the-islamic-ruling-on-the-permissibility-of-self-sacrificial-operations-suicide-or-martyrdom

Definition of Suicide
Al-Intihār (suicide) in <strong>the</strong> Arabic language is used as “<strong>the</strong> man committed suicide”- meaning
he killed himself. Refer to Lisān al-‘Arab and Tāj al-‘Urūs, under نحر “Nahr”. 96
But <strong>the</strong> Fuqahā’ (scholars) did not use this definition.
Some said, “The killing of a human of himself by using any means whatsoever.”
O<strong>the</strong>rs said, “That a person kills himself due to an anger or grief that he has.” 97
O<strong>the</strong>rs said, “It is throwing one’s own self into destruction due to a worldly harm inflicted
upon him.” 98
Allāh says,
‏﴿ولا تق ْتل ُوا أ َنف ُسك ُم إِن َّ الل َّه ك َان َ بِك ُم رحِيما ً ومن يف ْعل ْ ذ َلِك عدوانا ً وظ ُل ْما ً ف َسوف نصلِيهِ‏ نارا ً وك َان َ ذ َلِك
عل َى الل َّهِ‏ يسِيرا ً﴾‏
“Do not kill yourselves; Surely, Allāh is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits
that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into <strong>the</strong> Fire. And that is
easy for Allāh.” 99
Imām al-Qurtubī رحمه االله explained this verse “And <strong>the</strong> scholars are upon Ijmā’ (consensus)
that what is meant in this verse, is <strong>the</strong> prohibition of people (Muslims) to kill one ano<strong>the</strong>r.
And its literal wording also implies a prohibition for a person to kill himself due to any
worldly desire, or seeking for wealth in such a way which he endangers his life with utter
destruction; and <strong>the</strong> verse also implies <strong>the</strong> meaning of ‘Do not kill yourselves due to misery
or fury’- So all of this is implied by this verse.” 100
So thus, it can be said that <strong>the</strong> prohibited suicide is, “Killing one’s own self without any valid
Islāmic reason found in <strong>the</strong> texts of <strong>the</strong> Sharī’ah.”
96 Also refer to al-Qāmūs al-Muhīt (616)
97 This includes anxiety, hunger, thirst, pain, etc…
98
As is in <strong>the</strong> Hadīth, “Among those before you, <strong>the</strong>re was a man with a wound, and he was in
anguish, so he took a knife and cut his hands, and <strong>the</strong> blood did not stop until he died. Allāh said,
“My servant has hastened <strong>the</strong> ending of his life, so I have prohibited Paradise to him.” Refer to al-Bukhārī (3463),
Muslim (116), Sahīh at-Targhīb (2456) of al-Albānī, and also as-Silsilah as-Sahīhah (462).
99 An-Nisā’: 29-30
100
Refer to Tafsīr al-Qurtubī (5/156)
47