Question & Answer

Written by Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen

Question: What is the ruling concerning suicide?

Response: Suicide is for a person to intentionally kill himself regardless of the reason. It is a forbidden act and is one of the great sins. It falls under the general meaning of the verse,

'Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him" (al-Nisa 93).

It is also confirmed in the Hadith from the Prophetﷺ that if anyone kills himself with something, he will be punished with that thing in the hell-fire forever. In general, the one who commits suicide does so due to difficulties he is facing in life, regardless if those are the acts of Allah [such as, what the West calls "natural disasters"] or the acts of creation. He is not able to bear what has happened to him. He is, in reality, like one who jumps from the frying pan into the fire. He has, perhaps, moved from one bad situation to a worse one. If he were to be patient, Allah would help him bear his troubles. As it is said, it is impossible for one state to continue forever.

Shaikh ibn Uthaimin

Islamic Fatawa Regarding Women - Darussalam Pg.365-366

Written by Abdul-Aziz Bin Baz

Question: What is the ruling concerning what is known as al-ma`tim, in which people gather for three days after the burial in order to recite the Quran?

Response: The gathering in the house of the deceased to eat, drink and recite the Quran is an innovation. Similarly, their getting together to pray for the person and make supplications for him are also innovations. There is no source for it. All that should be done is that people come to pay condolences, pray for the person, ask for mercy for them, console their grieving and encourage them to be patient. To gather for what they call al- ma'tim, to make particular supplications, particular prayers or reading of the Quran has no basis whatsoever. If that were a good act, our pious predecessors would have done it. The Messenger of Allahﷺ did not do it. When Jafar ibn Abu Talib, Abdullah ibn Rawaaha and Zaid ibn Haaritha were killed at the Battle of Mu'tah and the Prophetﷺ received the news through revelation, the Prophetﷺ announced that to the Companions and told them their news. He supplicated for them and asked Allah to be pleased with them. He did no make a gathering. He did not prepare a meal or have a ma'tim. All of that he did not do even though the three who died were from the most virtuous of the Companions. When Abu Bakr died, also no one made a ma'tim, even though he was the best of the Companions. When Umar was killed, no one made a ma'tim. The people did not gather to pray or read the Quran for him. Uthman and Ali were killed and the people did not gather after a specific time to pray for them, ask mercy for them or prepare food for them. It is, however, recommended for the relatives or neighbors of the deceased to prepare food for the deceased's family and to send that food to them. This is similar to what the Prophetﷺ did when the news of Jafar's death came to him. He said to his family,

"Prepare food for the family of Jafar as something has occurred to them that is preoccupying them."'Recorded by al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and ibn Majah. According to a Albani, it is hasan. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol. 1, p. 234.-JZ

The family of the deceased are preoccupied with their loss. To prepare food for them and send it to them is what is legal sanctioned. However, to add to their affliction and to put more responsibilities on their shoulders by making them prepare food for the people goes completely against the sunnah. In fact, it is an innovation. Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali said, "We used to consider gathering with the family of the deceased and preparing food after the burial as a kind of lamentation." And lamentation is forbidden. This is to raise one's voice, while the deceased is punished in the grave due to the wailing over him. One must avoid such practices. However, there is no harm in crying with tears.

Shaikh ibn Baz

Islamic Fatawa Regarding Women - Darussalam Pg.132-134

Written by Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen

Question:

I have faced so many difficulties in my life that it has made me hate this life. Every time I turned to Allaah, I pleaded for Him to take my life away from me at the earliest. This is my wish until now as I do not see any solutions to my problems except death; it is the only thing that can save me from this punishment. Is this behavior forbidden for me?

Response:

When a person wishes for death because of something that has afflicted him, he is doing something that the Prophet ﷺ has prohibited. The Prophet ﷺ said:

((None of you should hope for death because of some harm that has come to him. If he has wish such, he should say, 'O Allaah, give me life if You know that life is better for me. And give me death if You know that death is better for me)).

Therefore, it is not allowed for anyone to wish for death because of some harm, hardship or difficulty that has come to him. In fact, he should have patience and expect a reward from Allaah for what he is passing through. He should also wait for relief to come, as the Prophet ﷺ has said:

((Know that victory comes with patience, relief with distress and ease with hardship)).

The one who is afflicted with any affliction should know that those afflictions expiate some of the sins that he has committed. No believer is afflicted with any kind of worry, grief or pain except that Allaah expiates sins for him due to that, even the pricking of a thorn. When the person has patience and expects rewards from Allaah, he reaches the stage of being among the patient. This stage is a very elevated stage. Allaah has stated about its inhabitants:

{And give glad tidings to the patient. Who, when afflicted with calamity, say, 'Truly, to Allaah we belong and, truly, to Him we shall return}, [Soorah al-Baqarah, Aayahs 155-156].

The woman in the question feels that there is no solution for her problems except death. I believe that this is a mistaken view. Death does not solve any problems. In fact, the situation of adversity may get even worse. How many humans die while being afflicted with pain and problems but they had been wronging themselves and did not give their sins and repent to Allaah. Then his death is just a quicker coming of his punishment. If he remained alive, perhaps Allaah would have guide him to repentance, seeking forgiveness, patience, facing the problem and expecting relief. This all would have been good for him. Therefore, you, the questioner, must be patient and expect relief from Allaah. Allaah says in His book:

{So, verily, with the hardship there is relief. Verily, with the hardship, there is relief}, [Soorah ash-Sharh, Aayahs 5-6].

And the Prophet ﷺ stated, in an authentic narration:

((Know that victory comes with patience, relief with distress and ease with hardship)).

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Fataawa al-Mar.ah

Written by Ibn Taymiyyah

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about a man who claimed to be a holy man, then he saw a snake and some of the people wanted to kill it, but he stopped them, then he picked up the snake trying to do a miraculous deed, but the snake bit him and he died. Is it permissible to offer the funeral prayer for him or not?

He replied:

Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. The scholars and people who are religiously committed should not pray for this man and others like him, but the ordinary people should pray for him, just as the Prophet ﷺ refrained from praying for a man who had committed suicide, and one who had stolen from the war-booty, but he said: “Pray for your companion.” They said to Samurah ibn Jundub: “Your son did not sleep last night.” He said, “Was it because he ate too much?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “If he had died I would not have prayed for him.” Samurah explained that if he died because he had eaten too much, he would not pray for him, because he would have killed himself by eating too much. And it is more appropriate that the scholars and those who are religiously-committed should refrain from offering the funeral prayer for this man who prevented others from killing the snake, and held it in his hand until it killed him, because he killed himself.

Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 3/20, 21