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Suicide is a Major Sin
Author : The General Iftaa' Department
Date Added : 05-04-2026

Suicide is a Major Sin: A Call for Collective Action

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and all his companions. 

Suicide is one of the gravest major sins (Kaba'ir) prohibited by Sharia. It is a crime against the human soul, which Allah has made sacred. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful." [An-Nisa/29]. A person’s faith renders them a servant of Allah, fully submitted to Him, believing that their very life belongs to the Lord of the Worlds; thus, they do not possess the right to end it by their own choice. The Prophet ﷺ clarified that belief in Divine Decree (Qadar), both its good and its perceived evil, is a fundamental pillar of faith.

Religious, social, and moral responsibility mandates that we stand together in confronting the phenomenon of suicide. Our firm creed and the Sharia rulings that govern our lives serve as a fortress against this dangerous path. The spiritual and practical foundations of our noble religion grant a human being the true meaning of existence, providing hope even in the darkest of circumstances. It transforms the individual into a person of purpose, living with trust and reliance upon Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "None of you should wish for death because of a calamity that has befallen him; but if he must do something, let him say: 'O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is good for me, and take my soul if death is better for me'" [Sahih Bukhari].

Should a Muslim find themselves struggling with thoughts of suicide, they must seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, increase their seeking of forgiveness (Istighfar), and devote themselves to acts of worship. They should remember the Hereafter and the immense reward Allah has prepared for those who are patient. Allah says {what means}: "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return." Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided} [Al-Baqarah/155-157].

There must be a concerted effort involving religious guidance, the family unit, the media, educational institutions, and mental health professionals to build a national safety net. This network should ensure that every individual finds a hand extended to them when they feel the paths have been cut off, effectively transforming a culture of despair into a creed of having good expectations (Husn al-Dhann) of Allah and holding fast to hope.

At the General Iftaa’ Department, we provide a discourse that positions Sharia rulings as the most vital element in achieving spiritual elevation and protecting both soul and body. When an individual realizes that their life is a blessing of limited days, they strive to fill every moment with goodness and benefit, looking forward to the vast mercy of the Hereafter prepared for the righteous. This realization grants the soul a profound ability to mend its brokenness rather than surrendering to despair and weakness. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to purchase the Udhiyah on installments?

It is permissible to purchase the sacrificial animal (uḍḥiyyah) on installments or by borrowing its price. However, it is not recommended for the poor to do so, because they are not required to offer a sacrifice, and Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. If doing so would lead to negligence in providing for one's dependents (nafaqah wājibah), then giving precedence to obligatory maintenance over borrowing to buy the sacrifice is appropriate. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "It is sufficient sin for a person to withhold food from those whom he is responsible to support."
 
Furthermore, the sacrifice is valid from one who has a debt, but it is preferable (awlā) to repay the debt first, especially if the debt is due immediately (ḥāll). And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling if a postpartum woman becomes pure before forty days; are acts of worship obligatory upon her, and is she permissible for her husband?

If the postpartum woman becomes definitely pure before forty days, she must perform the ritual bath and perform acts of worship as a pure woman does. What was prohibited for her also becomes permissible, so she becomes permissible for her husband after her bath. The minimum duration for postpartum bleeding is a moment (an instant), and its usual maximum is forty days. Reaching forty days is not a condition; rather, it is sufficient for the blood to stop or to see the white discharge (qassa bayda'). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to agree with a butcher to purchase the meat of an animal after it has been slaughtered — for instance, by buying the meat of a sheep at a price determined by the weight of its meat following slaughter, at a fixed rate per kilogram? And what is the ruling if the animal is being purchased with the intention of it being an uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible to sell livestock in the manner of pricing each kilogram of meat after slaughter at a fixed rate, because the meat within the animal prior to slaughter is unseen and unknown. This leads to jahālah (ignorance of the subject matter) and gharar (contractual uncertainty), both of which are among the invalidating factors in sales transactions.
However, it is permissible for the buyer to issue a promise to purchase the meat of the animal after slaughter at a specified price per kilogram, with the actual sale being concluded at the time of weighing the meat — at which point both the quantity of the goods and the total price become known. There is no Sharī'ah objection to this arrangement.
The jurists have stipulated that for a sale to be valid, both countervalues must be present and observable. Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states:
"It is valid to sell a heap of grain whose total measure is unknown to both contracting parties at a rate of one sā' per dirham. This sale is valid because the subject of sale is present and observable, and ignorance of the total price is not harmful since it is known in detail — and uncertainty is thereby lifted."— [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.355]
As for the uḍḥiyyah, the 'aqīqah, and vowed blood sacrifices (al-dam al-mandhūr) — full ownership of the animal must be established prior to slaughter. It is not valid for such animals to be slaughtered while still in the ownership of the butcher. Rather, the animal must be purchased alive and then slaughtered with the intention of uḍḥiyyah or the like. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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