Is suicide permissible in Islam, I have heard that those who do suicide as a Muslim are permanently granted hell? Is it true?
الحمدللہ والصلوۃ والسلام علی رسول اللہ الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب
Suicide i.e. to kill oneself is Harām (forbidden) and a kabīrah (i.e. major) sin and the jurists are agreed upon this. Allāh has forbidden Jannah (Paradise) for such a person and he will be punished in Jahannam (Hell) with the very thing he committed suicide with, as has been mentioned in Hadīth:
It is narrated by Sayyidunā Thābit bin Dahhāk (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said,
“وَمَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِشَىْءٍ فِى الدُّنْيَا عُذِّبَ بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ“
“Whosoever killed himself with something in the world will be punished with it on the Day of Judgement.”
[Sahīh Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān, Hadīth no. 316, pg. 69]
Also, it is narrated from Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah that the Noble Prophet ﷺ said,
“مَنَ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِحَدِيدَةٍ فَحَدِيدَتُهُ فِى يَدِهِ يَتَوَجَّأُ بِهَا فِى بَطْنِهِ فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا وَمَنْ شَرِبَ سَمًّا فَقَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ فَهُوَ يَتَحَسَّاهُ فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا وَمَنْ تَرَدَّى مِنْ جَبَلٍ فَقَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ فَهُوَ يَتَرَدَّى فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا مُخَلَّدًا فِيهَا أَبَدًا“
“Whoever killed himself with a piece of metal then that piece of metal will be in his hand and he will strike himself in his stomach with it in the fire of Hell; dwelling in it eternally, forever. Whoever drank poison killing himself will then drink it in the fire of Hell; dwelling in it eternally, forever. Whoever threw himself from a mountain killing himself then he will fall in the fire of Hell; dwelling in it eternally, forever.”
[Sahīh Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān, Hadīth no. 313]
A Muslim who commits suicide does not become a disbeliever due to such, thus after the fulfilment of his punishment in Hell, he will definitely enter Paradise eventually. Therefore, the continual and eternal punishment and torment in Hell of the one who commits suicide means that he will remain in Hell for a long period of time or that the person who committed suicide considered it to be halāl (lawful), because regarding harām as halāl is kufr (disbelief) and Hell is the eternal abode for disbelievers.
واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ محمد قاسم ضیاء القادری
Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Mawlana Ibrar Shafi
