Trading in gold and silver plated items and the electronic cigarettes
22-5-2013 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamualaikum, I would like to know whether it is permissible for me to deal in the following businesses. 1. Gold plated and platinum plated mobile phones with swarovski crystals in the frame. 2. Electronic cigarettes which are flavored and when people use them they can taste the flavour but no nictotine. Both of these would be possible for both genders to buy. Therefore is it allowed to deal in these businesses? So far I think no because gold is forbidden for men and also it is a waste of money. Also for the electronic cigarettes it is an imitation of a sin and a waste of money and time. Jazakallah Khair
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
We have pointed out that it is absolutely prohibited to use the items that are plated with gold or silver for either men or women and the prohibition criteria for that in Fatwa 89406.
As for what is plated with platinum and the like of precious metals, it does not take the same ruling of what is plated with gold and silver; rather, it takes the basic ruling of permissibility while it is more appropriate to avoid them.
As for the electronic cigarette, it is greatly like the well-known traditional cigarette. It contains high toxic substances. Whenever a defect occurs in the electronic device, a person may get an acute toxic dose of the nicotine substance as stated in the warnings of the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia regarding the harms of the electronic cigarette.
Moreover, the World Health Organization warned against that cigarette. Amongst their words in that regard are: "That cigarette may be highly toxic." They also added: "That cigarette has a mixture of additional chemical substances that may be highly toxic."
According to the statements of experts in that regard (i.e. doctors), the harm of that electronic cigarette is confirmed like other normal cigarettes, let alone the fact that it may cause severe poisoning to the smoker and thus he helps in killing himself. If this is the case, it is obligatory to avoid promoting that cigarette, and it is prohibited to smoke it, sell it or make profits from it in any way. That is because all what is prohibited to be sold its price will also be prohibited.
Allaah Knows best.