Suicide - It's Not An
Escape!
Sheikh Aslam Hussain
In a society that prides itself for freedom
and liberty to attain maximum happiness, suicide ought to be the furthest
from the mind. Yet it is not
an uncommon practice and may be someone who is close to you and opens up
to you and you may be the only person who can help.
Suicide, resorted to in times of crisis as an end to those worries,
is not only prohibited in Islam but it is also not an escape.
This article illustrates how Islam provides an alternative that is
worth living for!
---
All praise and gratitude is to Allah –
our Creator, Provider and the Maintainer of all the worlds.
In Allah’s care…
He brought together the sperm and the ovum from deep within two separate
individuals, lodged the fertilized egg safely and prepared the uterus for
the creation of a life – helpless and dependent on its Creator from the
day of conception and beyond its birth, the vibrant youth, prudent
adulthood up to its death at a senile old age and beyond to another life
– its real home. Not a day
passes except that the same Creator sustains this life – and the six
billion others like it on the planet – with attention to the most minute
of its needs. It breathes
effortlessly without even noticing the complex art and perfection in the
organs that enable it.
Why despair then…
With such care and attention for detail in each individual, is it then
warranted to despair of the help of the most Merciful?
Along the same lines we find these verses
in the Qur’ân, (their translation) “Has there not been over man a
period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning?
Verily, We have created man from a drop of mixed fluid (of man and
woman) in order to try him so We made him a hearer and seer.
Verily, We showed him the way (gave him guidance in all matters),
whether he be grateful or ungrateful (lit. kafoor i.e. who conceals and
denies the favours or signs of Allah).
[Sűrah Insân 76:1-3]
For us is to worship and the provision is
from Him…
He created us with such care and attention for a noble purpose and assured
us that He will sustain and look after each and every need.
He informs in the Qur’ân, (its translation) “I did not create
the Jinn or the human except that they worship me; I do not want any
provision from them (neither for themselves nor for any creatures) nor do
I seek that they should feed Me (i.e. provide for whom I provide). Verily,
Allah He is the Provider (of all), possessor of Power, the Most Strong.”
[Sűrah Dhariyat 51:56-58]
Why the trials and hardship…
Thus Allah took the responsibility of providing for and looking after all
affairs of each and every individual and reassured He is the One fully
capable of that. Our concern
is not to be anxious even in the most trying circumstance for Allah
promised to provide a way out; rather our concern is to worship Him by
living a life of obedience to Him and excellence in every walk of life.
Any hardship faced is no more than a trial to prove that our only
concern is the approval of our actions by Allah before anyone else in the
community and even before our own pleasure.
Allah promised in the Qur’ân, “Alif, Lam, Mim, do people think
that they will be left alone on (merely) saying: ‘We believe,’ and not
be tested (in their claims)? We
have indeed tested those who were before them; and Allah will certainly
make it known those who were truthful and He will certainly make known the
liars.” [Sűrah Ankabűt
29:1-2]
Thus suicide forbidden in Qur’ân and
hadith…
Given that Allah promised to undertake the sustenance and any delay
thereafter or withholding of any of its needs being merely for a trial,
then there is no room for a person to take away the life that Allah has
created for an important purpose and meticulously sustaining it each
second for that purpose. He
prohibited the destroying of ones life in any manner as understood by the
general meaning of the wording of this verse, “And do not throw
(yourselves) with your own hands to destruction; but work (deeds of)
excellence for verily Allah loves the people of excellence.”
[Sűrah Baqarâh 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, Allâh is most merciful to
you.” [Sűrah Nisa 4:29]
In fact the taking of even one life is
regarded as the taking of the life of the whole of mankind, “Whoever
kills a soul – unless for another soul or for corruption (vice and
mischief spread) in the land – it is as if he had slain the whole of
mankind. And whoever saves
one – it is as if he had saved the whole of mankind.” [Sűrah
Ma’idah 5:32]
The noun, soul (nafs) in the verse is
without the definite particle. In Arabic, an indefinite noun in a
conditional clause gives the meaning of generality and comprehensiveness.
Thus, the verse is not only concerning the taking of a soul of
another person but even ones own life for both are souls created and
entrusted to us by Allah. This
is not only prohibited but also strongly condemned as though he killed the
whole of mankind.
The Messenger of Allah (May the peace and
blessings be on him) also prohibited it as learnt from 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 forever 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 Bukhâri).
The pain of suicide is forever…
A person, who commits suicide, does so believing it an escape from his
crisis so he ends his life willing to bear a moment of pain and may throw
himself of a cliff. Yet this
hadith shows that he actually brings upon himself that pain not just
momentarily but again and again in Hell-fire.
But from His mercy He may forgive suicide
– so why not stay alive in His mercy…
However, from the mercy of Allah, the Exalted, He may forgive any sin
committed by a person no matter how grave or He may punish in this life or
in Hell-fire, except for Shirk. Associating
partners to Allah (Shirk) in divinity and Lordship is the only sin that
Allah does not forgive. The
one doing shirk may seek forgiveness from the partner he claims to Allah
in divinity but he is seeking forgiveness from someone who doesn’t have
the authority to forgive! This
principle of forgiveness is established clearly in the Qur’ân,
“Verily Allah does not forgive that you set up partners with Him but He
forgives anything else for whomever He wishes.”
[Sűrah Nisa 4:48]
A person who is confident of the mercy of
Allah in forgiving him for committing suicide, shouldn’t he have the
same confidence that if he doesn’t commit suicide, Allah from His mercy
and care will alleviate his hardship and distress?
If it takes time, it is no more than a temporary trial.
A day’s worth for a Muslim…
An extra day alive is that much longer to work good deeds to distance
oneself from the eternal torment of Hell-fire and a golden opportunity to
win a better place in Paradise. It
is for deserving of this mercy of Allah and a Paradise which no eye has
ever seen, nor any ear has ever heard nor conceived by any mind, it is for
this a Muslim is directed to strive every moment he is alive by the favour
of Allah. A Believer
capitalizes on each breath Allah allows him – only the ignorant would
throw away such a bargain! Allah
says (translated it means), “And whoever does good equal to the weight
of an atom (or a small ant) will see it (on the Day of Resurrection to be
rewarded) and whoever does mischief equal to the weight of an atom shall
see it.” [Sűrah Zalzalah
99:7-8]
Reassurances in Qur’ân and a purpose to
live…
Thus a person contemplating suicide finds reassurance in the Qur’ân and
purpose for life. He finds an
explanation for ease or hardship. He
realizes that every hardship expiates for his sins and elevates his rank
in Paradise. He thus finds
internal peace and pleasure even in external hardship and suffering and
strives to acquire or lose the eternal comfort in the Hereafter.
The feelings of depression, anxiety, hopelessness and self-loathing
diminish as a Believer contemplates on the message of the Qur’ân,
reflects on life and patterns the life according to its wise injunctions.
Initially, this achievement may be for moments only but with time
and following the guidance of the Qur’ân it may become a constant
state.
Mixing with people…
The effectiveness of this process can be enhanced tremendously by
interaction with other people, righteous Muslims and especially the people
with Islamic knowledge and counselors. As negative feelings develop and pessimism sets in, they can
draw attention to vital realities of life and the Hereafter as well as be
the encouraging spirit. Not
everyone will be sensitive nor can the person open up to just anyone,
however it is good to at least with some who is understanding and able to
help. As for those who make
the person feel worthless for reasons that are insignificant in Allah’s
sight, not interacting with them is understandable.
Self-worth… with people…and with
Allah…
No matter how insignificant a person is in the eyes of his peers, he is
important enough in the sight of Allah that He created him with such care
from even before birth. The
society judges a person for wealth, power, and success in career, physical
attraction and other worldly traits.
But a person who has none of this or has lost everything may still
be the dearest to Allah, the angels and the believers who are rightly
guided! In Islam, the worth
of an individual is solely based on taqwa – God consciousness that
produces righteousness and piety. A
peasant or a bankrupt businessman may be superior to a CEO of the most
successful organization on earth – if he excels in taqwa!
Allah makes this point clear in the Qur’ân, (its translation
reads) “O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and
made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily,
the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has the most
taqwa (piety). Verily, Allah
is All-Knowing, All-aware.” [Sűrah
Hujurât 49:13]
Even at times of weakness, step at a
time…
Although reassured that in the sight of Allah the worthiness of an
individual is measured only by taqwa, a person may still be weary -
especially at times of high stress, depression and anxiety - of him being
able to attain this taqwa and self-worth.
Yet the Qur’ân inspires and motivates
even the weakest of the Believers to achieve the highest success.
Allah declares in the Qur’ân reassuringly, “Whoever works
righteousness – whether male or female – while he (or she) is a
Believer, verily, to him We will give a good life (in this life with
contentment etc), and certainly We shall give them a reward (in the
eternal Hereafter) according to the best of what they used to do.”
[Sűrah Nahl 16:97] Thus
when overwhelmed by stress and concerns, doing noble and pious deeds may
seem far, but a believer finds reassurance that he or she will be rewarded
by the best acts he does at any time in his life and momentary lapses may
well be forgiven by Allah the Oft-Forgiving, Merciful.
And at that moment of trauma when little
seems possible, a believer is reminded in the Qur’ân, “And whoever
does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) will see it (on
the Day of Resurrection to be rewarded) and whoever does mischief equal to
the weight of an atom shall see it.”
[Sűrah Zalzalah 99:7-8] So
instead of despair, a believer is found unconcerned of the society’s
estimation of him or of a major worldly loss, there is neither grief over
what destroyed the past nor anxiety over what the future holds, rather the
only concern is to do even an atoms weight of good at that difficult
moment – even if it is merely persevering patiently till a better moment
later on when big acts of piety can be performed because eventually the
reward from Allah, the most Merciful, is in accordance to the best actions
performed by the person. In
fact patiently persevering in such a difficult moment may rank as the best
of deeds!
Even the worst moment can actually become
the best…
In fact not a moment passes by in the life of a Muslim even if a
catastrophe befalls him, except that it can be a success and a bonus for
the Believer if he bears it patiently!
Even while overwhelmed by grief, anxieties and a desire to finish
it all with suicide, merely holding on till it passes away even without
doing any other good deed in that state can actually turn that depressing
moment into one of triumph and sure success so why resort to suicide then?
The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings be on him)
said, “The case of a believer is amazing!
Every affair of his is good for him, and this is not for anyone
except a believer: if he experiences something pleasant, he is grateful to
Allah and that is good for him; and if he comes across some adversity, he
is patiently persevering (i.e. has sabr) and that too is good for him!”
[Compiled in Sahih Muslim]
In fact we learn from another hadith that,
“When Allah wants well for a slave of His, He hastens the punishment in
this world (rather than the severe and eternal Hereafter).
And when Allah wants for His slave bad, He withholds from him (the
punishment for) his sin until he takes it from him on the Day of
Resurrection.” [An
authentic hadith collected by Tirmidhi]
Thus the one suffering hardship may actually be more beloved to
Allah than one who is being left and not punished despite sins and
impiety. The Prophet
informed, “Nothing strikes a Muslim – no fatigue, illness, worry,
grief, hurt nor sorrow; not even a prick of a thorn – except that Allah
wipes off due to it some of his sins.” [Collected in Sahih of Bukhâri
& Muslim]
Even if his world seems to be falling
apart…
With a sense of worth for even the smallest good deeds, a believer bears
the most trying of hardships reassured that as the Messenger of Allah
said, “Verily, the greatness of the reward is with the greatness (or
severity) of the trial. Verily
if Allah loves a people He tries them (with trials).”
[An authentic hadith collected by Tirmidhi]
Thus, what may seem to another as his world
falling apart in front of his eyes and nothing to live for, a Believer
sees in the same an equally great world of unending bliss and comfort
being prepared for him or her in Paradise so long as he bears it with
patience for although this life is for being tried repetitively, “Verily
along with every difficulty is relief (that comes thereafter).”
[Sűrah Inshirah 94:6]
The relief is near – a guarantee from
Allah…
If the relief doesn’t come immediately, it’s not far.
This, Allah guarantees, “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!”
[Sűrah Baqarâh 2:214].
So why then would anyone want to commit
suicide!!
It is not surprising then, with such
compelling reasons to live for and reassurances of help, Allah warned of
some of the most severe punishments for the one who ends his own life –
a life that in fact belongs to Allah!
As the above-mentioned hadith of the punishment of the one who
committed suicide shows, the self-infliction of the same fatal blow
repeatedly in hell-fire again and again, a person who commits suicide
hasn’t found an escape from his worries; in fact, it’s just the
beginning.
Source: Sheikh Aslam Hussain, graduate of
Madinah University in Shariah. His audio, articles and course notes can be
found at http://www.islamiclessons.com
http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=article&id=278 |
