REMEMBER once, as I was about to enter a mosque in Penang, I saw the imam smoking hurriedly before he walked in to lead the Zohor prayer.
At a masjid in Kuala Lumpur, as I stood in a saf (prayer row) to perform the solat, a smoker stood beside me.
I suspected that, like the imam in Penang, this man also had a few puffs before entering the masjid as I could detect the strong cigarette odour.
I was irritated and distracted by the smell permeating from him.
It was difficult to concentrate. I encounter this often at other masjid.
Once, I saw a man in uniform on a motorbike having a puff before riding away. Another incident was when I was at a clinic and could smell smoke from the counter employee.
Don’t get me started on public toilets because some smell strongly of smoke despite no smoking signs.
I have seen fathers smoking in family cars, exposing family members to secondhand smoke.
I have seen teens smoking secretly at school compounds or toilets
