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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 of Islamic Law on a fictitious marriage for the purpose of obtaining citizenship?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no such thing in our noble sharīʿah as a "nominal" or "fictitious" marriage or divorce. Marriage and divorce are among the sacred ordinances of Allah, and it is not permissible to manipulate them or use them as a stratagem to obtain worldly gains.
The foundational purpose of a marriage contract is the permanence and continuity of the relationship between the spouses — to establish a family, and to bring forth righteous offspring. So sacred is this bond that Allah the Almighty Himself described it as a solemn covenant (mīthāq ghalīẓ), saying {what means}: "And if you wish to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount of wealth, do not take any of it back. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin? And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?" [Al-Nisāʾ/ 20–21]
Accordingly, it is not permissible to resort to manipulation and deception in contracts that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has described as a "solemn covenant" — all for the sake of material and worldly benefit. Marriage is built upon permanence and does not admit of a fixed time limit. If a time limit is stipulated in the contract, the contract is rendered invalid by the consensus of the jurists. Similarly, marriage is impermissible when there exists a mutual, concealed intention to limit its duration — even if no time limit is explicitly mentioned in the contract — for this constitutes a form of unlawful circumvention of the sharīʿah. This is to say nothing of the lying and deception that such conduct involves, the prohibition of which needs no elaboration. Lying, deception, and fraud for the purpose of obtaining worldly gains are among the gravest of sins.
If, however, the marriage contract is first concluded in a valid sharʿī manner and then registered civilly, it is sound and fully valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What are the legal and religious consequences for a charitable organization in the event that a sacrificial animal is damaged or spoiled after slaughter?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Charitable organizations entrusted with slaughtering sacrificial animals (uḍḥiyyah) and distributing their meat on behalf of their owners are obligated to safeguard the meat from spoilage, damage, theft, and any other harm. This is because such organizations act as agents (wukalā') on behalf of those offering the sacrifice, and an agent holds what is entrusted to them in trust (amānah) — whether they receive a wage for their work or act on a voluntary basis.
If the sacrificial animal is damaged after slaughter during the processes of packaging, transportation, or storage due to negligence or oversight — whether on the part of the organization's own staff overseeing the operation, or on the part of third parties contracted by the organization such as transport or shipping companies — then liability falls upon the negligent party, who is required to compensate for the value of the sacrifice. It is not permissible to cover such compensation from the organization's other donor funds.
However, if the damage to the sacrificial animal occurs without any negligence in its preservation and storage on the part of any party involved in the transportation, shipping, or storage process, and is instead attributable to force majeure circumstances beyond their control, then no financial liability is borne by any party in such a case. And Allah Almighty knows best.

How to perform the witr prayer in terms of connection (wasl) and separation (fasl)?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Witr prayer has several forms that vary in terms of virtue:
 
The First Form: Separating every two units (rak‘ah) with a Tashahhud and a Taslim (salutation). This is superior to connecting the units, even if it is only a single rak‘ah. This is based on the Hadith of ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray eleven units between the end of the ‘Isha prayer and dawn, performing the Taslim after every two units and performing Witr with a single unit.' (Related by al-Bukhari & Muslim).
 
The Second Form: Connecting the units with only one final Tashahhud at the very end.
 
The Third Form: Connecting with two Tashahhuds—meaning reciting the Tashahhud before the final unit without performing the Taslim, then standing to complete the final unit. This form is considered the lowest in rank so that the Witr prayer remains distinct from the obligatory Maghrib prayer, as stated in the Hadith: 'Do not make the Witr resemble the Maghrib prayer.' (Narrated by Al-Daraqutni, who stated its narrators are trustworthy).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim Sharh al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah: 'It is permissible to connect [the Witr] with one Tashahhud in the final unit—which is better—or with two Tashahhuds in the last two units, as both methods are established in Sahih Muslim from the actions of the Prophet ﷺ. In the connected method, more than two Tashahhuds are prohibited. Furthermore, separating (al-Fasl) is better than connecting (al-Wasl) if the number of units is the same, because the Hadiths supporting it are more numerous and it involves more devotional actions.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

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