Many of the principles of Islam call upon people to look after their health, avoid health hazards and raise their standards of hygiene. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has sought the opinions of a number of eminent Muslim scholars with regard to the Islamic ruling on smoking. The general consensus was that smoking is either completely prohibited in Islam or abhorrent to such a degree as to be prohibited.
These opinions were published by the Regional Office in the booklet:
The right path to health: Health education through religion—Islamic ruling on smoking [pdf 7.32Mb].
Many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, where religion plays a key role in tobacco control strategies, have issued Islamic rulings at national level.
Libya: Islamic ruling on smoking (2009) [pdf 1.2Mb]
Jordan: Islamic ruling on smoking (2006) [pdf 285kb]
Pakistan: Islamic ruling on smoking (2000) [pdf 56kb]
Egypt: Religious edict (2000) [pdf 1.22Mb]
