Suicide in Islam: Temporary or Permanent hell?
Salam IslamicAnswers,
First of all I want to say thank you for having this wonderful site where Muslims can post questions and seek answers. Looking at previous posts I've noticed that many people have benefited from this site and your work. I have a question for you regarding how Islam sees suicide. Before I begin, I would like to say that I am well aware that suicide is a forbidden act in Islam that will take a human to jahannam (hell). I am not asking whether it is permissible or not because every Muslim knows it is forbidden... so please don't see me as wasting time asking silly questions.
It's just that, I have read a hadith that says that Allah will bring out of jahannam any individual who has even an atom's worth of imaan in him/her. This hadith seems to contradict what I read on your Suicide in Islam page (http://www.zawaj.com/askbilqis/suicide-in-islam), where it says "My servant has precipitated My will with regard to himself! Therefore, I am forbidding him entry into heaven."...which seems to imply that an individual who commits suicide will eternally, forever dwell in jahannam.
So my main question to you is this: Will an individual who commits suicide dwell eternally in jahannam (like the kuffar, mushrikeen, and munafiqeen), or will they be allowed out of jahannam one day (if they have imaan in their heart before taking their life). From what I understand of Islam, any individual who says that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone will not enter jahannam forever....and I don't see suicide as contradicting this. If someone says la ilaha illa allah and commits suicide, will they be in jahannam temporarily or permanantly?
Thank you for your time.
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Salaam Adef,
I urge caution in dealing with topics such as suicide as stand-alone event, unconnected to the human, the state of their life and everything which has led them to a point. There is a danger in simplifying a life into a sentence for academic debate, when the truth is none of us are 100% sure of the weight and value of our deeds in Allah's eyes.
Therefore, I would start my response with saying that there what we are sure of are the many hadith which relate to us that our Prophet (pbuh) relates that suicide is an unforgivable act, and there are also many Quranic verses which both forbid the taking of human life and also relate to us constant messages of forgiveness according to Allah's will. Because none of us can speak on behalf of Allah, all we can say is that it's up to Allah what happens, and suicide is most certainly forbidden in Islam.
I shall now move onto suicide, the process:
Suicide is not simply a random and unpredictable act of taking one's own life. It is the culmination of a series of events which leads to the conclusion of suicide. Suicide is the point of giving up on everything, recovery, God, your family and it can also by the symptom of a mental illness such as depression, bi polar, schizophrenia and many others. So it is not really accurate to speak of suicide as a stand alone thing that randomly happens and is judged accordingly.
The urge to commit suicide is an internal voice that bullies a person with taunts, telling them constantly that there is no hope, that they are worthless, that there is nothing for them to live for, that Allah hates them: pumping their body with hormones and feelings that are too difficult to handle until the individual gives in to it and commits suicide.
The Quran references mental illness as the result of being touched by the evil one, and mentions in the Surah Baqara when he compares those who practice usury to being the same as "the Evil One by his touch hath driven to madness."2.275 So there is such a thing as being driven to madness from the touch of an evil on. Instead of giving in to this internal voice, one should intervene with help: doctors, therapists, and so on.
Most commonly some event, situation or series of events which lead one to lose a level of faith, instead of remaining steadfast as we are advised to:
And surely We shall try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and crops; but give glad tidings to the steadfast, who say, when a misfortune striketh them: Lo! To Allah we belong and unto Him we are returning.” (Al-Baqarah: 155-56)
A person may then starts to feel that Allah hates him, that he has no future, that his sin is unforgivable when a faithful person would know that
“He forgiveth (all) save that to whom He will. Whoso ascribeth partners to Allah, he hath indeed invented a tremendous sin.” (An-Nisaa': 48)
The person then loses hope, and falls into despair or (in today's more common term for the same thing) depression, yet we know:
“The remedy is hope. Allah made hopelessness unlawful by saying, “Do not despair of Allah's mercy.” (Yusuf: 87)
When we must never lose hope, and conclude that we can predict our afterlife - we can't:
“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (verily, to him We will give a good life, and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do” al-Nahl 16:97
By the last stages of the thought process the person has lost everything to cling on to, and commits the final act of disbelief and kills themselves.
“… And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you"[al-Nisa’ 4:29]
So relating this all back to your question, and Iman in the heart I would say that suicide is indicative of an an illness which erodes Iman - a thought process, or madness that stems from evil and overtakes a person entirely, and an evil which we have a great deal of assistance and help to deal with.
In truth, as believers we follow the guidelines set out for us according to the Quran and authentic Sunna which both forbid suicide.
And the greater truth is that only Allah knows what he forgives and what he does not forgive when judging us in our entirety and knowing everything that there is to know about our hearts, minds and actions.
Peace,
Leyla
Editor, Islamic Answers
I agree with Leyla's answer maashAllah.
Sister Adef, Asalaamualaikum,
You asked, will an individual who commits suicide dwell eternally in jahannam (like the kuffar, mushrikeen, and munafiqeen), or will they be allowed out of jahannam one day (if they have imaan in their heart before taking their life).
"...If they have imaan..." That is ironic, because to have imaan would mean believing in what Allah(swt) and His Rasool(saw) say. What do They say regarding suicide?
Allaah (swt) says “And do not throw (yourselves) with your own hands to destruction; but work (deeds of) excellence for verily Allah loves the people of excellence.” [Surah Baqarah 2:195] Thus we are ordered to not destroy ourselves, rather to direct the mind and energies to doing good deeds that please Allah.
In another verse, “And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allaah is Most merciful to you.” [Surah Nisaa 4:29]
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also prohibited taking one's life as per the following hadith. "Whoever throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself, he will be in the Fire of Hell throwing himself down for ever and ever. Whoever drinks poison and kills himself will have the poison in his hand, drinking it in the Fire of Hell for ever and ever. Whoever kills himself with a piece of iron (i.e. a weapon) will have that piece of iron in his hand, stabbing himself in the stomach with it in the Fire of Hell forever and ever." (Compiled in Sahih Bukhari).
Further, The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "Indeed, whoever [intentionally] kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever", [Bukhaaree (5778) and Muslim (109 and 110)].
Allah has also reminded us: “Or did you think that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) that came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When will come the help of Allah?’ Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!” [Surah Baqarah 2:214].
So, as per your question, if someone had Imaan, they would know that suicide is forbidden and also that Allah's help will most definfitely come, so why would they even consider committing suicide?
***
For someone to take one's own life, the person must surely be completely desperate for some reason or be insane. Furthermore, Allah knows whether the person who has committed suicide was in full possession of his mind or not. Whatever the reasons, only Allah knows what goes on in our hearts, He knows our intentions, weaknesses and reasoning - however complex. Only He can be the Judge of such matters and we will never know matters of the unseen. Only Allah knows under which conditions and exceptions He will forgive anyone.
Hence, we cannot answer such a question conclusively and it is better to avoid dwelling on such matters. We should instead focus on doing as Allah says, believe in His commandments, doing good according to the Quran and Sunnah, avoiding all things that are doubtful and bringing others to the truth.
***
Al Quran, Surah Al-Asr:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
1. By time,
2. Verily, man is in loss,
3. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to Truth and exhort one another to patience.
SisterZ
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
SisterZ and Leyla have answered beautifully. I just want to add one more thing.
It is appalling to see that people take Jahannam in jest. At least this is what the title conveyed to me. Temporary or permanent Hell? WTH? The fire of Hell and its other forms of punishment are so severe that a thousandth of a second in it is enough punishment for any human being. The Messenger of Allah, whom Allah had forgiven all his sins, would cry bitterly whenever he recited verses from the Quran that talked about Jahannam. Despite knowing that Allah had forgiven him, he used to weep so much that his beard would be soaked in his tears. The noble companions at mention of Jahannam would sometimes faint immediately. Such was their fear of Jahannam. How many times our eyes became teary when we mentioned Hell?
Just put your finger in the fire of this world and count the number of seconds you can take it. If you cannot take it for couple of seconds, what led you think that you can temporary withstand the Fire that Allah specifically created to punish His slaves who transgressed His boundary? And even if it is temporary stay (I am talking about other sins here, excluding suicide), do you know the duration of this temporary stay? It can be million of years. No one knows except Allah. And how many times the Messenger of Allah said that a day in the hereafter is equivalent of thousand days of this world?
So my brothers and sisters! Fear Allah as He should be feared. Fear His punishment. How many times in the Quran Allah said that He is indeed severe in retribution? May Allah forgive all of us. May Allah forgive our sins. May Allah preserve our skins from the fire of Hell. Oh Allah! Being mere your slaves, being mere mortal humans, we do not have the ability to withstand Your punishment. Allah! Shower us with your mercy and save us from Hell. Admit us in Jannat without taking account of our deeds. Ameen.
Good point Stranger,
We should not take solace in knowing that anyone with even an atoms weight of imaan will eventually be taken out of Hell and put into Jannah. Doing something purposely because we think that we'll get out of hell anyway, is completely wrong; and one second of being hell will feel like eternity.
Ya Allah, save us all from the evil of this life and the next and grant us with only the good of this life and the next - Aameen.
SisterZ
QUOTE[We should not take solace in knowing that anyone with even an atoms weight of imaan will eventually be taken out of Hell and put into Jannah. Doing something purposely because we think that we'll get out of hell anyway, is completely wrong;]UNQUOTE
This is another good point. Yes, the hadeeth that said that anyone with an atom's weight of imaan would eventually be admitted to Jannah is true. However, if someone takes this hadeeth and then willfully indulges in sin, he or she is actually is taking only a part of the prophetic sayings (sunnah) and abandoning the rest of the sunnah and the Quran altogether, where numerous warnings have been given about transgressing the boundary of Allah. In a nutshell, taking this hadeeth as solace and then doing forbidden things are like taking only a single part of the deen and then abandoning the rest. Only Allah can decide if salvation is possible with such attitude.
asalamu alaikum,
im short on time so il get to the point. you will be in hell fire eternally. if you have imaan in your heart then you wouldnt be commiting suicide, but instead prayin for allahs forgiveness. also sayin la ilaha illa allah and commits suicide wont benefit you, you aint gonna fool no one.
ma salama
Ahmed, I don't know what's going on with your comments lately. You have been very unkind with the questioners. And in this case you are wrong. As the questioner pointed out, Allah forgives all sins except shirk. Even someone who commits suicide would eventually enter Paradise as long as he/she believes in the Oneness of Allah, worshiping nothing beside Him.
However, as others have pointed out, no one should think that even one second in Hell is acceptable or tolerable. It is not. A short stay in Hell is not a goal to strive for, astaghfirullah. We are not put here on this earth to settle for sin and disobedience, but to strive for Allah's pleasure.
Ahmed, I don't know if you are having a difficult time lately in your own life and maybe that's coming out in your comments... you need to take a step back and ask yourself what is the purpose of replying to these people? Is it to put them in their place? Or to enlighten them and educate others at the same time?
Wael
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Assalam Alaykum Bhai,
I Was Just Wondering When Are You Gonna Please Review My Question, As It's Been More Than A Couple Of Days, And Am Sure If I Came To Your House Personally And Knocked On Your Door I Would Have Got A Quicker Response, I Think You Live Sea's Away From Where I Do, Judging By The 'Standard' Of Your English, As The Youth In 'England' Is Highly Uneducated, Not To Mention Our Pathetic Accents, We Talk As If We Have Some Speaking Difficulty, And Are Trying To Come Over It, We Are No Where Near Your Professional 'Accents'..* =P
Anyways On A Serious Note Can You Please Answer It, As I Really Dont No Anyone Else I Could Take Help From, i Live In A Very Remote Area, And It Is Quite Important, (At Least For Me), Or At Least Gimme A Rough Idea On How Many Days It's Gonna Take To Review As I Could Check Then, Because I Log In Alot To See If I Have Received A Reply Or Not, And When You Havent I Tend To Wonder Around, And After Reading Other's Stories, I Feel Even More Depressed & Confused..* =O
So Please If You Could Help Me,
Thankyou
x
wael it was my mistake, allah forgives anythin below shirk , its his will to punish or not. it was a type error. but apart from that i dont see it offensive. im not here to point at anyone nor am i judging anyone. but how could a muslim with imaan say such a thing bout suicide?
no one wants to go hell but by doin suicide thats like you deliberatelly askin for it. by jus sayin allah will forgive anythin below shirk(which is true), we shouldnt make it seem like its ok to do so. as muslim we should help them get that sickness out of thier minds. otherwise they will think this is the easy way out and eventually i will go jannah.
also im not havin any problems in my life.
peace....
Salaam,
I think that muslims should show compassion when they comment on the subject of suicide. There are persons who might read your comments and have had a relative die through suicide - as in my case. And as usual there are people that are appalled that we don't take hell seriously enough and like to emphasis how horrible it is going to be (see above comment) - i believe Allah is more love and light than punisher. He only punishers those that deserve it and that is all we need to know. We dont have to all turn into psycho mouth foaming idiots and preach that all is over and you are doomed! And these people are always screaming the loudest and love to to be so sure that eveyone else is going to hell but them. I am certain of Allahs compassion and I see this is in the beauty he has created for us on earth, as opposed to the hell that man has created. In the case of suicide. I very close relative of mine died this way not too long ago. I and everyone that has ever known her have nothing but nice words to say about her she was one of the nicest, most sincere kindest and God fearing people I have ever met. Unfortunately this person suffered from a mental condition brought on by years of abuse, violence and fear. The person I know eventually drifted in and out of insanity, until they could not take it any more. So before anyone applies a sentence read in a hadith to mean 'hell for sure'. Why don't you apply the scenario of loosing your mind to yourselves. Imagine waking up one morning and feeling your reality slipping away and knowing that you are going mad, and that you may loose everything and on top of that have no one to turn to that you can trust, because you now see everyone as evil and out to get you! Imagine this hell and imagine what you may do in this circumstance. It is very easy to say pray, or read the Quaran but when your mind goes, you stop reasoning and you stop having senses i.e you can't even eat or sleep.
Unfortunately Muslims have still not gotten over the idea that mental illness is like any other illness and on top of this they are frightening the person half to death about being touched by evil, they also shun the person as being Godless. Where is the compassion!
Please comment with the idea that what you write can also affect a person who has suffered a tragedy of suicide of a loved one. Writing that a suicide victim is for certain destined for hell, even though you have never met the person (for all you know they could have been a charitable person, loving and generous to the poor and needy but very sensitive and shy because of past abuses as a child, they could have been a better muslim than yourselves in the years when the were sane!)
In matters like this it is always best to refrain from saying 'Hell is your destination' with backed up little one word phrases quoted or translated out of context from the Quran. The Quran is supposed to be read as a whole and every passage feeds into the other and compliments to give us a divine order. One word phrases can always be translated out of context - especially when you are ignorant of an illness.
Allah knows best.
Latifa.
I agree with you Latifa, one can only be judged on his/her actions if he is in his right mind and sane.
Allah knows best what your relative was going through, may He(swt) have Mercy upon us all, aameen.
SisterZ
IslamicAnswers.com Editor
Thank you sister for your kind words.
As a point, should we open the debate up to how ridiculously poor the services are in Muslim countries for people with mental health issues or depression or suicide thoughts.
I understand taking your life is not permitted, but I think that the majority of the people who do so are more likely to be completely insane. Death is scary and it goes against every natural law. As Muslims we should be doing more as a community to reach these people and help, instead of condemning them. Suicide rates, are rising around the world and unfortunately the Muslim community has the worst record of sweeping these incidents (mental health issues and the like) under the table. It is considered by many ‘Muslim’ countries as an evil brought on by the persons lack of faith and in some cases Imams refuse to read prayers for that person or government bodies don’t feel the need to hold statistics.
I'll give you an example, in the UAE there are many Muslims suffering from mental issues, drug abuse or alcohol problems. Much of these problems can be resolved through medication and community support linked to a Mosque. Instead you will find that mental health hospitals, or drug and alcohol rehabilitation units are hidden from public view in remote locations. Additionally to make the matter worse they are often given innocent sounding names like 'children’s hospital' because of the shame associated with these clinics. So they are quite hard to track down if you need to find them in the yellow pages. I remember going to one such 'children’s hospital' and finding many adults with mental issues. The very nice Psychiatrist that met me stated that he wouldn't wouldn’t wish the place on his worst enemy. Unfortunately these poorly managed clinics exists in a lot of Muslim countries, people with problems such a mental illness can just about dig their own graves, support is nonexistent! It is a shame on the Muslim Ummah as a whole.
And for every Muslim that commits suicide out of desperation, may the blame be on all Muslims for this sin. as the services out there to help people in desperation are very poor and inhumane! We are still in the stone ages when it comes to understanding and helping people with this condition.
No one wants to kill themselves, but when I see what people with depression or mental conditions have to deal with, I am certain that even a 'sane' person would crack, especially when faced with the notion that they may be strapped down and forced medication against their will. In some cases, they feel like they are being tortured and believe that the doctors are trying to kill, (why else would they be strapping a person to a bed!) seen from their point of view - it makes sense because they dont know their ill! In such cases some people decide they want the dignity of leaving the world on their own terms. Until we create institutions which help people, with compassion and respect, many more people are going to be frightened to ask for help or decide that they have no option but to commit suicide.
Ma salam.
Thank you latifa for your lovely comments. i have a cousin that commit suicide and tonights his first night in the grave. so your words were very comforting. i hope Allah forgives him for his sin and grants him a place in heaven. he was only in his youth, he had his whole life ahead of him. and im sure he had so much faith in Allah but maybe his mental state got the better of him. May God Forgive You My Brother.
Wassalam
Salaam Sima,
I will pray for him and may Allah bless him and help him on his journey in the hereafter and forgive him his sins and grant him peace.
Wassalam
My dear sister Latifa, after reading your comment on showing compassion for suicide victims, I was left with tears in my eyes. The thought of terminating my life had been swimming in my head for a few years, and the sensation was made worse knowing that the community would simply reject the act as a cowardly way out, and that Allah (SWT) would never forgive me for it. Your thoughtful and compassionate comment reminded me of Allah's infinite compassion and mercy, and has relieved a good bit of stress inside of me.
Naturally I will not commit this act out of fear ... but more importantly ... out of love of Allah, but your display of kindness and thoughtful consideration on this topic has really touched my soul. Jazak`Allah Khairan, and I sincerely pray that Allah infinitely blesses you and your loved ones (Ameen).
Salaam Sadiq,
Thank you for your kindness.
Your life is a marvellous gift Brother Sadiq, the fact you feel at odds in this world i think is normal, many people feel this - absolutely nothing wrong with your sadness - it is a sign that you are on a journey. Have trust in Allah (SWT) he loves you more than you can ever understand. All the prophets (PBUH) suffered immensely in this life and they were also loved greatly by Allah (SWT) so your suffering can't be a bad thing and Inshallah all will become clear soon for you.
Reading your message meant a great deal to me,
I thank Allah (SWT) for your being safe with us. You are unique –, no one like you will ever come this way again. That is the gift that Allah (SWT) bestows on you, your family and friends and now me.
You are in my prayers Brother. My Allah(SWT) give you Noor.
“Two Wings of Love: God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites, so that you have two wings to fly, not one”.
Assalamu'alaikum.
Another point to think about it the torture and despair that those left behind will feel if their loved one ends their life. Parents, siblings, other relatives, close friends..... they will be very hurt if you commit suicide.
That said, there are some people who are very mentally ill and they may or may not be held accountable, Allahu'alam.
If you have thoughts of suicide you should see your Imam or talk to a counselor.. anyone who will listen and can help you. You should also consider consulting a physician or psychiatrist. There are medications these days that help with depression and Allah Ta'ala sent down every disease with its cure (or treatment).
I have struggled with depression for 20 years but I would consider medication if it got to the point of contemplating suicide insha'Allah.
Assalamu'alaikum.
my abbu committed sucide. will he enter heaven or hell? will he be forgiven and enter heaven and when. please let me know.