Firstly, Islam has absolutely forbidden the killing of oneself and made it one of the major sins. It has also forbidden anything that may lead to self-killing. Allah says in the Quran: “And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.” (An-Nisa’, 4:29) And He says: “And do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction.” (Al-Baqarah ,2:195).
Likewise, this is also emphasized in the Sunnah, and one example is the hadith narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) and reported by both Bukhari and Muslim, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever throws himself from a mountain and kills himself will be in the Hellfire, throwing himself down therein forever and ever. Whoever takes poison and kills himself, then his poison will be in his hand and he will be drinking it in the Hellfire, wherein he will abide eternally and whoever kills himself with a piece of iron, his piece of iron will be in his hand and he will be stabbing himself with it in the Hellfire, wherein he will abide eternally.” In addition, there is a hadith narrated by Jundub ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) and reported by both Bukhari and Muslim in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Among those who came before you there was a man who had a wound. He became impatient, took a knife, and cut his hand with it, and the bleeding did not stop until he died. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, said: ‘My slave hastened his death; I have forbidden Paradise to him.”
Secondly, the ruling on performing the funeral prayer and supplicating for the one who has committed suicide:
• The majority of scholars from the different Islamic schools of law permit performing the funeral prayer and supplicating for the one who has committed suicide. Although it is a major sin, it does not take the person outside the fold of Islam like other major sins. These scholars base their opinion on the principle of taking the default ruling, which is permissibility in matters of worship, and also on the fact that the Prophet allowed his companions to perform the funeral prayer for the one who had committed suicide. Muslim reported a hadith narrated by Jabir in which he said: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated to Madinah, Tufayl ibn Amr also migrated to Madinah along with a man from his tribe. They arrived in Madinah, but the man fell ill and became distressed. He took a sharp tool and cut his veins until he died. Tufayl ibn Amr saw him in a dream while he was covered with a beautiful garment and his hands were covered. Tufayl asked him, ‘What did your Lord do with you?’ The man replied, ‘My Lord forgave me because of my migration to His Prophet.’ Tufayl asked him, ‘Why do I see your hands covered?’ The man replied, ‘It was said to me, “We will not correct what you have corrupted.”‘ Tufayl then narrated this story to the Prophet (peace be upon him), who prayed for the man, saying, ‘O Allah, forgive his two hands.'” The “sharp tool” mentioned in the hadith refers to arrows. Ibn Abidin, one of the leading scholars of our school of law, stated in his commentary: “Whoever kills himself, even intentionally, should be washed and the funeral prayer should be performed for him. This is the ruling that is given. This is because he is a disobedient who has brought corruption to the earth, but he is not considered an unbeliever. Although he has committed a greater sin than someone who has killed another person, he is still not considered to be an unbeliever.”
• The Hanbali school of law holds that the funeral prayer should be performed for the one who has committed suicide, but the Imam (leader of the prayer) should not lead the prayer for him. Rather, the prayer should be performed by the general Muslims. They base their opinion on the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him), as Muslim reported in a hadith narrated by Jabir ibn Samurah: “A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) with another man who had killed himself with a sharp tool. The Prophet did not perform the funeral prayer for him.” Abu Dawud also reported that a man went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and informed him of another man who had died. The Prophet asked, “How do you know?” The man replied, “I saw him kill himself.” The Prophet said, “Did you see him?” The man replied, “Yes.” The Prophet said, “Then I will not perform the funeral prayer for him.” They (the scholars) also said: The Prophet allowed them to perform the funeral prayer (for the one who committed suicide), but he did not lead the prayer because he was the Imam. The majority of scholars hold that the Prophet’s not leading the prayer is specific to him and it is not a general ruling. They believe that the Prophet’s action was a form of disapproval, rather than a legal ruling.
The opinion of the Hanbali school of law is what we are giving the fatwa based on, as the evidence points towards it.
Thirdly, it is necessary to consider the reasons for suicide and not consider them as a single form. For example, someone who commits suicide due to depression or faces intolerable injustices is different from someone who commits suicide impulsively. Even if these individuals are considered wrongdoers, they should not be judged in the same way as someone who committed suicide impulsively. This is, and Allah knows best.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr