Question: What is suicide and what is the ruling on it?
Suicide can be described as “killing oneself intentionally”. The Glorified Allah forbids it strictly and commands: “Do not kill yourselves.” (An-Nisa/The Women 4:29)
People might attempt to commit suicide when they are distressed by problems, when they cannot find a way out and lose their hopes. This situation is not possible to happen to a Muslim. The Glorified Allah commands:
“…and do not despair of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” (Josef 12:87)
In Surah Al-Hijr, Hz. Ibrahim says:
“And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?” (Al-Hijr/ The Stones 15:56)
The Glorified Allah commands in another verse:
“Man does not weary of calling down good [things], but if evil touches him, despairs and gives up hoping for good.” (Fussilat/ Explained in Detail 41:49)
It is narrated from Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h) said:
“The one who killed himself by falling from (the top of) a mountain would constantly fall in the Fire of Hell and it would continue forever and ever. The one who drank poison and killed himself would sip that in the Fire of Hell and it would continue forever and ever. The one who killed himself with steel (weapon) would have that weapon in his hand in the Fire of Hell and would be thrusting it to himself. It would continue forever and ever.” (Bukhari, Manners, 44, 73, Medicine, 56; Muslim, Faith 175, 177; Tirmidhi, Faith 16, Medicine 7)
It is narrated from Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h) said:
“He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell Fire. He who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the Hell Fire. He who commits suicide by falling from high place, in Hell would throw him from a high place.” (Bukhari, Funerals, 83)
It is narrated from Sahl bin Sa’d As-Sa’idi :
“The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h) and polytheists met each other in a battle and started fighting. When Allah’s Messenger (p.b.u.h) returned to his camp then polytheists returned to their camp. Somebody talked about a man amongst the companions of Allah’s Messenger (p.b.u.h) who would follow and kill polytheists with his sword alone. He (or they) said, “Nobody did his job (i.e. fighting) so properly today as that man.”
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h) said, “Indeed, he is one of the people of the Fire.” A man amongst the people said, “I shall accompany him (to watch what he does)”. Thus he accompanied him, and wherever he stood, he would stand with him, and wherever he ran, he would run with him. Then the (brave) man got wounded seriously and he hurried to die quickly. So he planted the blade of his sword in the ground directing its sharp end towards his chest between his two breasts. Then he leaned on the sword and killed himself. The follower man came to Allah’s Messenger (p.b.u.h) and said, “I testify that you are The Messenger of Allah”
The Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked, “What has happened?”
He replied, “(It is about) the man whom you had described as one of the people of the Fire. The people were greatly surprised at what you said, and I said, ‘I will find out his reality for you.’ So, I came out seeking him. He got severely wounded and hastened to die by planting the blade of his sword in the ground directing its sharp end towards his chest between his two breasts. Then he leaned on his sword and killed himself.”
Then The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h) said, “A man may seem to the people as if he were doing the deeds of the people of the Gardens, while in fact he is from the people of the Fire, another may seem to the people as if he were doing the deeds of the people of the Fire, while in fact he is from the people of the Gardens” (Bukhari, Military Expeditions, 38)
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