"NINETY per cent of smokers are exposed to smoking before or when they are 18 years old," stressed the sermon yesterday, highlighting the role of the community in stamping out the deadly habit.
The sermon cited the government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has taken a number of strategies to protect the welfare and health of the citizens of the country from smoking.
"The updating of laws, raising the duty on cigarettes (and tobacco products), also a fatwa outlining that smoking is haram," the sermon explained. "As such, as a member of the rakyat (citizen), perform your roles, free yourselves from smoking and tobacco, protect the health of your family that you love dearly and give the support to the efforts made by the government in making the country-free from cigarettes," said the sermon.
"Results from studies point towards the youth picking up the habit from their surroundings. Children who are used to seeing their parents, people in or near the household smoking are more inclined to become smokers," said the sermon. The sermon added that youths are tempted to smoke due to peer pressure, and to be accepted by their social peers or those seeking out thrills.
"Islam underscores the importance of appreciating and looking after one's health to its ummah," said the sermon.
It added that the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) health forms one of the basics of happiness here on Earth.
"Health is important in life, and as such Islam prohibits its ummah from deeds and items that are undesirable and are harmful to their health," said the sermon.
"As a measure of maintaining and looking after one's health, Islam urges to avoid acts may cause harm to both the mind and body, and among them is the harmful act of smoking," stressed the sermon. The sermon also pointed towards specialists, both Muslim and non-Muslim, that have conducted studies into the effects of smoking on the health and their findings are the same, "smoking endangers health". "Studies show that smoking contains four thousand chemical elements, among them poisons that can kill and others that can bring about cancer," stressed the sermon.
The sermon said that termite poison, grass killers, pesticides, lighter fluid, rocket fuel and tar used in roads are some of the items found in the chemical make up of cigarettes. It also highlighted that smoking is harmful not only to smokers, but to their friends and families as well, stressing that second hand smoke can bring about the same harmful side effects and even more detrimental to young children and unborn children.
As such acts that bring about these harmful effects to one's health is considered to be haram. The sermon said, "There should be no more doubts, smoking is haram, as it has been proven that smoking is harmful."
Source: The Brunei Times
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