MUI Issues Fatwa Declaring E-Cigarette Use and Trade Haram
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has issued a fatwa declaring all activities involving e-cigarettes, or vapes, haram. The ruling covers their use and misuse, as well as their production and trade.
The provision is set out in MUI Fatwa Commission Fatwa No. 131 of 2026 on the law governing the use of e-cigarettes or vapes.
The fatwa was signed by MUI Fatwa Division chair Asrorun Niam Sholeh and deputy secretary-general of the division, Dr KH Aminuddin Yaqub.
The document was also acknowledged by MUI chairman KH Anwar Iskandar and secretary-general Buya Amirsyah Tambunan in Jakarta on 6 November 2026.
“Using electronic cigarettes (REL)/vapes is haram because it endangers health, damages the environment and, as a preventive measure (sadd al-dhari’ah), to ensure they are not used as a means of distributing or consuming narcotics, psychotropic substances and other addictive substances,” the text of the letter said, as quoted on the MUI’s official website in Jakarta on Monday, 9 November.
In its reasoning, MUI said e-cigarette use had negative effects on society, both in terms of health and social impact.
The fatwa describes an e-cigarette as a battery-powered device that heats substances containing nicotine, glycerine and flavourings to produce vapour for users to inhale.
MUI also highlighted the nicotine in vapes, describing it as addictive and potentially capable of causing serious effects on the nervous system and overall health.
The fatwa’s haram ruling does not apply only to users. MUI also deems it forbidden to misuse vapes to consume narcotics, psychotropic substances and other addictive substances.
In addition, the fatwa’s second and third provisions expressly state that the misuse, production and trade of e-cigarettes or vapes are haram.
MUI has also made several recommendations to the government and the House of Representatives. It urged both institutions to draft legislation promptly to ban vapes and set penalties for those who breach the law.
The government was also asked to take immediate steps to control the distribution of e-cigarettes, which MUI said was important to protect the public from exposure and the various negative effects of vaping.