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Islam and Suicide
What does Islam say about suicide?
Islam's philosophy of life and the values that it wants to promote are all based on a particular point of view regarding the life of this world. Islam holds the life of this world as a temporary testing time for humans.
For as long as one lives, he/she is being tested. The end of this temporary life is not the extinction of man. A person shall then open his/her eyes in another world. That world shall be place of reward and/or punishment for the deeds done in this life. The second life shall not be temporary in nature. The pleasures and pains of the second life shall last forever. In the life of this world, man is being tested with different kinds of situations - good times as well as bad times. The good times that come our way are not necessarily a reward and the hard times that we have to face are not necessarily a punishment. These are all primarily a part of the test.
The Qur'an says:
Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned. (Al-Anbiaa 21: 35)
".........Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful! " (An-Nisa 4:29)
"......if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind ...." (Surah Al Ma'idah 5:32)
For all the blessings that one enjoys in the life of this world, he/she is expected to be grateful to his/her Creator and to rejoice and proclaim His beneficence and providence. While during all the hard times that come his/her way, he/she is expected to be remain steadfast in Allah's obedience, never losing faith in His wisdom and mercy.
The beginning (i.e. the birth) and the end (i.e. the death) of this test for an individual is controlled by the Almighty Himself. He gives life and death to an individual according to His own absolute knowledge and wisdom.
Keeping the above explanation in mind, it should be easy to understand that Islam holds suicide to be haraam (i.e. prohibited). Suicide implies lack of trust in God and a lack of faith in His benevolence, mercy, love, wisdom and knowledge. In effect, suicide implies lack of faith in God Himself. When a person commits suicide, he/she practically declares that he/she does not believe that God knows about his/her sufferings, and if God has knowledge of his/her sufferings, he does not care enough to relieve him/her of these sufferings.
A person practically declares that God has unjustly inflicted pain upon him/her, which he/she is not willing to bear.
A person practically declares that he/she does not have faith, confidence and trust in the mercy and wisdom of God, as he/she does not have confidence that God will end his pain in time, and therefore he/she has to end his/her sufferings himself/herself (by taking his/her own life).
Thus, in effect, suicide - in most of the cases - is a clear sign of negation of the faith of a person in his Merciful, Omniscient and Wise Creator and is therefore prohibited in Islam.
Some sayings of the Prophet Mohammed(Peace be upon him) related to suicide:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling
himself in the Hell Fire (forever) and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the Hell-Fire." (Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 23, Number 446)
Narrated Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak: The Prophet said, "Whoever intentionally swears falsely by a religion other than Islam, then he is what he has said, (e.g. if he says, 'If such thing is not true then I am a Jew,' he is really a Jew). And whoever commits suicide with piece of iron will be punished with the same piece of iron in the Hell Fire." Narrated Jundab the Prophet said, "A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him." (Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 23, Number 445 )
Please take some time to pass this on to Muslims and non-Muslims you know,
so that there is no misconception in people's mind regarding Islam or Muslims
on suicide.
© The Revival 2001
Islam's philosophy of life and the values that it wants to promote are all based on a particular point of view regarding the life of this world. Islam holds the life of this world as a temporary testing time for humans.
For as long as one lives, he/she is being tested. The end of this temporary life is not the extinction of man. A person shall then open his/her eyes in another world. That world shall be place of reward and/or punishment for the deeds done in this life. The second life shall not be temporary in nature. The pleasures and pains of the second life shall last forever. In the life of this world, man is being tested with different kinds of situations - good times as well as bad times. The good times that come our way are not necessarily a reward and the hard times that we have to face are not necessarily a punishment. These are all primarily a part of the test.
The Qur'an says:
Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned. (Al-Anbiaa 21: 35)
".........Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful! " (An-Nisa 4:29)
"......if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind ...." (Surah Al Ma'idah 5:32)
For all the blessings that one enjoys in the life of this world, he/she is expected to be grateful to his/her Creator and to rejoice and proclaim His beneficence and providence. While during all the hard times that come his/her way, he/she is expected to be remain steadfast in Allah's obedience, never losing faith in His wisdom and mercy.
The beginning (i.e. the birth) and the end (i.e. the death) of this test for an individual is controlled by the Almighty Himself. He gives life and death to an individual according to His own absolute knowledge and wisdom.
Keeping the above explanation in mind, it should be easy to understand that Islam holds suicide to be haraam (i.e. prohibited). Suicide implies lack of trust in God and a lack of faith in His benevolence, mercy, love, wisdom and knowledge. In effect, suicide implies lack of faith in God Himself. When a person commits suicide, he/she practically declares that he/she does not believe that God knows about his/her sufferings, and if God has knowledge of his/her sufferings, he does not care enough to relieve him/her of these sufferings.
A person practically declares that God has unjustly inflicted pain upon him/her, which he/she is not willing to bear.
A person practically declares that he/she does not have faith, confidence and trust in the mercy and wisdom of God, as he/she does not have confidence that God will end his pain in time, and therefore he/she has to end his/her sufferings himself/herself (by taking his/her own life).
Thus, in effect, suicide - in most of the cases - is a clear sign of negation of the faith of a person in his Merciful, Omniscient and Wise Creator and is therefore prohibited in Islam.
Some sayings of the Prophet Mohammed(Peace be upon him) related to suicide:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling
himself in the Hell Fire (forever) and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the Hell-Fire." (Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 23, Number 446)
Narrated Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak: The Prophet said, "Whoever intentionally swears falsely by a religion other than Islam, then he is what he has said, (e.g. if he says, 'If such thing is not true then I am a Jew,' he is really a Jew). And whoever commits suicide with piece of iron will be punished with the same piece of iron in the Hell Fire." Narrated Jundab the Prophet said, "A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him." (Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 23, Number 445 )
Please take some time to pass this on to Muslims and non-Muslims you know,
so that there is no misconception in people's mind regarding Islam or Muslims
on suicide.
© The Revival 2001
The Prophets private life
The Private Life of The Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam
A Model of Perfection from Islamic Philosophy of Human Life
By Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
The Qur'ân and Ahâdîth in various places state that the Book and the Messenger sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam are the best guidance for humankind. This model of perfection now has to be sought for. We find that the model of perfection is best illustrated through the personal and private life of the Holy Prophet:
Hadrat Khadîjah al-Kubrah radîyallâhu `anhâ was the most affluent lady in the whole of the Arab world. Her merchandise was even sold in the commercial centres of Syria. When she married the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, she placed all her possessions at his disposal and made up her mind to spend all her wealth on his mission. Therefore, this marriage, in addition to other rewards and benefits, also introduced economic well-being into the life of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam.
The Qur'ân states in respect to this: "Allâh found you an orphan and made you wealthy. Now if an orphan comes to you, do not be annoyed with him and chide him not who asks (that is, give the one who asks whatever he wants) and keep proclaiming the bounty of your Lord."
The Qur'ân itself has furnished the proof of his affluence. But at the same time he is advised to adopt a mode of conduct and behaviour, which shall transform his private life into a universal model of perfection for the human race. The verse not only makes clear reference to his wealth, but also advises him to distribute the divine blessings among the needy and poor. A detailed study of his life reveals that he implemented this Qur'ânic advice in every aspect of his private life and distributed his wealth among the victims of want and destitution. In his obsession to help the needy and the destitute, he turned his own life into a tale of constant suffering: he would starve himself to feed the starving people he would go without bread to feed those who had no bread. If he found anyone in need of even a morsel of food, he would pass a morsel to him and would live on the pleasure of his Lord. But his sacrifice was not forced and constrained. Rather it was voluntary - a natural call of his soul, a cry of his conscience because he was charged with the fire of human service. And the way he helped humanity has no parallel in the history of human kind.
1. Nu`mân ibn Bashîr radîyallâhu `anhu narrates: "O people, is your food not enough for your needs? Surely, I have myself observed your Prophet. He rarely even had a dry date with which he could fill his stomach."
2. Hadrat `Â'îsha radîyallâhu `anhâ narrates: "The Holy Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam till his death never had his fill even of the barley loaf on two consecutive days."
3. One day Hadrat Abû Hurayrah radîyallâhu `anhu met some people. They had cooked meat with them and invited him to share it. However, he apologetically declined the invitation and said: "How can I eat this meat? The mode of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam is before my eyes. He departed from this world in a state that he never even had his fill of bread made from barley."
4. Hadrat Abû Talha radîyallâhu `anhu narrates: "We went to Allâh's Messenger sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam and told him that we had gone without food for many days. Each one of us uncovered our bellies and showed him a stone tied to our stomachs. Upon seeing this, the Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam lifted the piece of cloth from his stomach and we found that he had two stones tied to it (to liquidate the effects of starvation)."
The Holy Prophet never kept anything for later consumption.
5. Hadrat Anas radîyallâhu `anhu reports: "The Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam never saved anything for the next day."
At this point one may wonder what had happened to the wealth and capital he earned through trade, through the services rendered to Khadîja al-Kubrâ radîyallâhu `anhâ and as spoils of war. The simple answer is that he spent all of his wealth on the economic restoration and rehabilitation of the poor and needy. This act of benevolence and charity was not an occasional occurrence but was a permanent feature of his life. It was so thoroughly and consistently established in his life, that he himself starved in order to feed others. He would roam the narrow streets to settle others into pleasant places. He embraced poverty to rehabilitate the poverty stricken and impoverished people of the world. He went hungry to save those who were at the end of their resources. He kept a bare cupboard to set up the poor and destitute in well established settlements. In fact he preferred to spend the last penny in his pocket and the last crumb of food on his table on people who were in dire need of money and food. The motive behind this sacrifice was the sanctity of the individual. Man's greatest treasure is his self-respect. People who are hard pressed by adverse circumstances are in danger of losing their sense of self-respect. The Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam dedicated his entire life and wealth to the uplift and economic recuperation of the poverty stricken, destitute and broke people. What could be a greater and more glorious example of personal sacrifice than the one illustrated and sanctified by the mode of conduct of the Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam himself. Critics of Islâm who have scant knowledge of its fundamentals and of the life of its propagator, crack up socialism and downgrade Islâm. They should study in depth and without prejudice the life of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam and discover for themselves the radical justice of Islâm and the inexhaustible spirit and stock of charity and sacrifice which marked the life of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam.
A Model of Perfection from Islamic Philosophy of Human Life
By Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
The Qur'ân and Ahâdîth in various places state that the Book and the Messenger sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam are the best guidance for humankind. This model of perfection now has to be sought for. We find that the model of perfection is best illustrated through the personal and private life of the Holy Prophet:
Hadrat Khadîjah al-Kubrah radîyallâhu `anhâ was the most affluent lady in the whole of the Arab world. Her merchandise was even sold in the commercial centres of Syria. When she married the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, she placed all her possessions at his disposal and made up her mind to spend all her wealth on his mission. Therefore, this marriage, in addition to other rewards and benefits, also introduced economic well-being into the life of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam.
The Qur'ân states in respect to this: "Allâh found you an orphan and made you wealthy. Now if an orphan comes to you, do not be annoyed with him and chide him not who asks (that is, give the one who asks whatever he wants) and keep proclaiming the bounty of your Lord."
The Qur'ân itself has furnished the proof of his affluence. But at the same time he is advised to adopt a mode of conduct and behaviour, which shall transform his private life into a universal model of perfection for the human race. The verse not only makes clear reference to his wealth, but also advises him to distribute the divine blessings among the needy and poor. A detailed study of his life reveals that he implemented this Qur'ânic advice in every aspect of his private life and distributed his wealth among the victims of want and destitution. In his obsession to help the needy and the destitute, he turned his own life into a tale of constant suffering: he would starve himself to feed the starving people he would go without bread to feed those who had no bread. If he found anyone in need of even a morsel of food, he would pass a morsel to him and would live on the pleasure of his Lord. But his sacrifice was not forced and constrained. Rather it was voluntary - a natural call of his soul, a cry of his conscience because he was charged with the fire of human service. And the way he helped humanity has no parallel in the history of human kind.
1. Nu`mân ibn Bashîr radîyallâhu `anhu narrates: "O people, is your food not enough for your needs? Surely, I have myself observed your Prophet. He rarely even had a dry date with which he could fill his stomach."
2. Hadrat `Â'îsha radîyallâhu `anhâ narrates: "The Holy Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam till his death never had his fill even of the barley loaf on two consecutive days."
3. One day Hadrat Abû Hurayrah radîyallâhu `anhu met some people. They had cooked meat with them and invited him to share it. However, he apologetically declined the invitation and said: "How can I eat this meat? The mode of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam is before my eyes. He departed from this world in a state that he never even had his fill of bread made from barley."
4. Hadrat Abû Talha radîyallâhu `anhu narrates: "We went to Allâh's Messenger sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam and told him that we had gone without food for many days. Each one of us uncovered our bellies and showed him a stone tied to our stomachs. Upon seeing this, the Messenger of Allâh sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam lifted the piece of cloth from his stomach and we found that he had two stones tied to it (to liquidate the effects of starvation)."
The Holy Prophet never kept anything for later consumption.
5. Hadrat Anas radîyallâhu `anhu reports: "The Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam never saved anything for the next day."
At this point one may wonder what had happened to the wealth and capital he earned through trade, through the services rendered to Khadîja al-Kubrâ radîyallâhu `anhâ and as spoils of war. The simple answer is that he spent all of his wealth on the economic restoration and rehabilitation of the poor and needy. This act of benevolence and charity was not an occasional occurrence but was a permanent feature of his life. It was so thoroughly and consistently established in his life, that he himself starved in order to feed others. He would roam the narrow streets to settle others into pleasant places. He embraced poverty to rehabilitate the poverty stricken and impoverished people of the world. He went hungry to save those who were at the end of their resources. He kept a bare cupboard to set up the poor and destitute in well established settlements. In fact he preferred to spend the last penny in his pocket and the last crumb of food on his table on people who were in dire need of money and food. The motive behind this sacrifice was the sanctity of the individual. Man's greatest treasure is his self-respect. People who are hard pressed by adverse circumstances are in danger of losing their sense of self-respect. The Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam dedicated his entire life and wealth to the uplift and economic recuperation of the poverty stricken, destitute and broke people. What could be a greater and more glorious example of personal sacrifice than the one illustrated and sanctified by the mode of conduct of the Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam himself. Critics of Islâm who have scant knowledge of its fundamentals and of the life of its propagator, crack up socialism and downgrade Islâm. They should study in depth and without prejudice the life of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam and discover for themselves the radical justice of Islâm and the inexhaustible spirit and stock of charity and sacrifice which marked the life of the Holy Prophet sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam.
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