In Line With Other Islamic Countries, Malaysia's Fatwa Council Declares Vape Haram
The edict was issued based on the ‘Qaedah Saad al-Zarala’ method.
By Sadho Ram — 22 Dec 2015, 11:54 AM
Dr Abdul Shukor Husin, Chairman of Malaysia's National Fatwa Council, on Monday, 21 December, announced that the use of electronic-cigarettes or vape as "haram" for Muslims
He disclosed this after the Special Muzakarah (Conference) of the Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs in Malaysia last night.
themalaysianinsider.com
Husin noted that vaping could be considered as something that was distasteful in Islam and could be harmful to the users, adding that the decision was made after taking into consideration all aspects
The decision was reached after those at the meeting examined studies from the syariah law, medical and scientific aspects, as well as from the viewpoints of wastage and unhealthy culture.
"From the syariah aspect, it is detrimental to health. Islam forbids its followers from using things that can harm them directly or indirectly; immediately or gradually that can lead to death, damage the body, result in dangerous illnesses or harm the mind,'' Dr Abdul Shukor was quoted as saying by NST.
"E-cigarettea and vapes are categorised as repulsive due to its harming effects and smell bad. They also have an element of wastage, which is by spending money on things that are harmful and non-beneficial," he added.
He said using e-cigarettes could be equated to drinking poison and smoking conventional cigarettes, Straits Times reported
"We are seeing women and school children showing interest in vape. The decision is made to prevent an unhealthy culture from spreading to future generations," he added.
Husin said the edict was issued based on the 'Qaedah Saad al-Zarala' method, namely to prevent something far more worse in the future, adding that the use of e-cigarettes and vape could be equated with smoking conventional cigarettes
“From the syariah perspective, Muslims cannot consume something that is harmful to their health or indulge in things that are wasteful,” he said, adding authorities had the power to ban the use of vape and electronic cigarettes if they had an impact on public health.
thestar.com.myHusin added that the National Fatwa Council's decision was in line with the opinions of several other Islamic countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates
“Vape has been banned in many Muslim countries such as Kuwait, Brunei, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Non-Muslim countries had also banned vape, too,” he added.
He recommended that the other states come to the same conclusion following the declaration on the issue.
“In fact, the religious bodies in states like Johor, Penang and Federal Territories had declared it haram earlier than us. We hope other states will follow suit soon,” he said.