User:Nizar Quwar/The View of Islam on Committing Suicide

Committing suicide is an act of disobedience of God and a horrendous major sin in the religion of Islam. It is a taboo according to the Qur`an, Sunna, and the consensus of Muslim scholars. God the Almighty says in the Qur'an: (Do not murder each other nor yourselves) An-Nisa verse 29. Attempting to hasten death is a violation of God's entrustment. The body, like the soul, has been entrusted to human by God and therefore it belongs to him and to sustain oneself is one of the five necessities in the Islamic divine law. The same way nobody has the right to murder another, nobody has the right to deliberately murder one's own self. There is a fine line between the concept of personal freedom and exceeding the limits of servitude to God.

The religion of Islam emphasizes that this life is nothing but a passing phase and that what really matters is the Akhirah meaning the Judgement Day which is where everyone who have ever lived will be held accountable for their deeds by being judged by God. In consideration of the existence of Judgement day, Islam urges people to have patience and to obey the one true God while maintaining responsibility and bearing hardships as God assures humans that turning to their one true Creator when misfortune should befall them, will bring them out of every misery. The religion of Islam states that death is not a way of salvation and is not the end. The family members of the one that commits suicide are not punished for a sin they did not commit, and the one who murders one' s own self, bears the burden of the murder, and the consequences that may result from him in terms of disturbing his family and society, as well as the burden of getting rid of any commitment, rights or obligations of others, if there are any.

According to consecutive Hadith, these are some narratives by a few of muslim scholars and companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Narrated Thabit Bin Ad-Dahhak:  And whoever kills one's own self using something, he will be punished with that same thing in Hell . Narrated Ibn Hajar:  And it is understood from it that a person’s offense against himself is like his offense against others which is a sin, because one's own self is not his absolute property, rather it belongs to God the Almighty, so he is not allowed to dispose of it as he likes except with what God has allowed him to do . Narrated Abu Hurayra:  He who killed himself with a steel (weapon) would be in the eternal denizen of the fire of hell and he would have that same weapon in his hand and would be thrusting it in his stomach for ever and ever, he who drank poison and killed himself would drink of that same poison in the fire of hell where he is doomed for ever and ever; and he who killed himself by jumping off (the top of) a mountain, would constantly fall in the fire of hell and would live there for ever and ever . (Taking into consideration that in the Arabic language, there are two meanings for the word Eternal, each of them very different from the other. The first meaning being تخليد مؤبد which means Forever and Ever in Literal words, and the second meaning being تخليد طويل which means A long stay in Literal words. Those who are Believers are associated with the Long stay meaning of the word Eternal if they are to do those major sins, and anyone that practices Polytheism which is also called Shirk in the religion of Islam, is associated with the second meaning of Eternal Forever and Ever ). The punishment of those who commit suicide is on Judgement Day and it is only for God to decide. If a man fell ill and took fright, so he killed himself in panic, the Prophet Muhammad emphasizes that God is merciful and most considerate, and only he will decide. Sahih Muslim narrated in his book, Book of Faith:  One who murders himself, is not a Kafir . Narrated Al Nawawi: “Whoever kills himself or commits a sin other than that and dies without repentance, then he is not a Kafir, and he is not cut off by fire, rather he is under the will of the ruler (God)”.

The View of Islam on Committing Suicide
Committing suicide is strictly forbidden in the religion of Islam. God the Almighty says in the Qur'an: (O believers! Do not obtain one another’s possessions wrongfully, but rather trade by mutual consent. And do not kill each other or yourselves, surely Allah is ever Merciful to you). An-Nisa verse 29. One's own self is the property of God the Almighty and nobody has the right to murder one's own self.

Narrated Abu Hurayra:  He who killed himself with a steel (weapon) would be in the eternal denizen of the fire of hell and he would have that same weapon in his hand and would be thrusting that in his stomach for ever and ever, he who drank poison and killed himself would drink that same poison in the fire of hell where he is doomed for ever and ever; and he who killed himself by falling from (the top of) a mountain would constantly fall in the fire of hell and would live there for ever and ever .

The Concept of Choice and Freedom
It is common sense that one gets to choose whatever they like to do, eat, drink or dress. But at the same time, there are always limits and restrictions to how far one can go. It is only logical that one cannot drive away death, decide how long is their lifespan or choose when or where to be born. One of the characteristics of humankind is being dependant on other humans or other things in life. One's freedom does not disclude the respect for the rights of others, which makes it unreasonable to go around breaking laws and creating chaos, and then calling it personal freedom or choice. The fact that no human created their own self, entails their need of the Creator who brought them into being and gave them life, which is God, the creator of everything. One's own self belongs to God, and a person committing suicide transgresses the limits of the choice that God granted them, considering suicide as disobedience to God. The concept of personal freedom does not deviate from the fact that we are only human, created by God, and have no absolute freedom in all matters.

The Existence of God and Judgement day
Human in this life is born with an instinct that pulls him towards the need of God. Numerous things prove the existence of God, and it only takes one some observation to realise that. There are many verses in the Qur'an that urge human to observe, reason, and simply think. The Qur'an also showed us the messages and words God sent us through Messengers and Prophets. Considering suicide a major sin is in line with the existence of God and Judgement day, because hastening death is self-destructing, and God told human against it. Comprehending that committing suicide is immoral is a result from the belief in the existence of God, and the understanding of the fact that every deed is either punished or rewarded on Judgement day. Someone who believes in the existence of Judgement Day, does not panic, tire, nor despair of the power of God. Someone who can comprehend the existence of God and Judgement Day, can tell that committing suicide is not a way to reach the end of it; knowing that death is not salvation in any way. It is important to emphasize that who commits suicide is punished in Judgement Day and that the family members of the one that commits this horrible sin are not punished for a sin they did not commit, and the one who murders one's own self, bears the burden of the murder, and the consequences that may result from him in terms of disturbing his family and society, as well as the burden of getting rid of any commitment, rights or obligations of others, if there are any.

In the Consecutive Hadith
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “None of you should wish for death because of a calamity befalling him; but if he has to wish for death, he should say: “O God! Keep me alive if life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me ''.

Narrated Abu Dawud: None of you should ask for death because of a calamity, but if you had to, say: '' O God! Keep me alive if life is better for me, and let me die if death was better for me ''.

In the Qur'an
On account of some verses in the holy Qur'an, Muslim scholars agree that committing suicide is a taboo. God the Almighty in the Qur'an says: (O Believers! Do not obtain one another’s possessions wrongfully, but rather trade by mutual consent. And do not kill each other or yourselves, surely God is Merciful to you) An-Nisa verse 29.

Narrated Al-Tabari: The sole message of this verse is: Do not kill yourselves, and do not kill each other. You are the people of one religion and one word. Killing another is equivalent to killing yourself. If you kill yourself, you are a legitimate murderer ''.

Asbat Asadi and Ata Ibn Abi Rabah narrated and emphasized the meaning behind People of one religion and Not killing each other or yourselves, on top of it being a major sin.

Murdering one's own self is forsure a major sin and is strictly forbidden in the religion of Islam, in accordance to various text evidence and the prohibition of it in early religious divine laws. But, there has been a one time incident when the Prophet Moses was sent to Banu Israel. God the Almighty says in the holy Qur'an: (Remember when Moses returned with the Divine Book (Torah) to his people and said: "O my people! You have indeed grievously wronged yourselves by worshipping a calf; so turn in repentance to your one true Creator and slay yourselves for that will be best for you in His sight, He will accept your repentance; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful) - Al-Baqarah verse 54.

God the Almighty also said: (If We had commanded them to sacrifice their lives or to leave their homes, very few of them would have done it. Yet, if they would have done what they were commanded to do, it would have been better for them and their faith would have been strengthened..) - An-Nisa verse 66.

(Sometimes God the Almighty Uses the Plural Form and Plural Pronouns in reference to Himself in the Qur'an for two reasons. The First reason being: God is conceived as The Perfect, The Creator, The Most Merciful, and many more attributes (attributes or the  99 Names of God  in the Arabic language) and is utterly unaffected by human characteristics. The Second reason being: It is a feature of literary style in the Arabic language, that a one may refer to themself by the pronoun (We) for respect or glorification. They may also use the word (I), indicating one person, or the third person (He). All three styles are used in the Qur’an, where God addresses the Arabs in their own mother tongue. God refers to himself in plural, referring to the respect, honor and glorification He deserves, and absolutely not the dual which refers to a specific number. God is far above that and there is only One God.)

Self-Destruct
Committing suicide is classified as self-destruction and God forbade any form of self-harm, confirming to what he said in the holy Qur'an: (Give generously for the cause of good and in the way of God, and do not deliberately self-destruct nor throw yourselves in danger. Be good in any manner at all, God loves those who do good). Al-Baqarah verse 195.

Narrated Al-Baghawi: '' In the Tafsir/Explanation of what God the Almighty said: (Do not deliberately self-destruct nor throw yourselves in danger), narrated Zayd Ibn Aslam: People sometimes went on expeditions on low-budget, so either they ran out of resources or they met somebody that treated them, therefore, God ordered them to use up their pockets on themselves, and whoever was not able to spend, not to go at all, seeing that they will only meet their demise if they do. Ibn Sirin and Obaidah Al-Salmani also narrated:  Self-destructing comes from losing hope in God . Narrated Abu Qilabah: '' One who commits suicide is the person who says: I have sinned and there is no repentance for me, and loses hope in God, which results into him committing even more sins. God the Almighty forbade that ''. God the Almighty says in the holy Qur'an: '' And do not lose hope in the mercy of God, for no one loses hope in God's mercy except those that are full of Kufr ” - Yusuf verse 87.

Difficult Religious Duties assigned to Banu Israel
God the Almighty says in the holy Qur'an: (God does not burden any human being with more than they can bear. Everyone will receive the credit of their deeds and suffer the debits of their evil-doings. Those who believe in the existence of God say: "O God! Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake. O God! Please do not place on us a burden the same as the one You placed on those before us . O God! Lay not on us the kind of burden that we have no strength to bear. Pardon us, Forgive us, Have mercy on us) - Al-Baqarah verse 286.

Some Muslim scholars including Mujahid Ibn Jabr, Qatada ibn Di'ama, Ismail bin Abd al-Rahman al-Suddi, Ibn Jurayj, Arrabeh, Zayd Ibn Aslam, concluded that Al-Esser is Difficult Divine Laws, inside the Tafsir of this verse in a book called. Tafsir Al Bahr Al Muhit. Zayd Ibn Aslam also narrated: Al-Esser is:  Sins that have no repentance . (Banu Israel in the specified time created chaos and disorder in the lands, so God burdened them with difficult religious duties and rulings, some of these rulings being sins that have no repentance). Narrated Malik Ibn Anas: Those burdens are the difficult ones. Narrated Atta bin Abi Rabah: Al-Esser can be a reference to the curse that God gave upon Banu Israel for their wrong-doings in the lands, which was transforming them into actual apes and pigs. Narrated Abu Al-Abbas Thaʽlab: Al-Esser is a terrible sin. Narrated Qatada ibn Di'ama that it also means: a hard to complete religious duty or a sinful act that hastens punishment. Narrated Abu Ishaq Azajaj: Al-Esser is misfortune like killing and wounding back in the day for Banu Israel. Narrated Al-Zamakhshari: Al-Esser is a burden that sticks to the doer, and enforces difficult doings such as killing one's own self, and cutting off the place of impurity whether it is on the skin or clothing, and so on.

Al-Qaffal said:  Whoever reads the book of Deuteronomy (The Fifth and last book of the Torah in Judaism) will be shocked by the amount of burdens and difficult religious duties they had, and would be welcomed with many marvels .

(O God! Please do not lay on us the kind of burden that we have no strength to bear). Qur'an - Al-Baqarah verse 286. Qatada ibn Di'ama and Al-Dahak emphasised the meaning of this verse. Ibn zayd and Ibn Jurayj said one of the meanings can also be:  Please do not curse us into apes and pigs . Al-Suddi explained:  It is the cuffs and hard religious duties Banu Israel had upon them . Muhammad al-Bukhari mentioned in his book (Al-Sahih):  Narrated Al-Dahak:  The Prophet Muhammad said: Whoever swears in the name of a religion other than Islam, is in no relation to Islam in any way, and whoever commits suicide using something, will be punished in hell using that same thing, and whoever throws the word  Curse  at someone who believes in God and the last Prophet's message, as well as accusing them of Kufr, is equivalent to killing him (Emphasizing how terrible it is to do those two). The word  Curse  has a very serious meaning in the Arabic language. To curse someone, is to wish for them to be strayed away or removed from the mercy of God. It is not permissible for a Muslim to curse a specific person, animal, or object by name. God the Almighty says in the Qur'an: (You ˹O Prophet˺ have no say in the matter. It is up to God to turn to them in mercy or punish them, for indeed they are wrongdoers) Al-i'lmran verse 128. Meaning that no one has the right to  Curse  someone and it is all up to God.

The Prophet Muhammad also said:  Whoever murders one's own self using something, that same thing will be used to torture him in hell . In a narrative by Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak, he confirmed that the Prophet said what he said. Al-Mubarak said  something , which is more extensive than what was said in Muslim's Narrative,  Steel Weapon . And in reference to what Abu-Hurayra said about drinking poison, Ibn al-Eid Dakiki said:  The reasoning behind that terminology is the way of resemblance between the punishments in Judgement Day, and the worldly sins/crimes . Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani said:  And it is understood from it that a person’s offense against himself is like his offense against others which is a sin, because his self is not his absolute property, rather it belongs to God the Almighty, so he is not allowed to dispose of it as he likes except with what God has allowed him to do . God the Almighty says in the Qur'an: (You get what you give), aka  The reward of an evil deed is its equivalent .

Muslim mentioned in his book a hadith that says:  Narrated Abu-Hurayra that the Prophet Muhammad said:  He who killed himself with steel (weapon) would be the eternal denizen of the Fire of Hell and he would have that weapon in his hand and would be thrusting that in his stomach for ever and ever, he who drank poison and killed himself would sip that in the Fire of Hell where he is doomed for ever and ever; and he who killed himself by jumping off (the top of) a mountain, would constantly fall in the Fire of Hell and would live there for ever and ever ''.

In Accordance with the Islamic Divine Law
Committing suicide is a major sin and whoever resolves to it, is punished with hell on Judgement Day. But like some other major sins, it does not ultimately drop one out of the religion of Islam,

(Yet repentance is a must in most cases) and it does not eternalize the doer in the Fire of Hell.

God the Almighty said in the holy Qur'an: (God may forgive sins to any extent only if he pleases, except when it comes down to committing Shirk . Shirk is an unforgivable sin and one who commits Shirk with God, does indeed commit a horrendous serious sinful lie).

Committing suicide is absolutely forbidden in the religion of Islam and it is one of the major sins, confirmed by the holy Qur'an and Sunnah. God the Almighty says in the holy Qur'an: (And do not kill each other or yourselves, surely God is Merciful to you) - An-Nisa verse 29. And also says: (And do not deliberately self-destruct nor throw yourselves in danger. Be good in any manner at all, God loves those who do good) - Al-Baqarah verse 195. The Prophet Muhammad said:  Whoever kills himself with a steel (weapon) would be in the eternal Fire of Hell and that same weapon he used to kill himself with, would be in his hand in there and he would be thrusting it in his stomach for ever and ever, and whoever drinks poison and kills himself with it, would sip that same poison in the Fire of Hell where he is doomed for ever and ever; and whoever kills himself by jumping off (the top of) a mountain, would constantly fall in the Fire of Hell and would live there for ever and ever . Narrated Muhammad Al-Bukhari: '' Sahl ibn Sa'd narrated a story about a man who was wounded during a battle and decided to finish himself, so the people went on to ask the Prophet Muhammad about his doing and he said that the man has done a major sin by doing that. One does not lose a limb or get wounded in any matter and decide to use that as a reason for committing suicide.

The Ultimate Proof that Committing Suicide is not Kufr
Muslim narrated in his book Sahih Muslim: '' There is a Hadith about the fact that who murders one's own self does not commit Kufr. Jabir ibn Abdullah said: Tufayl ibn Amr approached the Prophet Muhammad before his departure to Medina, and offered him a stay in an impregnable fortress in Yemen, but the Prophet Muhammad insisted on going to Medina to meet his people. Later on, Tufayl ibn Amr followed the Prophet into Medina alongside a friend of his. They did not enjoy their time during their stay because of how queasy travelling caused them to be. (It is commonly known that you will face exposure to new places, people and microbes; this is often a huge reason for getting sick after moving into a new place. New air, new dust, new everything. Your body will take time to adjust to the changed environment) Due to travelling, his friend fell extremely ill. He took fright and proceeded to slash his middle knuckles off with an arrow head, and bled to death. Al-Tufayl later had a vision in his sleep of his friend looking exceptionally fair with his middle knuckles wrapped up. Al-Tufayl asked him, what has happened to you? His friend replied, God has forgiven me on account of my departure here to meet the Prophet Muhammad. Al-Tufayl hastened to tell his dream to the Prophet and the Prophet said: God absolve him from the punishment of this sin ''.

In the religion of Islam, if one commits a sin completely unaware of the fact that it is a sin, he is completely free of the guilt and the certain punishment of it.

Why is Committing Suicide Forbidden in Islam
Committing suicide is a taboo in the religion of Islam because human belongs to his Creator, for he endowed him with soul and body. God commanded the angels to prostrate to human, and sent him down to the earth to populate it, to become God’s successor in it. It is not permissible in any way or form for a Muslim to kill himself because his body is a trust, entrusted to him by God, and it is not permissible to self-destruct; Because it is not permissible to tamper with something you have been entrusted.

Whoever Commits Suicide Commits Two Major Sins

 * 1) The dissatisfaction with God's decisions and Qadar
 * 2) Tampering with something he does not own.