Thesis statement: Suicide is considered a cardinal sin in Islam.

Muslims believe those who have

committed suicide to be forbidden from entering Paradise.

Introduction

I choose this topic to make people aware about Suicide is not permissible in Islam and not good way

to overcome the hard situations because every problem has a solution because Suicide is haram and a

major sin. The one who commits suicide is faced with a warning of eternity in the Fire of Hell, where

Allah will punish him with the means that he used to commit suicide. If the suicide is due to mental

illness that has had such a far-reaching impact on a person’s reason that he is not aware of what he is

saying or doing, if in such a case it so happens that he killed himself, then he will not be with the sinners

who have committed the major sin of suicide; rather he will be excused. That is because this person was

no longer accountable due to severe mental illness that led to loss of reason. Allah says in Surah al-

Maidah that if anyone kills someone without reason, it’s as if he has killed all of humanity. Then, Allah

says that the same applies to saving a life. Hence, any form of taking a life is a crime in Islam. We can

apply the same logic to suicide, which Allah has wholly forbidden. Alllah has also clearly stated in Surah

Nisa that people should not kill themselves. In the same verse, He adds that He is the Most Merciful.

Allah’s Mercy contains the key that can obstruct the path for any Muslim who considers committing the

crime of suicide. Human life is sacred, no matter what Prophet Muhammad (S) also said that in the

Afterlife, Allah would punish a person who commits suicide with the same thing that he used to commit

suicide with. Hence, we can see that there is no room for argument on this matter. Committing suicide is

a major sin in Islam and must be avoided at all costs. At the same time, we must also remember that

Allah says that He can forgive all sins besides the sin of shirk. Therefore, if someone commits the crime

of suicide, we cannot say that they are destined for the fire. Allah is the Just and the Most Merciful. If He

wishes, He will punish the person. But if He wishes, He will also forgive the person.In the modern-day
world, suicide is becoming an increasingly bigger problem. This is a global issue that affects countries all

over the world. According to some estimates, up to one million people take their own lives annually.

This does not mean – if it is proven that your cousin did commit suicide – that you should not pray for

mercy and forgiveness for her, rather you must do that because she needs that. Suicide is not kufr that

puts a person beyond the pale of Islam as some people think, rather it is a major sin that is subject to

the will of Allah on the Day of Resurrection: if He wills, He will forgive it, and if He wills He will punish for

it. So do not neglect to make du’aa’ for her and be sincere in doing so.

BACKGROUND

In a historical investigation of suicide it is necessary to distinguish between the occurrence of

actual cases of suicide and the theoretical discussion of the problems connected with it. Cases of suicide

may occur in any place and at any time. Unfavorable social, or psychic, or psvcho-physiological

conditions have been considered a causes of the phenomenon. Suggestions have been made as to how

to limit, or eliminate, its occurrence. It would seem possible that the frequency of suicide could be

curbed by remedying the conditions conducive of it. However, under the prevailing circumstances, such

general improvement appears not to be in sight, and, at any rate, the occurrence of various cases of

suicide is and will be unavoidable. Suicide Rates as Social Facts. At each moment of its history,

therefore, each society has a definite aptitude for suicide. The relative intensity of this aptitude is

measured by taking the proportion between the total number of voluntary deaths and the population of

every age and sex. Historically, Muslims have stressed that suicide (the act of taking one's own life) can

never be justified under any circumstances. To commit suicide is to guarantee oneself a place in an

eternal, burning, hell according to Islamic scripture. Two Quranic suras often cited that forbid suicide:

[do not] kill yourselves, for truly Allah has been to you Most Merciful. If any do that in rancour and

injustice, soon shall We cast him into the Fire ...(Qur'an Sura An-Nisa- 4:29-30) You shall spend in the
cause of GOD; do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction (Qur'an Sura AI-Baqara-

2:195).

I- SUICIDE

A) Definition of Suicide

Suicide is death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die. A suicide attempt is when someone

harms themselves with any intent to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions.

Suicide means ending your own life. It is sometimes a way for people to escape pain or suffering. When

someone ends their own life, we say that they "died by suicide." A "suicide attempt" means that

someone tried to end their life, but did not die.

II- FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUICIDE

According to Emile Durkheim, the term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or

indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim, which he/she knows will produce this result

(Pickering & Walford, 2011). Durkheim identifies four different types of suicide which are egoistic

suicide, altruistic suicide, anomic suicide and fatalistic suicide.

1. Egoistic suicide

Is seen as stemming from the absence of social integration. It is committed by individuals who are social

outcast and see themselves as being alone or an outsider. These individuals are unable to find their own

place in society and have problems adjusting to groups. They received little and no social care. Suicide is

seen as a solution for them to free themselves from loneliness or excessive individuation.

2. Altruistic suicide
occurs when social group involvement is too high. Individuals are so well integrated into the group that

they are willing to sacrifice their own life in order to fulfil some obligation for the group. Individuals kill

themselves for the collective benefit of the group or for the cause that the group believes in. An

example is someone who commits suicide for the sake of a religious or political cause, such as the

infamous Japanese Kamikaze pilots of World War II, or the hijackers that crashed the airplanes into the

World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania in 2001. During World War II, Japanese

Kamikaze pilots were willing to lay down their own lives for their countries in the hope that they will win

the war. These pilots believed in their nation’s cause and were willing to sacrifice their lives. Similarly,

suicide bombers around the world were willing to give up their lives in order to make a political or

religious statement because they firmly believed in their group’s cause.

3.Anomic suicide

Is caused by the lack of social regulation and it occurs during high levels of stress and frustration. Anomic

suicide stems from sudden and unexpected changes in situations. For example, when individuals suffer

extreme financial loss, the disappointment and stress that individuals face may drive them towards

committing suicide as a means of escape.

4. Fatalistic suicide

occurs when individuals are kept under tight regulation. These individuals are placed under extreme

rules or high expectations are set upon them, which removes a person’s sense of self or individuality.

Slavery and persecution are examples of fatalistic suicide where individuals may feel that they are

destined by fate to be in such conditions and choose suicide as the only means of escaping such

conditions. In South Korea, celebrities are being put under strict regulations. There was a case where, a

singer committed suicide due to exhaustion to keep up with society’s rules and regulations. In 2017,
celebrity Kim Jonghyun ended his life due to severe depression and the pressure of being in the spotlight

as he felt that he could not fulfil the society’s expectations of his performance (Lee, 2018).