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can you smoke during ramadan

No, you cannot smoke while you are fasting in Ramadan; smoking (including cigarettes, shisha, vapes) is considered to break the fast and is generally regarded as haram (forbidden) by most contemporary scholars.

Does smoking break the fast?

Most mainstream Islamic scholars agree that smoking during the fasting hours of Ramadan invalidates the fast.

This is because:

  • Smoke contains particles that travel down the throat and reach the stomach or chest, similar in effect to eating or drinking.
  • Fasting is defined as abstaining from food, drink, and anything that intentionally enters the body cavity through a known route during the day.
  • Major fatwa bodies and organizations (e.g., Islam Q&A, Muhammadiyah, various institutes) explicitly state that smoking is both haram and a breaker of the fast.

So if someone smokes during fasting hours (between Fajr and Maghrib), their fast is invalid and must be made up later, and they should also repent.

What about after iftar or before suhoor?

Outside fasting hours (after Maghrib and before Fajr), the fast itself is not affected by smoking because the person is not in a state of fasting.
However:

  • Many scholars still say smoking is haram due to its harm to the body and mind.
  • Ramadan is encouraged as a time to purify oneself from harmful habits and addictions, so continuing to smoke at night goes against the spirit of the month.

In practice, some smokers only smoke at night in Ramadan, but the religious and health advice is to use the month to cut it down or quit entirely.

Different viewpoints and common misconceptions

You’ll sometimes hear people say:

“Cigarettes are not food or drink, so they don’t break the fast.”

The majority response from scholars:

  • Fasting is not limited to what is literally food or drink; it covers anything that reaches the internal body cavity and nourishes or has a similar effect.
  • Smoke has physical substance (tiny particles), like incense smoke, and if deliberately inhaled, it breaks the fast.

Some minority or lay opinions on forums might downplay this, but official fatwas from recognized scholars and organizations consistently say smoking breaks the fast and is sinful.

Health and spiritual angle (the “bigger picture”)

Ramadan is about:

  • Self‑control and resisting desires.
  • Protecting the body, which is seen as an amanah (trust).
  • Breaking bad habits and addictions.

Modern health guidance and many Islamic organizations encourage smokers to treat Ramadan as a built‑in smoking cessation program :

  • You’re already going long hours without nicotine each day.
  • Support programs and religious motivation together increase the chance of quitting.
  • Studies and health campaigns in Muslim communities note a significant drop in daily cigarette use during Ramadan, and they encourage turning that into permanent quitting.

A simple example:
Someone who usually smokes a pack a day finds they can manage from dawn to sunset without smoking. That proves their body can tolerate gaps; with planning, counselling, and dua, many use this as a springboard to quit completely.

Forums, “latest news”, and trending talk

Every Ramadan, you see the same threads on Reddit, X, and Islamic forums asking “Can you smoke during Ramadan?” or “Does vaping break the fast?”
The pattern in those discussions:

  • Ordinary users might share personal opinions or try to find loopholes.
  • Links to fatwas and Islamic educational sites almost always say the same thing: smoking and vaping break the fast and are haram.
  • Health organizations and stop‑smoking services in Muslim areas run special Ramadan campaigns, framing the month as the perfect time to quit.

You’ll also see some “real talk” style blog posts aimed at Muslim youth, acknowledging how hard the cravings are, but still pushing the message:

  • Don’t smoke during the day,
  • Try to reduce or stop at night,
  • Use Ramadan as a turning point.

TL;DR:

  • Smoking (cigarettes, shisha, vapes, etc.) during fasting hours in Ramadan breaks the fast and is considered haram by the majority of scholars.
  • After iftar and before suhoor, it doesn’t break the fast but is still strongly discouraged and generally ruled haram.
  • Spiritually and health‑wise, Ramadan is one of the best times to cut down and quit smoking altogether.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.