Cigarettes, cigars, “sheesha” or tobacco smoking were not available or prevalent at the time of the Revelation of the Quran, thus there is no specific mention of tobacco smoking in the Quran or the Sunnah. Thus it is up to the jurists and the scholars in Islam to come to a consensus regarding its ruling and verdict in light of the guidance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an, Surah an-Nisaa verse 29:
O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good-will: nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful.
Allah Says in the Qur’an, Surah al-Baqarah verse 195:
And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to your destruction, but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah al-Aa’raaf verse 157:
“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures) ; in the Torah and the Gospel; for he (saws) commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil: he allows them as lawful what is tayyebaat (good and pure) and prohibits them from what is khabaayith (bad and impure); He (saws) releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him; it is they who will prosper.”
The absolute majority of the scholars (and even the scientific world for that matter!) are unanimous in their opinion that any kind of tobacco smoking is extremely dangerous to one’s and others’ health, and tantamount to the violation of the above commands of the above quoted verses of Surah an-Nisaa and Surah al-Baqarah where Allah subhana wa ta’ala commands the believes ‘not to kill or destroy yourselves’ nor ‘make your own hands contribute to your destruction’! Besides, in light of the clear guidance of the above quoted verse of Surah al-Aa’raaf, every khabaayith (evil, bad, impure thing, etc.) is forbidden to the believers.
To declare a substance haraam or halaal is the sole and exclusive Right of Allah and His Messenger alone. Because the likes of cigarettes, cigars, “sheesha” or tobacco smoking, etc. are not specifically declared haraam by name in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, the good scholars have abstained from declaring it as haraam. But the absolute majority of the scholars are of the opinion that since tobacco smoking seriously harms one’s health and is amongst the khabaayith (evil, bad, impure substances); it is definitely closer to the haraam than to the halaal.
And only Allah Alone Knows Best.