in Islam?

Question
As-salamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
Is smoking a major or minor sin?
Jazak Allahu khayran.

Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.

1. The Shar‘i Context

Smoking was not present in early Islamic history, so the ruling is derived from general Qur’anic and Prophetic principles regarding:

Protecting life

Avoiding self-harm

Preventing harm to others

Avoiding waste of wealth


Because modern medical science has established definitive, severe harm from smoking, including high rates of fatal disease, contemporary scholars almost unanimously rule that smoking is haram.

2. Is It a Major or Minor Sin?

Classically, major sins (kaba’ir) are identified by:

A specific text mentioning a curse,

A threat of punishment,

A hadd penalty,

Or a clear warning of Allah’s anger.


Smoking does not appear in the hadith literature with a specific textual designation, therefore it does not fall under the formal category of “major sins.”

However, this does not reduce the seriousness of the act, because:

3. The Severity of Harm Makes It Clearly Haram

Modern scholars rule smoking as haram due to:

A. Harm to the self

Allah says:
“Do not kill yourselves.” (4:29)
“Do not throw yourselves into destruction with your own hands.” (2:195)

Smoking causes fatal illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.
Deliberate, repeated self-harm that leads to death is a grave prohibition even if not labeled as a “major sin” in classical texts.

B. Harm to others

Second-hand smoke harms spouses, children, and the public.
The Prophet said:
“There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”

Harming others increases the sinfulness.

C. Waste of wealth

Money spent on a harmful, addictive habit is condemned.
Allah says:
“Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils.” (17:27)

4. A Suitable Usul Principle

الضرر يزال
Harm must be removed.

This principle mandates eliminating anything whose dominant nature is harm which perfectly applies to smoking.

Final Ruling

Smoking is haram according to the overwhelming majority of modern scholars because of its severe, proven harm and its danger to others.
It is not classified as a major sin in the technical, hadith-based definition, but it remains a grave and serious sin due to the level of damage it causes.

A Muslim should repent from it and seek every means to quit.

And Allah knows best.