Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The Shia and the prayer

Some young Sunnis criticize the Shia about what they call as “the confusion in prayer and lack of submission”.

In the congregational prayers, some of the Shia do not care for the rows and it does not impact them that there are always gaps left between the praying men. It is often noticed that the first row is not yet complete whereas there are great numbers of people offering the prayer behind the imam in the other rows without caring for the order of the first row.

It is also noticed among the Shia that some people come in and go out of the mosque during the prayer, passing between the praying ones. They often pass between a praying person and the place of his prostration in the direction of the qibla, which annuls the prayer according to the beliefs of the Sunni.

It is true that the prayer of the Sunni is more orderly than the Shia’s. When you offer the prayer with the Sunni brothers, you see the imam, before beginning the prayer, turn towards the people coming to offer the prayer behind him and asks them to straighten out and form the rows saying to them, “Be orderly (in your lines), may Allah have mercy on you! Impact your rows and do not leave gaps for Satan, because the impacting of rows is from (the conditions of) the prayer.” Therefore, you see the praying ones press together until their shoulders and bodies stick together and see that they compete to fill the gaps.1

When the prayer is being offered, they do not permit anyone to pass in front of a praying one, even if the prayer is a recommended and not an obligatory one. They believe that according to some traditions narrated in their sihah (books of Hadith), that the prayer is annulled when someone passes in front of a praying one. In some of their traditions, it is said that the one, who passes in front of a praying one, is a devil who must be repelled and pushed away.

As for the Shia, they do not care for such things during their prayers. I offered prayers behind many Shia imams2 most of whom were from the known religious authorities and in many countries, but I did not see anyone of them turn to the people, who had come to offer the prayer behind him, before the beginning of the prayer to ask them to regulate their lines or fill the gaps between them. I also saw no one, whether an imam or one who led the praying ones, prevent others from passing in front of a praying one.

I am convinced that the school of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) does not say that the prayer becomes null when someone passes in front of a praying one. This is in accordance with neither reason nor traditions, because the things that annul the prayer are limited and known to the Shia and the Sunni, and certainly, the passing in front of a praying one is not one of them.

Al-Bukhari himself mentions in his Sahih that once it was mentioned to Aa’isha that a dog, a donkey and woman (when passing before a praying one) would annul the prayer. She denied that and said, “You have compared us (women) to dogs and donkeys! By Allah, I saw the Messenger of Allah (S) offer the prayer while I was on the bed between him and the qibla…”3

This is a strong proof and a convincing argument showing that the prayer is not annulled by the passing of man or animal between the praying person and the (direction of) qibla even to the Sunni.4

However, not everything permissible is worthy of recommendation or praise. If a Muslim is careful not to pass over the necks of praying people lest he treads on them while in prostration to Allah, it is a recommended, praiseworthy moral act that Islam prefers and civic sense acknowledges. It shows reverence and respect to the prayer and the one who is praying to his Lord, solemnly supplicating in a very high spiritual state. So is it not acceptable from anyone to interrupt a praying person’s submissiveness and state of spirituality?

Do you not see that the Messenger of Allah (S) has prohibited to sit in the public ways where there is embarrassment for passers and especially women who feel shy and embarrassed to walk through a way where there are men sitting in?

Since we talk about and seek the truth in all our studies, and since we know that Allah does not feel shy of the truth, we say that the Shia should benefit from their Sunni brothers in this morality that gives praying ones sanctity and holiness as long as they are standing, bowing or prostrating before the Lord of the worlds.

Once, I said this to some imams of the Shia and they confessed their shortcoming in this regard, but one of them objected to me saying that these matters were superficial and the advantage lay in the essence. I replied, “These matters are not superficial, but they are systematic. These bring gravity and reverence and make others respect us. Surely, our religion is a religion of a system that loves orderliness and hates confusion. Allah says:

Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayer and stand up truly obedient to Allah. Qur'an, 2:238

Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall. Qur'an, 61:4

The Sura in which this verse is, has been called ‘the sura of as-Saff or rank’, since rank or order is very important near Allah.

Perhaps, the problem of the Shia concerning the congregational prayer where some lack of seriousness and indifference is found is because throughout the history they have faced severe conditions. It was very difficult for them to offer congregational prayers behind Sunni imams who changed the rulings of prayer and used to abuse Imam Ali (a.s.) and the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in their prayers. On the other hand, they avoided offering the prayer in a special congregation, because this meant that they would be accused of being “rawafidh, rejecters” and this would lead to doing away with them.

Therefore, they often offered congregational prayers with the Sunni out of taqiyya5 , then immediately left the place after the end of the prayer. Most of them might offer the prayer again when they would be in their houses.

We may conclude from this too that the dissenters of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) have called themselves “the people of the Sunna and congregation” because the majority of Muslims followed them and offered the prayer in their congregation, whereas the Shia offered their prayers behind their own imam, and thus they were minority, like a white spot in a black dress, after their appearing as a special sect.

After their having appeared as a special Islamic school adhering to the jurisprudence of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), the Shia limited themselves to strictly pray behind a just, knowledgeable, abstinent imam in accordance with the religious texts in this regard on one hand and as a reaction to the Sunni, who were permitted to pray behind any good or corrupted man on the other hand.

This has also affected the congregational prayer of the Shia - so you see that when one of them comes into a mosque and does not know the imam of the congregational prayer, he offers the prayer individually in one of the mosque’s corners. It is because he does not know the imam, so he does not trust him (as to be a just person or not).

On the other side, the Sunni are wasteful in this concern in that they permit the prayer behind anyone whether good or bad, pious or impious, abstinent or corrupted. We have talked before about Abdullah ibn Umar who offered prayers behind Yazid ibn Mo’awiya, al-Hajjaj ibn Yousuf ath-Thaqafi and Najdah al-Khariji, and all of these three were openly corrupted and dissolute.

The same thing can be said about the Shia that some of them do not consider it permissible to offer prayer behind anyone except when he is known to the praying person himself, as a just and pious person. Some of the Shia are not satisfied to see tens of Muslims offer prayer behind so-and-so imam except when they themselves become certain of his justice and piety. Only then they would offer their prayer behind him.

All this is because of precaution in the religion and care to offer their prayer in the best way possible, so that Allah may accept it. It is as if the Shia think that their prayer shall not be accepted if it is offered behind an imam not known to them. It is as if Allah has ordered them to inquire very about the affairs of religion in an accurate manner6 and as if they always think of this verse:

…and you deemed it an easy matter while with Allah it is grievous. Qur’an 24:15

I believe that Islam is the religion of nature, and nature is the most moderate of affairs. Allah the Almighty says:

And thus We have made you a moderate (just) nation. Qur'an, 2:143

The Messenger of Allah (S) says:

The best of affairs is the moderate one. There should be neither excess nor waste.

So the Sunni’s belief which is much indifferent, to a degree that it permits the offering of the prayer behind every good or bad person is excessive. And, the Shia’s belief is also excessive to a degree in that they do not permit the prayer except behind the just imam who is unique of his kind. It is wasteful of the opportunity to pray in congregation.

The true Islam stops in the middle between the two, in this concern. It does not agree with those who say it is permissible to follow a corrupt or the other side which stipulates for justice (honesty) of an imam who does not commit corruption openly. This is enough for others to offer the prayer behind him.

The Prophet (S) often recommended his companions and all Muslims by saying:

Make it easy and do not make it difficult. Give good news and do not alienate others from the religion.

Do not complicate it for yourself, lest Allah makes it more complicated for you, as He did for the children of Israel.

Since we are talking about excess here, it may be useful to mention what some Muslims do in excess. You may see some who when performing the wudhu’, move from this side to that side under the lamp while turning their hands and arms up and down to see if there is a needle-eye-spot untouched by water - in which case they repeat the wudhu’ - again just because of doubt (although for the Shia, doubt does not annul certainty).

You see this also when they come to prayer and begin reciting the sura of al-Fatiha. Their tongues begin to stutter and they are unable to pronounce the words, and then they repeat “walladh dhalleen” four or five times, and this happens to them in every rak’a.

Once, I attended the congregational prayer with one of them, and then I regretted my praying behind him, because that prayer became boring in the way he offered it. Later on, I spoke to him frankly and mentioned to him before a group of other friends, the saying of an American man who had become Muslim and written a book. He had said in it, “Praise be to Allah Who has made me know Islam before I knew Muslims.” I added, “If I had known this kind of Shia initially, I would have become alienated from them and not bothered myself with all the research.”

Certainly, Islam is the religion of ease, simplicity and leniency. I do not mean by this being indifferent to the rulings of the Sharia - God forbid! I myself disapprove of the schools that interpret the religion of Allah according to their own opinions. However, when you see that all excess and exaggeration that is from the human beings themselves, your soul may be alienated from the religion.7

You recite these sayings of Allah:

…and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion. Qur'an, 22:78

Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire for you difficulty. Qur'an, 2:185

When you see the sayings and doings of such people who make the religion of Allah a nightmare with all hardships that an ordinary man cannot bear - it makes you doubt and suspect everything. It then paves the way for Satan to enter your heart.

The most dangerous disease is when a Muslim becomes so scrupulous that he does not know how many rak’as he offers, or he has offered them all or not, or when he has offered the prayer. Satan plays with him in every worship and ritual. This may exceed so much as to hinder the worship in their dealings and relations with people. Then one’s life becomes unbearable hell, from which may Allah protect you and us.

Notes

1. These things are true and real, but we see that the Sunni mosques are built very big and adorned with ornamentations and decorations and great monies from inside and outside their countries are spent on them, besides that their ulema too much breach and emphasize on these matters. However, we find that the Sunni do not care much for the matter of purity and impurity. We find this in their creeds and especially the Hanbalite School.

Earlier I thought that wearing gold by Sunni men was permissible, because many of their men did that, but it appeared that all their creeds prohibited it. They invite to pray behind every good and bad man (as the imam in the prayer). You may find in the row of prayers a disbelieving, secular ruler and his mercenaries, and this is a very doing of Satan!

As for the Shia, they see that mosques are Allah’s…and they are shelters for all Muslims, and that the building of a mosque is something spontaneous, simple, and with no constrictions. The Shia pay very much attention for mosques to be purified. Mosques for the Shia have many strict rulings that must be observed and they are often breached by the Shia ulema. Anyhow, this problem can be solved through a lecture or by hanging a poster on the wall.

Are we not invited to (make it easy and not difficult and not to make others alienate the religion)? How often I find Sunni youth, who do not go to mosques, for either they have been shocked and driven away or because of those difficult rituals! We the Shia, think that the important thing is the coming of people to mosques first, and then to educate about it and not to shout at people just because they pass in front of us. Let us deal with others through the Islamic morals and manners and not through disgusting nomadic fanaticism.

2. “Imam” here refers to the one leading others in offering a prayer.

3. Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 1 p. 130.

4. This matter is like that of building a mosque or offering the prayers where there is a grave. The matter is based on the rule of “the preventing of excuses” for fear that it may be regarded as worshipping the one in the grave. Certainly, we have not found until now even one Muslim who worshipped a grave in the last 1416 years (the book in Arabic was published in 1416 AH).

According to precautionary basis, some of the Sunni destroyed the graves of their saints or separated them with high fences. They and especially the Wahabis criticized impudently the Shia for making graves inside the mosques. Once, one of my friends was in Hijaz. Some Sunni people from different Muslim countries gathered around him asking, “Why do you make the graves of your imams as mosques?!”

Importantly, since the passing in front of a praying one does not annul the prayer for the two sects (the Shia and the Sunni) and since they depend on Hadith, so this is refuted and they (the Wahabis) have no right to impose it on any Muslim. In fact, they harm and accuse other Muslims of different accusations because of silly rulings.

This reminds me of an event where someone was committing an impermissible thing inside a mosque. He saw someone else spit on the ground of the mosque. He got up and beat him why he spat on the ground. The other one resisted and beat him up saying to him, “Is your committing of sin worse or my spitting on the ground?”

Would that they cared for purity - they will not prostrate on permissible things, refrain from wearing gold (by men), wearing foreign leather clothes (coming from non-Muslim countries), standing before Allah (during prayers) while their stomachs are filled with impermissible meat (of unlawfully slaughtered animals)…etc?.

5. Precautionary concealing of one’s real belief.

6. Since the Shia were exiled from the stage of the Muslims’ life, their fatwas are very strict and precautionary. For example, you see that they are very careful and strict to the precedents of the prayer such as purity, ghusl, and wudhu’ to a degree that you cannot see any of their mosques empty of men who are scrupulous about purity, recitation or the number of rak’as of the prayer. Some stipulate conditions for the imam of congregational prayer as if they are conditions of a high religious authority.

However, most of the recent ulema, including Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadhlullah who criticize in his lectures this excessive strictness, consider the matter easy with no complications. This fact results from care, precaution, and perfection of deeds. But as for those who say “even though”…in any how the wudhu’ is performed, to offer the prayer led by a pious or impious person, to be indifferent to impurities that stain one’s body and clothes…to say ‘everything is alright’ and ‘everything is permissible’…it is a very serious matter that requires much pondering!

7. The Shia say that the imam (the leader of prayers) is to offer (as) the prayer of the weakest of the praying ones that means to pay attention to the old, weak, or sick persons.

Nevertheless, some people, and because of precaution often seek perfection in worships, wudhu’, and purity, especially when they read that their infallible imams (a.s..) did not perform wudhu’ except with pure water, did not wear except permissible (well procured) clothes, and even did not carry a sword belt if it was from leather that was unknown whether or not the animal was legally slaughtered, and that when they stood before Allah, they would shake and change color…

Therefore, our jurisprudents see that such people are sick with scruple, and they often blame them for this. A scholar, who wants to do so (being excessive or scrupulous) is not to lead congregation or give a fatwa in these matters.

Our thought is the same about Sufis, Salafites (puritans) and others who have violated the right path. Whoever wants to practice such things has to practice them inside his house and away from people, because such things are from Satan, whereas our religion is a religion of ease and a civilized way of life for all humankind.

The Shia and the Friday Prayer

The important matter which the Sunni raise and criticize the Shia for on all occasions, is the matter of neglecting and not offering the Friday Prayer. Some of them are so excessive in their view that they consider the Shia as disbelievers for not offering the Friday Prayer, relying on a Prophet’s tradition that says:

“Whoever gives up the Friday (prayer) three times does turn his back to Islam.”

They also narrate another tradition that the Prophet (S) when once was asked about someone who gave up the Friday Prayer, he said:

“He shall be in the Fire.”

Regarding the truth, we say that the Shia disagree among themselves on the legality of the Friday Prayer during the age of the Occultation of Imam al-Mahdi (a.s.). The Shia jurisprudents are of two opinions; some say it is obligatory at all times, and others say it is not obligatory unless all its conditions are available and one of its conditions is that it must be offered under the rule of a just ruler.

Before I turned a Shia, I truly say that I too much approved of Sheikh al-Khalisi who offered the Friday Prayer in the Mosque of Imam al-Kadhim (a.s.) in Baghdad. Sometimes I traveled from Najaf or Karbala to participate in the Friday Prayer there. At that time, I wondered at the courage of Sheikh Mahdi al-Khalisi1 who did not care for the criticism of some ulema who did not think that the Friday Prayer was obligatory. He believed it was obligatory and he offered it in the best way. I noticed at that time (in 1968 AD) the masses of people who gathered in his mosque, showing him great reverence and respect.

I also wondered at those who criticized him for offering the Friday Prayer. I said to myself, “How do these people defame an alim (scholar) who, due to his ijtihad, offers the prayer that Allah the Almighty has ordered it to be offered when He has said:

O you who believe! when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah… Qur’an 62:9

I repeated this saying before some of those people, defending Sheikh al-Khalisi and seeking for him different excuses and proofs. However, some of them revealed what was inside their hearts. They said to me that Sheikh al-Khalisi did not recite in the azan - “the third witness”. I asked what “the third witness” was, and they said that it was, “I bear witness that Ali is the saint of Allah”.

I spent that night asking myself if that is reason enough to criticize and defame that man. I researched much in the books, and I read the books of his (Sheikh Mahdi al-Khalisi) father, but I did not find anything except true knowledge, piety and concern for the unity of Muslims. This (concern about the unity of Muslims), some people considered to be flattery of the Sunni.

However and despite the fact that some people tried to make me dislike and keep myself away from him, whenever I visited al-Kadhimiyyah (in Baghdad where Imam al-Khadim a.s. is buried), I offered the Friday Prayer behind Sheikh al-Khalisi and listened to his sermons, from which I benefited much. Whenever I sat with him and listened to his talks, I liked him more. Still I remained reserved, justifying that the Shia knew him more than I did.

On the other hand, I remained confused between the two ijtihads (deductions) of which one said that the Friday Prayer was obligatory and the other said it was not.

I said that I could not understand that, except when I would reach the required degree of ijtihad. However, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the establishment of the Islamic Republic there, the Friday Prayer was offered since the first Friday after the victory. And since then, the Islamic Republic has spared no effort for the sake of the unity of Muslims. Then, I knew the value of Sheikh al-Khalisi and became certain of his loyalty and the truth in his mission. I remain until today with desire to see him, so that Allah may make me meet him from a near distance as a happy occasion and Allah is powerful over everything.

Anyhow, the Shia are until now on two thoughts; some offer the Friday Prayer, and the others do not, waiting for the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance).

I wish from the depth of my heart that the Friday Prayer is offered in every village and town of the Muslim countries, for it evokes great reward and has many benefits that only Allah the Glorified knows about.

In many lectures, I invited the Muslim colonies in the different countries which I visited, to offer the Friday Prayer, taking the Islamic Republic of Iran and its leader as their example and trying to bring their hearts close to each other and make Muslims - Sunni and Shia - love each other as a single united nation.

We pray to Allah, the Powerful to help us thank and worship Him well, as is His due and to reconcile our hearts with each other to be true brothers by His Grace, He is Hearing, Responding to the prayer.

Note

1. It is worth mentioning that once Sheikh Muhammad al-Khalisi, the father of Sheikh Mahdi al-Khalisi, went to the religious authority Sayyid al-Khoei in Najaf, talking with him about the matter of the Friday Prayer, relying on this Qur’anic verse,

O you who believe! when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah…Qu’ran 62:9

Sayyid al-Khoei pondered for a while and then said to him, “Who is the caller?” Sheikh Muhammad al-Khalisi could not answer and he went back to Baghdad, keeping on offering the Friday Prayer there.

It has been mentioned that Abu Hanifa too thought that it should not be offered except when available under a just ruler. Be it known that it is now offered in the Islamic Republic of Iran that calls for offering it in the other countries and in Syria. Sayyid Fadhlullah calls for it in Lebanon. In fact, it is offered in Lebanon now.

In any case what kind of Friday Prayer is that which is offered under the authority of an oppressive ruler - when the Friday Sermon is dictated under his supervision, or when the imams of mosques are appointed according to his desire and mood from among those who praise and glorify the regime and its policies?!!

Smoking in the places of prayer

How often is it that the Sunni criticize the Shia for smoking in the mosques and say that it is an abominable doing from the deeds of the Satan?

We can say that smoking is a common phenomenon among the Shia. When you come into their mosques for the first time, you are shocked by that.1

I remember that when I traveled to Holy Najaf for the first time, I was shocked by this phenomenon. I found it odd and so I asked some of their (the Shia) ulema about it. They gave answers which have not convinced me until now. Some of them say that smoking is neither impermissible nor disapproved because there is no (legal) text concerning it either from the Prophet (S) or from the infallible Imams (a.s..) and that analogy is not permissible to them. Some others say that they do not smoke in the mosques, but only in Husayniyyas2 which are not from mosques.

As for the first answer, a Muslim cannot accept that everything about which no religious text have been mentioned, is permissible, because the texts are either general including all prohibited vices like this saying of Allah:

Say: My Lord has only prohibited indecencies, those of them that are apparent as well as those that are concealed. Qur'an, 7:33

Or special, in which something is mentioned by name, like these sayings of Allah:

…And go not nigh to adultery. Qur'an, 17:32

..And do not kill any one whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause. Qur'an, 17:33

O you who believe! do not devour usury. Qur'an, 3:130

Or, the sayings of the Prophet (S):

He, who cheats us, is not from us.

Whoever fabricates lies against me (as if I have said), let him take his seat in the Fire.

Cigarettes were not available at the time of the Prophet (S) and the times of the infallible Imams (a.s.). Therefore, it is not possible to have a religious text about smoking from Allah, His messenger or the infallible Imams. It is the same as with regard to many impermissible things available nowadays that are included by the general texts, such as lottery, horseracing and modern games that cause many profits with no effort.

Smoking can be included by this saying of Allah the Almighty:

… and do not squander wastefully. Surely, the squanderers are the fellows of the devils and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord. Qur'an, 17:26-27

The Messenger of Allah (S) said:

Squandering is to spend even one dirham on what does not benefit you.

Is there squandering worse than to spend one’s money on things that are harmful to his health and dangerous to his life?

Smoking is also included by this saying of the Messenger of Allah (S):

There should be no harm (against oneself) and no harming (against others).

Is there any harm worse than cancer, which has been proven by medicine and sciences of today to affect smokers and do away with their lives? Smoking is proven to cause dyspnea and that the nicotine in cigarettes causes addiction, which a smoker can hardly get rid of.

Sociologists in the developed countries knew the dangers of smoking; therefore, smoking was prohibited in the public halls, state centers, airplanes, trains and other means of transport. Lastly, the British government forbade smoking in the metro and the same was done by the French government.

Modern medicine has proved that a smoker, in addition to harming himself, harms others who sit with him in a place or in a vehicle during a journey. Therefore, smokers are forbidden to smoke inside public places and are forced to go out to smoke in the open air if they want to smoke, as a kind of regard for others’ feelings and safety.

This is actually what the Prophet Muhammad (S) meant when he said:

There should be no harm (to oneself) and no harming (against others).

In fact, in this saying there is a prohibition for smokers not to smoke even if they are alone, because a Muslim is prohibited from harming himself, as he is prohibited from harming others.

Do you not see that Islam has prohibited suicide? Islam considers suicide as one of the major sins. A Muslim is not free to harm even his own body, because his body is a possession of Allah and a Muslim has no right to do anything to his body except that which pleases Allah the Glorified.

Nowadays, we hear that the developed countries prohibit drivers from having alcohol while driving their vehicle, because it may cause a fatal accident. In the same way as they prohibit smokers from smoking in public places because they may harm others, we see them apply the rule of “no harm to others” and they neglect the rule of “no harm to oneself” in accordance with the law of FREEDOM which considers man to be free to do to unto himself whatever he likes, as long as he keeps the condition that he does not harm others.

Islam does not acknowledge this absolute freedom and does not permit man to do anything to himself except what Allah has permitted within the limits that the Sharia has determined for him. Therefore, Allah has said:

…and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands Qur'an, 2: 195

And, the Prophet (S) said, “There should be no harm to oneself and no harm to others.”

If we supposedly agree with Muslim smokers, who say that there is no any text which prohibits smoking, then we do not agree with them on allowing smoking inside the mosques and other places of prayer, worship and meeting of Muslims. Therefore, smokers must attend these places as non-smokers.

Here comes the problem of their second answer when saying that smoking is not practiced in mosques but in Husayniyyas. To define a Husayniyya for those who do not know it, we say that a Husayniyya is a building built by the Shia and entailed for Imam Husayn (a.s.) where ceremonies of anniversaries of births and deaths of the infallible Imams (a.s.) are held besides the anniversary of Ashura and the Eid al-Ghadir. Other ceremonies of different occasions are also held in the Husayniyya. These Husayniyyas are often furnished with precious carpets and most of them have a mihrab of prayer.

If one of the Shia says that it is permissible to smoke inside a Husayniyya because it is not a mosque, we say that this is a confession that smoking is not permissible in mosques first of all. Secondly, every place in which a prayer is offered is “a mosque”. When we attend on any occasion in a Husayniyya, we find the meeting full of remembrance of Allah and people praying to Him to send blessings on the Prophet Muhammad and his progeny (peace be on them all), surrounded by the angels who pray Allah to forgive the believers. So, is it nice to pollute such meetings with bad smells that harm people besides the angels?

I myself find it odd from the religious authorities of the Shia who prohibit the playing with chess, but do not prohibit smoking, though there is a great difference between the harms of each of them. And I find it odd too that one of the grand authorities prohibits his followers by ijtihad, from smoking tobacco as a way of resisting the British companies that promote it, but does not prohibit it again, by ijtihad too, to keep his followers safe from the fatal diseases and the squandering that Allah detests much!!

I often criticized this state and discussed these matters with some of ulema, but I did not find any one who had enough courage to prohibit smoking,3 neither among the Shia nor among the Sunni.

Shahid Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr (may Allah have mercy on him) never did smoke at all. When once I asked him about smoking, he said, “I do not smoke and I advise every Muslim not to smoke.” However, I did not hear from him the prohibition of smoking openly.

It is said that some ulema have prohibited smoking for the ones who have never smoked and they want now to smoke and considered it unapproved for smokers themselves. Some ulema consider it impermissible, but they do not dare to announce openly for fear that they may be accused of following analogy.

I want to say that the religious authorities have to give an open, clear opinion about smoking without fearing the blame from any quarter. They have to prohibit it even by their own ijtihad, as long as it causes harms to smokers themselves and to others, besides the squandering and waste that it results in.

Have we not agreed from the beginning that when a mujtahid is right in his fatwa, he shall get two rewards, and if he is mistaken, he shall get one reward on condition that there is no religious text from Allah or His messenger on that matter concerned?

Let us suppose that there is no clear text on smoking and that it is not included by this saying of Allah:

..and do not squander wastefully.. Qur'an, 17:26

nor the saying of the Prophet (S), “There should be no harm (against oneself) and no harming (against others)”, then the way is open before the ulema and religious authorities to follow their ijtihad and prohibit smoking because of the harms and fatal diseases it causes. When the ulema and religious authorities choose to keep silent just because people accept it - it is a really big problem.

Or, they may fear the reaction of smokers and so they do not give a fatwa for the sake of being disapproved. Someone from them has tried his best to convince me that smoking has many benefits and to disapprove this is really a dangerous thing having a dangerous effect! It encouraged a Muslim youth who knew this man, to keep on smoking.

At the same time we find that charitable societies and social organizations in the atheist countries sparing no effort against smoking and smokers, and preventing even its advertisement. They ask the manufacturers of cigarettes to write on the packets of cigarettes the word “SUICIDE” to encourage people to keep away from it. Yet we find in the Islamic religious societies widely embarking on it and encouraging others towards it. We even find women carrying packets of cigarettes with them to places of worship and religious meetings.

When a child opens his eye to see his mother and father smoke, he is likely to imitate them before he tries to follow the religious authority. When such a child becomes a youth with love of smoking and intoxicated with cigarettes, it will be very difficult to convince him to give the habit up, particularly when he becomes an adult and he is used to seeing his father smoke in places of worship.

If Muslims know how much monies they lose because of smoking and that it has been a plot against them, they will be thunderstruck!

For example and in a simple mathematical operation, we can see the danger of the situation. In the world today, there are one milliard Muslims. If we suppose that only a fifth of them smoke, we shall find two hundred millions smokers. And if we suppose that every smoker spends one dollar a day, which is the least price of an ordinary packet of cigarettes - and we do not talk about those who smoke two or three packets a day nor those who spend two or three dollars on the expensive brand of cigarettes - we shall find that two hundred million (200,000,000) dollars are spent by Muslims on smoking every day, and seventy-three million (73,000,000,000) dollars every year. Thus, Muslims squander seventy-three million dollars on smoking every year to buy fatal diseases.

If we add to that the amount which Muslims spend on the treatment from the diseases caused by smoking itself, like cancer, infection of lungs, angina pectoris, dental caries, pyorrhea, and others - the amount spent is unimaginable, something that mind cannot believe easily.

If Muslims spare these amounts for ten years, they shall have a paradise on the earth. There shall be no poor amongst them. They shall not need to beg the atheists, and they shall definitely do away with poverty, diseases and underdevelopment. They can with such monies, buy modern technology and develop in all fields.

After this brief discussion, we want to say that Muslims have to prohibit themselves from everything that harms and does not benefit them. Even if there is no clear text on that, surely their religion encourages and orders them to keep away from everything harmful and not of use to them. Allah says in the Qur'an:

…and (Allah) makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things. Qur'an, 7:157

The Messenger of Allah (S) forbade his companions from eating garlic on Fridays, lest the people in the mosque would be hurt by its bad smell, though garlic is permissible and it has many medical benefits. Certainly, the smell of garlic cannot be compared to the smoke of cigarettes that spreads everywhere, pollutes the space and bothers others too much. Nevertheless, the Prophet (S) forbade the eating of garlic on Fridays (for those who would mix with people) according to the rule of “no harming to others”. Those, who eat garlic, get advantages from it, but it is not liked for them to eat it when they want to mix with others especially during the Friday Prayer, lest others be hurt by its bad smell.

Moreover, only the bad smell of garlic may hurt others. It causes neither diseases nor infections, unlike it is not with smoking. Yet, the Prophet (S) forbade it. After this example, is there any lesson in that for men of understanding?!

Mujtahids prohibit the playing with cards and chess, even if they are used for amusement and not gambling and they prohibit amusing singing, music and other things for which there is no any clear text about neither in the Book of Allah nor in the Sunna of the Prophet. Could they not then prohibit something that clearly causes harm and diseases for Muslims?

But, if some Shia insists on permitting smoking and not prohibiting it, then let them observe the feelings of non-smokers and observe the sanctity of the places of worships, as their Sunni brothers do inside their mosques. Would you try that individually?

If you come into a mosque of the Sunni while having a lit cigarette in your hand, you shall be prevented and denied, and may be hurt by some of them.

I can swear that Allah and His messenger hate smoking, because reason, sound nature, and logic hate it.

This bad habit made many of the Sunni, who visited the countries of the Shia, be alienated and go back to their countries, criticizing the Shia, though they did not know anything about Shiism other than those bad habits. Therefore, I always remind of Imam as-Sadiq’s saying to his followers:

Be propagandists for us by your deeds and not your sayings. Be a cause of praise to us and not a cause of dispraise against us.

How many doings one may see and alienate and then become displeased so that afterwards he does not accept any invitation, even if it is true! What is said about some of the Shia in this concern can be said about some of the Sunni.

In the end, I say that reform is necessarily required, and returning to the truth is a virtue. Let one not be deceived by saying: Can that which has been corrupted throughout too many centuries be repaired?

Yes, it can be. If there is loyalty, and causes are available, the nation shall be recovered from this chronic disease, even if it takes a long time, by the power of Allah the Almighty.

Notes

1. For the truth, we should say that this phenomenon cannot be seen in the mosques in Iran.

2. Holy places like mosques but do not have the same rulings and conditions of mosques.

3. From the ulema, who have given a fatwa on prohibiting smoking, is Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadhlullah, relying on this Qur’anic verse that prohibits wine:

They ask you about intoxicants and games of chance. Say: in both of them there is a great sin and means of profit for men, and their sin is greater than their profit Qu’ran 2:219

It is understood that everything, whose sin (and harm) is more than its benefit, is impermissible, and according to this rule, smoking is impermissible too. Justifying it in this way, Ayatollah Sayyid Fadhlullah has given a fatwa of “obligatory precaution”, because there are many believers and ulema who have been addicted to smoking, and it may be difficult for them, or they may suffer physical harm if they give up smoking.

As for mosques and those who frequent them, it may be considered by a new Muslim, who has recently embraced Islam, in the west as a kind of binding to his freedom; this is beside the bad treatment that a smoker may face there. Perhaps out of ignorance, a smoker may be invited negatively not to smoke there.

It has been mentioned that once Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (peace be on them) saw an old man perform the wudhu’ incorrectly. They did not scold him, but kindly said to him, “O old man, would you please watch us both and say which of us performs the wudhu’ correctly?” When they finished their wudhu’, the old man said, “By Allah, the wudhu’ of both of you is better and more correct than mine.” By this way, the old man corrected his wudhu’. Would that we learn from the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) the morals and etiquette of inviting others to do something!

In a very polite manner, we can invite the youth, who have been attracted by the places of gambling, impermissible amusement, and ill-educating cinemas, and who think that they enjoy their freedoms, to follow the right path. In the same way and through wisdom and goodly exhortation, we can invite our Sunni brothers who wear gold, or who do not care for impurities to correct their behaviors.