Question:Some have issued a fatwa declaring smoking as prohibited. What is your opinion on that, knowing that there was a debate between me and another person? I told him: It is true that it is harmful, but it does not reach the level of killing oneself or damaging an organ. He said: It is a slow suicide? How do we respond to this?

Answer:In the name of Allah, you should know that we have ruled it as prohibited, so understand, relax, and be at ease. Allah guides to the right path.

Question:Is smoking permissible to begin with? And if someone quits smoking and then returns to it after a period, is this permissible? If someone smokes knowing scientifically the harms of smoking to his health, is he obligated to abstain or not?

Answer:In the name of Allah, he is obligated to abstain. Allah knows best.

Question:How does a smoker know that smoking harms him?

Answer:In the name of Allah, he knows by consulting an expert doctor. Allah knows best.

Question:It is medically proved now that smoking has many harmful effects and causes many diseases, including stroke and cancer. Experts in the medical field have confirmed this, and according to reports on this subject, smoking kills (3) million people annually. On the other hand, a report in the World magazine states that the profits of American companies amount to (225) billion dollars annually, thus contributing to strengthening the American enemy. So, is smoking cigarettes prohibited while considering the two previous points?

Answer:In the name of Allah, be informed my dear son, if a person becomes addicted to smoking, and doctors say that quitting it affects the health of the addicted person, then in such a case, smoking becomes permissible as a remedy for him, even though it has harm. In this case, smoking is like most modern medical drugs that carry side effects, but their use is permissible as medication. Therefore, it is not possible to rule that the manufacture of smoking devices and their means is forbidden. Allah knows best.

Question:Is it permissible to start smoking?

Answer:In the name of Allah, No, it is not permissible. Doctors have confirmed that it is harmful, so it is not permissible for a person to engage in it. Allah knows best.

Question:What is the ruling of performing cupping therapy, and does it fall under the category of a doctor due to the lack of guarantee regarding whether harm may result from his work on the one being cupped without being negligent, and what is its ruling if he is inexperienced in this?

Answer:In the name of Allah, cupping itself is permissible, and a person should not take it as a profession unless he is compelled to do so and cannot guarantee it without negligence, as his status is similar to that of a doctor. Allah knows best.

Question:Is it permissible to watch films that show the process of sexual intercourse, the formation of the fetus, and human childbirth?

Answer:In the name of Allah, if there is a medical necessity, then it is permissible. Allah knows best.

Question:What is the ruling of watching scientific films related to the reproductive system, sex, and the process of fertilization, without lust?

Answer:In the name of Allah, if there is a medical necessity or a necessity for learning medicine, then it is permissible to the extent of necessity. Allah knows best.

Question:What is your stance on conducting some experiments or medical tests on some mentally ill individuals to obtain useful medical results?

Answer:In the name of Allah, it is not permissible unless the action involves treating the mentally ill person, without differentiating between the consent of the guardian and non-consent, and the same applies to children. Allah knows best.

Question:In dental implants, some dentists use soft tissues and bones from different animals, including cows and pigs, after being treated with high temperatures and various chemicals. We ask your eminence about the extent of legitimacy of this process, especially with regard to what was taken from the pig?

Answer:In the name of Allah, if the nature of the bone, tissue or part taken from the pig or others is changed through burning and medication, then the possibility has been achieved, so there is no objection to the use in the manner mentioned. In case the possibility does not happen, then if this is the only treatment, which is by such impure (najs) or unclean (the object that touched najs object) object or it becomes inside the human body also, there is no objection to that. Allah knows best.