Is Smoking Haram?
There has always been so much debate going on about smoking and its “status” as Haram (religiously forbidden) or Halal (religiously allowed). We know now that the limited evolution of our laws has prohibited smoking in public places and in some corporate environments (minus the CEO’s office), but do we really know what religion thinks of smoking?
I have seen, as I am sure you have, many religious people smoke. I have also seen many non-religious people shun smoking rather too religiously (i.e they hate its guts). We know we should not judge a religion by its believers, but what is right and what is wrong when a religious verdict is pronounced on a habit, a cancer, an artistic taste, and an annoyance like smoking?
I am very interested in your answers to this question: do you think smoking is Haram?

I am certainly not in a position to declare whether or not smoking is Haram or not, but I can say is that in certain parts of the United States, such as where I live, for example, smoking is most definitely forbidden in nearly every public place where a non-smoker might possibly catch whiff of tobacco smoke. <br /><br />Even in bars, where people are <span style="font-style: italic;">already</span> engaged in such unhealthy activites as drinking alcohol, smokers are banished outside. To accomodate them, bars constructed elaborate outside smoking areas with seating and, sometimes, even heating, so that smokers could enjoy some tobacco along with their drink. Of course, this ended up not being good enough for the city, which declared that outside smoking areas must be "35% open-air or more", which is absurd, since most of these smoking areas are purposely covered to keep the rain out.<br /><br />So now smokers are banished to the sidewalk.<br /><br />As for me… I cannot stand cigarettes, but I do enjoy a nice cigar or (even more so) a pipeful of excellent pipe tobacco. The cardinal rule is, as always, courtesy. Smokers have given themselves a bad name because there are far too many who would light up and blow smoke in everyone’s face at the dining table. And that’s just rude.<br /><br /><br />