عربي
Home


Articles

Articles

Suicide is a Major Sin
Author : The General Iftaa' Department
Date Added : 05-04-2026

Suicide is a Major Sin: A Call for Collective Action

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and all his companions. 

Suicide is one of the gravest major sins (Kaba'ir) prohibited by Sharia. It is a crime against the human soul, which Allah has made sacred. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful." [An-Nisa/29]. A person’s faith renders them a servant of Allah, fully submitted to Him, believing that their very life belongs to the Lord of the Worlds; thus, they do not possess the right to end it by their own choice. The Prophet ﷺ clarified that belief in Divine Decree (Qadar), both its good and its perceived evil, is a fundamental pillar of faith.

Religious, social, and moral responsibility mandates that we stand together in confronting the phenomenon of suicide. Our firm creed and the Sharia rulings that govern our lives serve as a fortress against this dangerous path. The spiritual and practical foundations of our noble religion grant a human being the true meaning of existence, providing hope even in the darkest of circumstances. It transforms the individual into a person of purpose, living with trust and reliance upon Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you should wish for death because of a calamity that has befallen him; but if he must do something, let him say: 'O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is good for me, and take my soul if death is better for me'" [Sahih Bukhari].

Should a Muslim find themselves struggling with thoughts of suicide, they must seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, increase their seeking of forgiveness (Istighfar), and devote themselves to acts of worship. They should remember the Hereafter and the immense reward Allah has prepared for those who are patient. Allah says {what means}: "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return." Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided} [Al-Baqarah/155-157].

There must be a concerted effort involving religious guidance, the family unit, the media, educational institutions, and mental health professionals to build a national safety net. This network should ensure that every individual finds a hand extended to them when they feel the paths have been cut off, effectively transforming a culture of despair into a creed of having good expectations (Husn al-Dhann) of Allah and holding fast to hope.

At the General Iftaa’ Department, we provide a discourse that positions Sharia rulings as the most vital element in achieving spiritual elevation and protecting both soul and body. When an individual realizes that their life is a blessing of limited days, they strive to fill every moment with goodness and benefit, looking forward to the vast mercy of the Hereafter prepared for the righteous. This realization grants the soul a profound ability to mend its brokenness rather than surrendering to despair and weakness. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on eating or drinking during the circumambulation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is disliked (makrūh) to eat or drink during the circumambulation (ṭawāf).
Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī states in al-Majmūʿ: "It is disliked to eat or drink during ṭawāf, and the dislikedness of drinking is lighter. Neither of them, nor both together, invalidates the ṭawāf. Al-Shāfiʿī said: 'There is no objection to drinking water during ṭawāf, and I do not consider it sinful; however, I prefer that it be avoided, as refraining from it is more befitting in terms of proper conduct.' Among those who explicitly stated the dislikedness of eating and drinking, and that drinking is the lesser of the two, is the author of al-Ḥāwī."
If, however, a person is in genuine need of drinking, then there is no dislikedness in doing so. In any case, the ṭawāf itself remains valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to agree with a butcher to purchase the meat of an animal after it has been slaughtered — for instance, by buying the meat of a sheep at a price determined by the weight of its meat following slaughter, at a fixed rate per kilogram? And what is the ruling if the animal is being purchased with the intention of it being an uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible to sell livestock in the manner of pricing each kilogram of meat after slaughter at a fixed rate, because the meat within the animal prior to slaughter is unseen and unknown. This leads to jahālah (ignorance of the subject matter) and gharar (contractual uncertainty), both of which are among the invalidating factors in sales transactions.
However, it is permissible for the buyer to issue a promise to purchase the meat of the animal after slaughter at a specified price per kilogram, with the actual sale being concluded at the time of weighing the meat — at which point both the quantity of the goods and the total price become known. There is no Sharī'ah objection to this arrangement.
The jurists have stipulated that for a sale to be valid, both countervalues must be present and observable. Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states:
"It is valid to sell a heap of grain whose total measure is unknown to both contracting parties at a rate of one sā' per dirham. This sale is valid because the subject of sale is present and observable, and ignorance of the total price is not harmful since it is known in detail — and uncertainty is thereby lifted."— [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.355]
As for the uḍḥiyyah, the 'aqīqah, and vowed blood sacrifices (al-dam al-mandhūr) — full ownership of the animal must be established prior to slaughter. It is not valid for such animals to be slaughtered while still in the ownership of the butcher. Rather, the animal must be purchased alive and then slaughtered with the intention of uḍḥiyyah or the like. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on discharges two or three days before the expected period of menstruation and the light-colored blood accompanying it? Must the woman abstain from prayer during this period?

If the total duration of these blood-tinged discharges reaches a day and a night (24 hours) or more, it is considered menstruation. If their total does not exceed 24 hours, it is not considered menstruation but is irregular bleeding (dam al-fasad). Each woman has specific cases for which she should ask the scholars. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Sharia basis of the Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is firmly established through the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Consensus (Ijma') of the Muslims:
1. Evidence from the Holy Quran
Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good." [Al-Hajj/36]. He also says {what means}: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]" [Al-Kawthar/2]. According to the most well-known scholarly interpretations of this verse, "prayer" refers to the Eid prayer, and "sacrifice" refers to the slaughtering of the Udhiyah.
2. Evidence from the Sunnah
Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The first thing we start with on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and sacrifice. Whoever does that has followed our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters before [the prayer], it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it is not part of the ritual sacrifice in any way" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed two white rams with horns. He slaughtered them with his own hand, mentioned the name of Allah (Tasmiyah), and said the Takbir" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
3. Evidence from Scholarly Consensus (Ijma')
The Muslims have reached a unanimous consensus on the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah, and no one among the scholars has disagreed with this. [Al-Sherbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj, Vol.6/P.122].And Allah the Exalted knows best.

See More