Suicide

[hisnameiszzz]

I heard on the receiver (it's like a radio transmitter system from the local Masjids) that a 14 year old Muslim girl committed suicide the other day and they were asking people to pray for her.

Suicide is becoming quite a common thing with Muslims. I think that's the 3rd or 4th person who has taken their life in the last 2 years. A few young men threw themselves on to rail tracks last year, and an older man threw himself into a river because life got too much for him.

Is suicide completely haraam in Islam? Let's use this as an example. A girl being bullied relentlessly at school. She approaches her family, friends and teachers, the Police, but nothing changes. She prays daily to Allah/God/whoever she believes in but it does not change anything. The bullying goes on and on, at school, after school, near where she lives, outside her home, to the point where she can't take it anymore and cannot see light at the end of the tunnel so she commits suicide. Would that be classed as completely the wrong thing to do? Also, if there are any Christians or Jews, please could you explain what your faith says about suicide?

Please could you share your thoughts and ideas. I am sorry if people find this topic disturbing, I can only apologise in advance.

[Sister101]

Suicide is completely haram in Islam. But I remember reading a hadith, I think it was in Sahih Bukhari, where even the Prophet Muhammad :saws1: had thought about committing suicide.

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 111

Narrated Aisha:

The Prophet became so sad as we have heard that he intended several times to throw himself from the tops of high mountains and every time he went up the top of a mountain in order to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear before him and say, “O Muhammad! You are indeed Allah’s Apostle in truth” whereupon his heart would become quiet and he would calm down and would return home. And whenever the period of the coming of the inspiration used to become long, he would do as before, but when he used to reach the top of a mountain, Gabriel would appear before him and say to him what he had said before.

But at the same time in Islam we're not supposed to pray Janazah for a person who has committed suicide, so as not to encourage others to commit suicide. But I think there needs to be more effort in the Muslim ummah to reach out to those who are depressed. A lot of people pass depressed people off as attention seekers. I wish people would take this issue more seriously, especially because even the Prophet Muhammad :saws1: thought of committing suicide.

[Umm Abed]

This is a frightening phenomenon, where people are resorting to suicide, thinking it is the end of their troubles but its only the beginning of the never ending. People must realize that suicide is not the answer.

In this case here I would say that we must continue to make dua to Allah swt and ask for her forgiveness, through His mercy He will forgive insha'allah.

Just to clarify: there is janaza salah for the one who commits suicide. The difference is that a person of repute will not lead it, like the Imam or scholar, but any ordinary person wil perform it. This is to emphasize on the severity of the sin of suicide.

May Allah protect us and make it easy for all, and may we do things correctly. Ameen.

[greenhill]

It is easy to feel very much like how I'm feeling that I couldn't take my own life.

I suppose moving schools, studying in a different country, working in new towns or cities has always given me a change, quite often, a total change, new people, new things, new challenges and pretty much, new life! It's a new beginning. So if life was too unbearable, disappear somewhere else.

But one thing I learnt was perseverance and to keep calm. It needs both and won't do singularly.

Having that, it needs direction. Know that the 'world' has let you down so you you have to depend on yourself. That's the best part (really) because now, there's no one else to blame.

Look at what went horribly wrong, look at what you did (no excuses for why you did it) and how you were as a person.

Connect to Allah, (whether you feel He is answering your calls or not) keep dialling that number and make that change.

Life is too precious a gift..

It reminds me of

"Today is the tomorrow we were worried about yesterday, but all is fine"... as long as my my does beat I shall live.... so live it with the best of intentions..


:peace:

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[hisnameiszzz]

Thank you so much for your responses. Like a poster has said it is becoming very regular which is quite scary.

I have heard of a good few of my clients end their lives but most of them are Atheist. I don't know what an Atheist believes in etc. I work in Housing and deal with homeless people. Some of whom really struggle to accept what has come of their lives.

Anyway I digress. One of the posters said an Imam, Aalim or scholar would not lead the prayers if someone committed suicide but I disagree on that. The 3 local ones all had prayers led by an Imam and there was the outpouring of how troubled and depressed that person was and that Allah will definitely forgive them for what they had done because of what they went through. Isn't that just advocating suicide?

[BeTheChange]

Ruling on suicide and on offering the funeral prayer and praying for one who has committed suicide

---

I have a cousin (the daughter of my maternal aunt) who died, and it seems most likely that she committed suicide. What is the ruling on one who commits suicide? What is his position before his Lord? What can her parents do to reduce her punishment?.

Published Date: 2005-06-06

Praise be to Allaah.
Suicide is a major sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that the one who commits suicide will be punished with something like that with which he killed himself.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself will be in the Fire of Hell, throwing himself down therein for ever and ever. Whoever takes poison and kills himself, his poison will be in his hand and he will be sipping it in the Fire of Hell for ever and ever. Whoever kills himself with a piece of iron, that piece of iron will be in his hand and he will be stabbing himself in the stomach with it in the Fire of Hell, for ever and ever.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5442; Muslim, 109.

It was narrated from Thaabit ibn al-Dahhaak (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever kills himself with something in this world will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5700; Muslim, 110.

It was narrated that Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among those who came before you there was a man who was wounded and he panicked, so he took a knife and cut his hand with it, and the blood did not stop flowing until he died. Allaah said: ‘My slave hastened to bring about his demise; I have forbidden Paradise to him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3276; Muslim, 113.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) refrained from offering the funeral prayer for one who had committed suicide, as a punishment to him and so as to deter others from doing what he had done. But he gave the people permission to offer the funeral prayer for him, so it is Sunnah for the people of knowledge and virtue not to offer the funeral prayer for one who has committed suicide, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

It was narrated that Jaabir ibn Samurah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: A man who had killed himself with a broad arrow-head was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not offer the funeral prayer for him. Narrated by Muslim, 978.

This hadeeth is evidence for those who say that the funeral prayer should not be offered for one who killed himself because of his sin. This is the view of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez and al-Awzaa’i. But al-Hasan, al-Nakha’i, Qataadah, Maalik, Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and the majority of scholars said that the funeral prayer should be offered for him. They responded to this hadeeth by pointing out that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not offer the funeral prayer for him himself so as to deter the people from doing something similar, but the Sahaabah offered the funeral prayer for him. End quote.
Sharh Muslim, 7/47

This does not mean – if it is proven that your cousin did commit suicide – that you should not pray for mercy and forgiveness for her, rather you must do that because she needs that. Suicide is not kufr that puts a person beyond the pale of Islam as some people think, rather it is a major sin that is subject to the will of Allaah on the Day of Resurrection: if He wills, He will forgive it, and if He wills He will punish for it. So do not neglect to make du’aa’ for her and be sincere in doing so; perhaps that may be the means of Allaah forgiving her.
And Allaah knows best.



SOURCE: https://islamqa.info/en/70363

[BeTheChange]

Asalamualykum,

We know committing suicide is haraam.

There are many different levels of haraam. Some which fall under the minor category and others which fall under the major category.

I don't believe we can derive a hierarchy of sins from the Quraan or hadiths. All we have knowledge of is what is haraam and what is halaal. Some sins are explained in great detail and other sins we know very little about as to why it is forbidden and so on and so forth.

2 people who have committed the very same sin and have an identical book of deeds can have different outcomes.

One can go hell and the other can go heaven because Allah swt knows what was in their hearts and minds.

We don't know whether Muslims who commit suicide will go heaven or hell but we do know this act is a major sin in Islam and we know it's our duty to pray for them in sha Allah.

May Allah swt help us understand and live the deen Ameen.

[~ Sabr ~]

Sister BeTheChange pretty much covered it.