Why is smoking a sin in the Bible?
A smoker may ruin his spiritual life and lose his relationship with God as a result of smoking. He may not be able to pray or fast or maintain a good relationship with his Lord because of smoking. The clearest example is fasting. A person who is addicted to smoking is unable to give it up in order to fast.
Is it a sin to smoke in Islam?
In 2000, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Nasr Farid Wasil, ruled that smoking was haram (forbidden) in Islam because of its detrimental health effects. The fatwa, which ruled that smoking is a major sin on par with alcohol use and acceptable grounds for divorce, triggered substantial controversy in Egypt.
What does God say about addiction? Corinthians 10:13
This verse has to do with temptations, which can certainly include addiction. The key point that addicts and loved ones of addicts should take from this verse is the last sentence: “But when you are tempted, He [God] will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
A person who is tempted by tobacco, drugs, adultery or drinks is a weary person defeated by Satan and by sin.
What is the sin of smoking?
One who smokes is considered to be polluting the "Temple of the Holy Spirit" (i.e., the body), which has been sanctified by the reception of the Sacred Mysteries (Sacraments). In Orthodox cultures, various derogatory terms have developed to describe smoking, such as "incense of Satan".
Satan, also known as the Devil and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood.
Satan and his lesser satans act as God's executioners: they tempt into sin, accuse sinners for their misdeeds, and finally execute divine judgment as angels of punishment.
How to Overcome Addiction Through God
- Admit you have an addiction.
- Pray regularly.
- Find support in your church community.
- Keep yourself occupied with church activities.
- Stay away from things that trigger you.
- Set boundaries with people who enable your addiction.
- Try motivational interviewing.
Here is a list of diseases which are caused or made worse by smoking
1. Lung cancer. About 30,000 people in the UK die from lung cancer each year. More than 8 in 10 cases are directly related to smoking.
2. COPD. About 25,000 people in the UK die each year from this serious lung disease. More than 8 in 10 of these deaths are directly linked to smoking. People who die of COPD are usually quite unwell for several years before they die.
3. Heart disease. This is the biggest killer illness in the UK. About 120,000 people in the UK die each year from heart disease. About 1 in 6 of these is due to smoking.
3. Other cancers – of the mouth, nose, throat, larynx, gullet (oesophagus), pancreas, bladder, neck of the womb (cervix), blood (leukaemia) and kidney are all more common in smokers.
4. Circulation. The chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of the blood vessels and affect the level of fats (lipids) in the bloodstream. This increases the risk of atheroma forming (sometimes called hardening of the arteries).
5. Atheroma is the main cause of heart disease, strokes, poor circulation in the legs (peripheral vascular disease) and swollen arteries which can burst causing internal bleeding (aneurysms). All these atheroma-related diseases are more common in smokers.
6. Sexual problems. Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to have erection problems (impotence) or have difficulty in maintaining an erection in middle life. This is thought to be due to smoking-related damage to the blood vessels of the penis.
7. Rheumatoid arthritis. Smoking is known to be a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis. One research study estimated that smoking is responsible for about 1 in 5 cases of rheumatoid arthritis.
8. Ageing. Smokers tend to develop more lines on their faces at an earlier age than non-smokers. This often makes smokers look older than they really are.
9. Fertility is reduced in smokers (both male and female).
10. Menopause. On average, women who smoke have menopause nearly two years earlier than non-smokers.
Now cigarette smoke itself contains ‘tar’ which contains many chemicals. These deposit in the lungs and can get into the blood vessels and be carried to other parts of the body. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including over 50 known causes of cancer, carcinogens and other poisons.
Carbon monoxide is a chemical which affects the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. In particular, in pregnant women who smoke, this causes a reduced amount of oxygen to get to the growing baby. This is thought to be the most important cause of the bad effects of smoking on the growing baby.
An added complication with the issue of tobacco is ‘nicotine’, a known addictive substance. Nicotine is a substance that stimulates the brain. Regular smokers, when the blood level of nicotine falls, usually develop withdrawal symptoms, such as craving, anxiety, restlessness, headaches, irritability, hunger, difficulty with concentration and just feeling awful and these symptoms are relieved by the next cigarette.
A smoker may ruin his spiritual life and lose his relationship with God as a result of smoking. He may not be able to pray or fast or maintain a good relationship with his Lord because of smoking. The clearest example is fasting. A person who is addicted to smoking is unable to give it up in order to fast.
Smoking leads to many sinful actions, because smoking may have adverse effects on the smoker's soul, exposing-him to problems and difficulties. Indeed a man may leave God's house feeling the urge to smoke, as though his cigarette is more important to him than what God says and does.
Where in the Quran does it say smoking is haram?
The Qur'ān, does not specifically prohibit or denounce smoking, but gives behavioral guidance: “Don't throw yourself into danger by your own hands...” (Al Baqarah 2:195) “You may eat, drink, but not waste” (Al-A'râf 7:31) "Do not kill yourselves for God Almighty is most merciful to you" (An-Nisa 4:29)
What is dukhan in Islam?
Ad-Dukhan (Arabic: الدخان, ad-dukhān; meaning: Smoke) is the 44th chapter (surah) of the Quran with 59 verses (ayat). The word dukhan, meaning 'smoke', is mentioned in verse 10. Sura 44 of the Quran.
What is the smoke in the Quran?
The title, The Smoke, is derived from verse ten in which a smoke-filled day is depicted. The majority of scholars believe that this refers to a sign of the Day of Judgment. Its fifty-nine verses highlight the mercy of the Quran and address the stubbornness of the powerful and wealthy oppressors among the Meccan elite.
What does smoke represent in the Bible?
Smoke is also associated with divine anger: David describes God's righteous indignation as a cosmic storm, with smoke from God's nostrils and fire from God's mouth (2 Samuel 22:9). In Isaiah, God's judgment “comes from far away, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke” (30:27).
See also:
- What is the Dukhaan (smoke) mentioned in the Quran?
- Religious views on smoking
