Is It True That If Someone Smokes Marijuana His Prayers Won’t Be Accepted for 70 Days?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: As salam alaykum,

I have heard that if I smoke marijuana my prayers won’t be accepted for 70 days. Is it true?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I pray that you are well, insha’Allah.

Yes, there are a number of traditions which state that the prayers of a person who drinks wine are not accepted, meaning that they are not rewarded for them.

However, Munawi seemed to incline towards considering that his reward is not multiplied, and not that he isn’t rewarded altogether in view of the Words of Allah Most High, “God never wastes the reward of those who do good.” [9.120]

It is reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “…Whoever drinks an intoxicant, his prayer is lessened for forty days.” [Abu Dawud] And he also is reported to have said (Allah bless him and give him peace), “…a prayer is not accepted from him for forty mornings.” [Ibn Hibban]

Marijuana would appear to take a similar ruling due to its being an intoxicant, thus the aforementioned penalty would apply to it too. [Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, al-Zawajir]

Shah Wali Allah comments, “The secret in his prayer not being accepted is the manifestation of his animal trait, and its preponderance over his angelic trait, by boldly turning to sin against Allah Most High, and wading himself into a lowly state which negates spiritual excellence. This in turn is a cause for his missing out on deserving the spiritual fruits of his prayer…” [Dihlawi, Hujjat Allah al-Baligha]

Please also see: Is Marijuana Haram? and: Drinking Alcohol: Are My Prayers Not Valid for 40 Days? and: A Reader on Tawba (Repentance) and: Smoking Marijuana and the Importance of Keeping Good Company

And Allah alone knows best.

wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani