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Question:
My father works in a company that produces tobacco; is his income forbidden?
Is it permissible for me to travel to perform `Umrah with this wealth,
bearing in mind that I do not have any other source of income?
Answer:
Seeking the help of Allah, Exalted be He, I say:
There is no doubt that smoking tobacco is forbidden due to the harm that it
causes to the smoker’s health. In addition, it is also a waste of money and
it causes harms to one's companions and associates. The existence of even
one of these harms is sufficient to make smoking tobacco forbidden; what
then would be the case if these harms were combined together?
Moreover, it is well-known to scholars that when Allah, Exalted be He,
forbids something, He forbids its price. An example of that is the
prohibition of the price of a dog, the gain of a prostitute, and the payment
made to a soothsayer. This is mentioned in the hadîth related the Sunans of
Abû Dâwûd, An-Nasâ’î and the Musnad of Ahmad with a sound chain of
transmission.
Another example is the cursing of ten persons because of wine; At-Tirmidhî,
Ibn Mâjah and Ahmad have narrated on the authority of Anas Ibn Mâlik, who
narrated, "Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) cursed ten persons due to
wine: The one who squeezes it, the one who commands it to be squeezed, the
one who drinks it, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried,
its cupbearer, its seller, the one who eats its price, the one who buys it
and the one for whom it is bought."
Muslim, At-Tirmidhî and Ahmad have related on the authority of Jâbir Ibn
`Abdullâh (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated, "Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) cursed the one who consumes Usury, the one who helps him
consume it, his scribe and two witnesses, and he said, 'They are equal."
Considering these hadîths together, it is deduced that whoever helps someone
to do something forbidden incurs a sin equal to that of the one who
committed it. Likewise, whoever helps someone to do something good obtains a
reward equal to that of its doer.
Therefore, as long as smoking tobacco is forbidden, its price is also
forbidden. By the same token, working in manufacturing it, canning it,
carrying it, marketing it, presenting it as gifts to one's guests as well as
all that results from these actions in terms of financial gain are also
forbidden.
Whoever has committed any of the abovementioned actions should repent to
Allah the Almighty, and give it up immediately unless he is constrained to
do so. Instead, he should seek to earn his living through another means, for
there are many means to earn one’s living lawfully, and whoever leaves
something for Allah's sake, Allah the Almighty compensates him with
something better.
If someone wants to perform Hajj or `Umrah, he should choose the best of his
gains to spend on it, for Allah is Good and accepts only that which is good.
If he does not find sufficient lawful wealth to spend on his provision and
means of transportation, he should remain patient until Allah the Almighty
increases his lawful earnings; and this is not impossible for Allah the
Almighty.
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