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Why Islam judges suicide as a grave sin

A CLOSE relative of mine committed suicide almost five years ago.

His death sent shockwaves throughout my entire family and caused indescribable pain for us all.

My relative had suffered with depression for years and had attempted suicide twice in the past. For me personally it was just something that literally brought me to my knees in sadness. I felt like if only I had telephoned him that week or had sent him more letters perhaps I could have saved his life. But that is just a side effect of my idealistic thinking. Certainly, he had already strayed into disbelief and no one could have saved him.

The act of suicide is a grave sin in Islam. Allah Almighty says in the noble Quran:

"...And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is most merciful to you." (4:29)

People who contemplate suicide do so to escape the suffering and pain of this world. They mistakenly think that by ending their lives they will end all their sorrows. But what they don’t know, according to the Islamic belief, is that by committing suicide their troubles have only just begun.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace 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 forever 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." (Bukhari)

So not only will the person who commits suicide not find peace when they kill themselves but they will be tortured for eternity by their weapon of choice when they committed the initial deed. And they will never even hope to reach heaven.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in an authentic hadith:

"There was amongst those before you a man who had a wound. He was in [such] anguish that he took a knife and made with it a cut in his hand, and the blood did not cease to flow till he died. Allah the Almighty said: My servant has himself forestalled me; I have forbidden him paradise."

Anyone who has ever read the noble Quran can see the simplicity of this world within its’ sacred text. This world is a testing ground to see who is the best in faith so that they may reap the rewards in the next life to come. This world is full of tragedy, pain and heartbreak. Depression and suicide are common maladies these days but killing oneself is never the answer. All humans must trust in Allah no matter what calamities befall them.

An excellent example of trusting in Allah’s will and decree can be found in the story of the Prophet Ayub (Job). Prophet Ayub had everything. He was wealthy, married and had children. He was always obedient to Allah and his tongue was always wet with remembrances of Allah. One day the angels were talking that the Prophet Ayub was the best in the creation of Allah. Iblis, the devil, overheard and was immediately jealous. He set out to destroy the Prophet Ayub. However, Iblis was not capable of doing any harm to the Prophet Ayub except through Allah’s will. Iblis asked Allah for the permission to do harm to Ayub and Allah allowed it because he knew that his servant was faithful and he wanted Iblis to see for himself.

Iblis destroyed all of Prophet Ayub’s wealth, property and caused a building to collapse, which killed all of his children inside. Iblis then caused him to have a grave skin disease, which caused him severe pain and made society shun away from him. All he had left was his wife and his faith in Allah. But even his wife succumbed to the wiles of Iblis and left Ayub alone to suffer. Through all of this, Prophet Ayub did not blame Allah almighty or even ask to be spared from his torture which lasted for a full seven years. He continued to have patience and trusted in Allah. However, now alone in the world he turned to Allah to seek his mercy, which is revealed in the Holy Quran.

"And (remember) Ayub? When he cried to his Lord: ‘Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the most merciful of all those who show mercy’. So we answered his call, and we removed the distress that was on him, and we restored his family to him (that he had lost), and the like thereof along with them, as a mercy from ourselves and a reminder for all who worship Us." 21:83-84)

Prophet Ayub was rewarded for his immense faith and trust in Allah. His health and wealth were restored and his wife even came back to him.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said about Prophet Ayub:

"While Ayub was naked, taking a bath, a swarm of gold locusts fell on him, and he started collecting them in his garment. His lord called him, "Oh Ayub! Have I not made you too rich to need what you see?" Ayub replied, "Yes, O lord! But I cannot shun your blessings."

Muslims are supposed to be one unit, or Ummah, united under the banner of Islam. The Quran provides the utmost details for the implementation of a quality infrastructure within all Muslims nations to serve the needs of the community. For example, Allah commands us to give alms to the poor and all Muslims are commanded to give Zakat if they are able. These alms are meant to ensure that poor residents of Islamic nations do not face the hardships of poverty. Further, the mosque itself, especially during the lifetime of Muhammad (pbuh), was the command centre of the community dealing with all the needs of the downtrodden. These days many Muslims lack the initiative to contact the Imam at the mosque in times of crises, but they should reach out for help if they need it. Moreover, Muslims must be proactive in looking for ways to help their community through donating poor alms. If you know someone who is suffering, extend a helping hand to relieve some of the stress and misery the afflicted person is dealing with. Remind them to trust in Allah and you too will receive innumerable blessings. Insha’Allah.

Sumayyah Meehan is a Kuwait-based American writer who embraced Islam. She can be reached at abidhjs@msn.com

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