Not Asking a Scholar About an Issue For Fear That He Will Declare it to be unlawful

Question :

Many times I have advised a friend of mine who smokes to quit the filthy habit, but to no avail. When I try to offer him some books containing some verdicts or advice from the scholars on smoking, he refuses to read them, saying, "If I read them, then there will be proof against me, and I will be sinning then by not quitting." What do you advise us to say to him considering his stance?

Answer:

He must accept your advice and quit smoking, as it is unlawful, wasteful, harmful, and sometimes it is intox- icating. He should not only quit, but he should also repent to Allah. If a person is confused whether something is unlawful, he should ask the people of knowledge for insight; Allah Almighty says:
"So ask of those who know the Scripture if you do not know"

It is not permissible for a Muslim to avoid asking scholars about an issue, fearing that they will declare something to be unlawful. Doing so is disobeying Allah's order in the previous verse and the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger who ordered learning the precepts of the religion, criticizing those who avoid doing so.

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