Have Broken My Promise to Not Smoke by Smoking Shisha?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

I gave up smoking a few years ago and I remember saying ‘ Dear God, I promise I will never smoke again’. I havent smoked a cigarette since but I have since done shisha three times. Have I broken an oath? Do i need to expiate for it?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

No, promises are not oaths, and hence they don’t require an expiation (kaffara) if broken.

Take the means to drop the smoking habit, and ask Allah Most High for facilitation.

Please also see: The Legal Rulings on Chewing Tobacco and Smoking Cigarettes

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.