A‘ūdhu BiLlāhi Minash-shayṭāni r-rajīm. BismiLlāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm.
Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam says,
إذَا ابتُليتم بِالْمَعَاصِي فاسْتَتِروا
Our Holy Prophet ﷺ is saying if you obey your ego and get afflicted with bad things, hide it. Committing a sin is a disaster. It is not good for people, for Mu’mims, it is a disaster. A disaster is not only when something happens to you. Doing bad things is also a disaster. Therefore, people should not do bad things openly. They should hide it so that Allah ﷻ conceals them. Allah ﷻ is As-Sattar, The Concealer. He ﷻ says, “My servant is embarrassed. He is not doing it openly. He is not committing a sin openly. He is in trouble.” He ﷻ covers and hides him. Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla insha’Allah hides his sin. Allah‘Azza wa-Jalla forgives people.
There are some things that people are afflicted with. Many people have the matter of smoking. Smoking is an affliction. And it is one of the biggest afflictions. If it catches you, it doesn’t leave you like an octopus. It doesn’t let people go. People stay away from it in order to quit, but it catches them again. It catches them again like a fishing rod. It brings them to its feet and makes them inhale that dirty thing, inhale that poison.
People want to get rid of it consciously. It’s not that they don’t want it, they want it. But when they are enslaved, they can’t quit it.
We understand that they can’t quit, but when you go to the presence of Allah ﷻ don’t go with that odor. At least, don’t take it in your mouth half an hour or an hour before it. Awliya’ call it the incense of shaytan. As we said, the incense of shaytan is a big affliction. Don’t smoke near mosque. Don’t smoke in people’s houses. Go and smoke in the distance. In Europe, they’ve even banned it in pubs. Even in the dirtiest places which are pubs, if people smoke, they say “Go out! You can’t smoke here.” You look, they gather and smoke in front of the pub.
It is such a disaster that you can’t count all of its harmful sides. It doesn’t have even one benefit. But as we said, it is an affliction. People can’t quit it. They don’t quit, but at least, they should take precautions so that Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla forgives them.
Coming to a mosque right after smoking and then smoking again after taking ablution is wrong. Therefore, just like you don’t smoke while fasting in Ramadan; when you come for a prayer, don’t smoke at least 15-20 or 30 minutes before going to the mosque. Stay away from it. You take others’ rights as well. If you make them inhale that poison, their rights, the servants’ rights are taken without your awareness. May Allah ﷻ protect us.
This is what we must say. As we said, we are not saying it is a sin or Makruh or this and that here. What we say is that it is a disaster and affliction. Don’t spread this affliction to others. Keep away with it and hide it. When you go around and enter the mosque, you dare doing it in front of Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla. You enter the place where Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla tells you to enter clean with the incense of shaytan and you bother other people. May Allah ﷻ save people from that.
Many people come and ask to pray for them to get rid of this affliction, to be saved from this sin, to be saved from this disaster. May Allah ﷻ save them. Mawlana Shaykh Nazimق had a saying, “May it come from his nose.” They are exhaling that smoke with their noses anyway. Coming from their nose means something difficult. Therefore, may Allah ﷻ save them. And may He ﷻ protect those who did not start it.
Wa min Allah at-Tawfiq. Al-Fatiha.
Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbani
21 September 2024/ 18 Rabih al-Awwal 1446
Fajr Prayer, Akbaba Dergah