Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and substance abuse—including alcoholism and the use of benzodiazepines—are risk factors. Some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress, such as from financial difficulties, troubles with relationships, or bullying.

121524

Hereafter . Soul . Suicide

What can we recite to ease the journey in the hereafter for the departed soul of a person who committed suicide?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 1 year ago

Sura Al-Fatiha, Sura Yaseen, Sura Al-Mulk, Sura Arrahman and any Quranic Sura beside Sadaqa and Du'a for forgiveness.

Wassalam.

93810

Suicide . Hell . Pain

Is a person who commits suicide sent to eternal torture in hell? If so, why would Allah give them so much pain in this world that they become suicidal and then torture them in the next world for it?

Allah (SWT) never gives pain to any one to make him suicidal, but He grants continuous bounties and orders Justice and fairness. Remembering Allah (SWT) is the origin and the source of peace of mind. People suffer when they go away from the justice, fairness and neglect remembering Allah. Sufferings of people is the result of their own bad deeds.
Suicide is a major sin because it come as a result losing hope in Allah's mercy as well as sinful killing. Mercy of Allah is greater than any problem, and no problems whatsoever gig or complicated can be bigger than Mercy of Allah.

Wassalam.

93971

Son . Soul . Suicide

My son who was 18 years old took his life earlier this year. I cannot stop thinking why he did that. Can you please help me to help the soul of my Marhoom son?

Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 2 years ago

Bismihi ta'ala

It is indeed very sad to hear that your late son took his life. May Allah ta'ala grant him ease in the Next life. Most important for you is not to ponder on why and how, but more on what you are able to do to contribute to helping others around you to avoid repetition of such an incident.

You experienced this, so you are able to help those around you and the community to bring about awareness. Take this unfortunate incident and use it for positive use. This will not only keep you occupied from having negative thoughts, or, God forbid, falling into depression, or losing hope in your life as well.

You should try to do righteous deeds and grant its reward to your late son. Do charity work on his behalf, and try to let others remember the good things about him, so they can be insired and learn from all of this.

Another thing that would be important to do is reach out to a qualified counselor who can give you professional tips to deal with such loss and overcome this difficulty.

With prayers for your success.

94646

Suicide

I am suffering from a medical condition where I expect to get paralyzed from head to toe in a year or so and unable to eat or breathe without assistance. Is it permissible to commit suicide in such a scenario?

No.

Suicide is a major sin. Believers in Allah (SWT) never think about committing suicide under any circumstance. No matter how big your difficulties are, you must keep hoping the mercy of Allah (SWT).

The Mercy of Allah is greater than any difficulty.

You should always seek the help of Allah (SWT) and keep taking His name YA RAMAAN YA RAHEEM

Wassalam.

92238

Suicide . Destiny . Soul . God (Allah)

What is the situation of the souls of people who committed suicide? Will they be cursed as Allah chose their destiny as the All-Knowing and made them go through the situation that led them to commit suicide?

Committing suicide is a major sin in Islam because it comes as a result of losing hope in the mercy of Allah which is itself a major sin, and it is a crime of killing which is another major sin. Nevertheless, those who die during committing major sins, remain Muslims and we must perform on their dead bodies all rituals which must perform on any Muslim who dies e.g. Ghusl of the dead body, Kafan and burial in Muslim grave yard.

Allah (SWT) knows what is their hearts and He deals with them. We pray for all the believers to get the Mercy of Allah (SWT).

Wassalam.

65501

Depression . Heaven . Suicide

Can a person with a mental illness, such as depression, enter heaven if he committed suicide?

Seyed Ali Shobayri, Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah,

Asalamu Alaykom,

Is it not the choice of a person to take their own life as this is something that is down to Allah The Exalted.

If however the person was in such a mental state where they no longer had control over themselves or they had some type of mental illness in which they can no longer distinguish between their actions, then it’s possible that they won’t be accountable for such an action.

May Allah grant you success

65451

Depression . Punishment . Hell . Suicide

I have been stuck in a cycle of suicidal thoughts and depression since I was 14. Three years later I'm still struggling and I can't hold myself together anymore. I have decided that I truly need to kill myself. How do I avoid punishment for it in hell?

First of all, we need to agree on the standards which rule our life and existence.

1. If you believe in Allah (SWT) then you should never think about killing or harming yourself no matter how much difficulties you feel that you have. You need to listen to Allah (SWT) and see that He is The Most Merciful. No problem can be bigger than His Mercy. His Mercy has included every thing. In Quran, Allah says (And My Mercy has included every thing) (7:156).

If you do not believe in Allah (SWT), God Forbid, you can not deny believing in Reason and intellect. You should never think about killing or harming yourself because because it goes against reason and intellect.

The way out of suicidal thoughts is to remember Allah (SWT) and His countless bounties if you are believer in Allah (SWT) or to remember your intellect and reason to see that suicidal thoughts are completely wrong and will never bring any relief of termination to your problems.

We are not allowed to kill or harm an animal, so, how can you think about killing or harming yourself?

Keep on repeating (YA ARHAM ARRAHIMEEN) (O THE MOST MERCIFUL).

Wassalam.

Depression . Punishment . Hell . Suicide

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answer updated 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question and for reaching out. From what the scholars have understood, a person doesn't have the right to decide whether to continue living or not no matter how extreme the difficulty. For a Muslim there is only one way out of depression and that is to keep searching for a solution until something works. I know it may seem like the only solution is to end it and sometimes it may seem like an attractive option, but the guidance that all Islamic scholars will give to not take that way. In the modern world depression is more and more common, but at the same time there is a growing community of people that have found their way out of bleak depression, and others that have a relationship with depression, sometimes being ok and sometimes falling back into it. Seek out help from these communities and people who are going through the same kinds of things you are, and with Allah's help, maybe you will start to see things differently.

May you always be successful

59296

Woman . Rape . Suicide

Is it permissible for a woman to kill herself if she believes she is going to get raped?

No, it is not permissible for her to kill herself at all.

She has to do her best to protect herself and then she will not be responsible about what happens.

Wassalam.

51208

Life . Death . Secrecy . Suicide

If someone dies by taking their own life, such as through drug overdose, and people ask the cause of death, are we to say the real cause or keep it a secret by saying that they died in their sleep or something similar?

Abbas Jaffer, Sheikh Abbas Jaffer is an optometrist by profession and has a Master’s degree in Islamic Sciences. He is a part time lecturer at the Islamic College in London and is currently writing his doctoral... Answered 3 years ago

You should not lie about the cause but not broadcast it either, in case you increase the pain of the relatives.

regards

Abbas Jaffer

Life . Death . Secrecy . Suicide

Bismihi ta'ala

Such deaths are not only hard for the immediate family, but also difficult to explain to others, as they may quickly be judgmental.

No, it is not necessary at all for you to inform people of the cause of death, and you can just say "he/she passed away, please pray for him/her." And if they have a follow-up question, repeat that sentence.

As you know, lying is haram, and so you should not make something else up, but just rather feel confident that you do not need to tell people this kind of personal information.

If they care and are concerned, they would just leave it at that, and respect your feelings and privacy and just do dua for the marhoom/marhoomah.

Wassalam

47543

God (Allah) . Hell . Suicide

Would Allah send me to hell if I committed suicide because of a dreadful injury?

Nour Tessie Jørgensen, Nour Tessie Jørgensen has an MA in Islamic studies from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and a degree in Philosophy of Ethics at Al Mustafa International University in Qum, Iran. She works as... Answer updated 4 years ago

Dear reader,
May the peace and mercy of Allāh (’aza wa jal) be upon you.

First and foremost I have to express my deep compassion, I can not imagine the struggle you are going through. Your message moved me deeply, and I pray God’s light will guide you through this dark period.

Having suicidal thoughts is very natural in a case like yours, and you should give yourself credit for reaching out. Your hope for the mercy of Allāh (’aza wa jal) shows your true nature, and I know that Allāh (’aza wa jal) will find a way for you. I pray that Allāh (’aza wa jal) will forgive you as He knows your position, but know that you are very important on this Earth. Allāh (’aza wa jal) created you with inner beauty, significance, worth, and qualities that are very important to this world. Allāh (’aza wa jal) created you with a purpose and even if you haven’t found it yet, be sure that it is out there, waiting for you to discover it. Your abilities, qualities and purpose would go to waste if you would take your own life. Do not think about the torment of hell, think about the beauty of Allāh (’aza wa jal). Think about the beautiful creation He created, think about the beautiful system that you are an important part of.

In the Dua Kumayl we pray: “O God have mercy upon him whose only capital is hope”, and we need to have hope despite the horrors of darkness that surround us. The future is so bright, aren’t you curious to find out what the future holds for you? Life is like a beautiful Persian rug, and we are ants trying to find our way from one point to another. To us, the beautiful patterns, the perfection of the threads, seem meaningless and confusing. We meet the same pattern over and over again, and fail to realize that the symmetric patterns of the rug are its foundation of beauty. The patterns are a part of the perfection, but to us, as ants, it seems like we are not moving forward. Allāh (’aza wa jal) looks at this rug we call life and He wants us to succeed. He wants us to understand that its temporary. He wants to give us an insight into the Divine knowledge.

I know that you are patient, and that you have hope. You are an inspirational example of how to handle struggles, especially longing to visit the imams (as). You are a role model, and Allāh (’aza wa jal) gave you a special insight, namely the power to recreate your own self-image. You CAN get married, because you are worth loving, and you have so much to give. There are women who will be able to look past that, and see you for you. The Prophet (S) said, ‘Good nature establishes love.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 148, no. 71].

It is a life changing trauma that you went through, and in line with the physical damages, you might be facing mental challenges too. The doctors might not be able to help you with your physical challenges, but professionals can help you with your mental state. To help you change your narrative, and self image. To help you acknowledge your worth and ability to be loved by a wife. Please seek professional help, suicidal thoughts are very important warning signs that shouldn’t be missed, and you deserve so much more.

Regarding ziyarat, I hope and pray that you may find a way to get your expenses funded, and I hope that Allāh (’aza wa jal) will open a door for you when you least expect it. Until then know that distance isn’t an obstacle, you may do ziyarat to the imams (as) from your position, and they will serve as a mediator to Allāh (’aza wa jal). Miracles aren’t bounded to the graves of the imams (as). Longing for their presence, longing for their help is a means to reach Allāh (’aza wa jal) no matter wherever you are. That is a part of their blessings, and one of the reasons why they are gifts bestowed upon mankind. You have the Prophet (salla Llahu alayhi wa aleehi wa sallam) who’s constantly praying for you, you have Imām al-Mahdi (ajjallāhu farajahu) who wants you to strive and be a part of his nation, and you have Allāh (’aza wa jal), and no struggle, challenge, tear, hardship and discomfort espace His knowledge.

Allāh (’aza wa jal) promised us that with hardship comes ease (The Holy Qur’an 94:6), and I am looking forward to one day hear about the beautiful blessings Allāh (’aza wa jal) bestowed upon you, and the incredible ways He turned your life around.