Q: Does smoking cigarettes, etc break my fast? Mufti Abu Layth

Right, okay. This is looks like it's a question from Mars. Right, does the smoking cigarettes break my fast? I didn't realize you're putting a question in today. A smoke is not food. This is the part where Mars tries to educate you. By stating the obvious.

As Tuesday is not Monday. A smoke is not food. Okay, chief. Smoke no food. I understand. Right. Comprendo. Entiendo. So, the thing is now Right. Well, first of all, smoking cigarettes break the fast.

It does, I'm afraid. Right. Sorry about that one. Just hang in there. Right, the thing is now what I will say is that not the same with patches. For people who are smoking who are smokers. Um, for the record, I do not smoke, okay?

I think there's an impression sometimes out there that I smoke. I I I don't I don't smoke. Ha ha ha sorry, force of habit. No, I actually don't. So, so the point is now smoking cigarettes, it does break the fast, but the patches don't. And many of the ulama, including the legendary Sheikh Muhammad Taqi of the Qarawiyyin recently, in our recent times, and many other ulama all around the world, many of the Azhariyin and and other ulama have stated that patches do not break

the not violate the fast. So, people struggling with nicotine can do that. They can obtain patches, and it's a good opportunity to try and quit smoking, actually. Um I mean, Maz tells me he's he's done it you know, he's he's quit smoking he's done it a million times. It's He's always quitting. That's how efficient he is. So, it's a good opportunity to do that.

Uh there are there are some there are some minority opinions you may get, but really they don't too rare. Absolute too fringe. The general understanding is no when it comes to smoking. The reasoning behind that is they are seeing smoke. In Arabic, what they call tafaquh.

All right. Let me pronounce that. Tafaquh. All right, which is it's kind of like taking a sense of indulgence in um uh in in in kind of in some form of nourishment. Okay. In a consumable kind of nourishment, indulging in consumables. So, it's And and they would see smoke as that.

And and admittedly, from a social perspective, you can't argue it. Like the way shisha cafes and stuff like this, they all kind of fall under this cafe understanding, isn't it? So, uh this understanding of consuming. Even in Arabic I mean I know in English we say smoke but in Arabic they they tend to even use the word sure to drink I mean even in Urdu Pina you know cigarette Pina and this and to kind of drink to sure would the Han and and that's their perception they see it like that.

And it does kind of make sense. I do recognize the struggle for people in this part of the world that would you know be fasting for 20 21 hours and therefore the nicotine patches are an option. Okay, hope that helps. Okay my eyes I hope that helps. Smoke no food.