The Ruling Concerning Suicide

Missions1
Q: Shaykh, some of the suicide missions that are carried out against
the Jews in Palestine are organized by the group called Ḥamās.
There (in Palestine), some of the scholars have issued rulings
legitimizing such actions. What is your opinion concerning this?
A: The suicide missions wherein an individual is assured to die are
impermissible (Ḥarām); rather this action is from the major sins.
This is because the Prophet ( ) has informed us that whoever
kills himself with something is subjected to repeated torment
with this object in the Hellfire. Since, nothing was exempted from
this general statement, its ruling is left general.
The purpose of Jihād for the sake of Allah is the protection and
preservation of Islam and the Muslims. But the one who kills
himself and is lost to suicide removes himself from the larger
body of Muslims. Then this individual makes matters worse by
assuming a role that brings about evil for others.
This is because the enemy will not restrict its reprisals to the
killing of individuals. Rather, they will respond by killing large
numbers of Muslims if they can. Similarly, this action that
involves the killing of ten, twenty, thirty people brings about
great evil and causes difficulties for the Muslims as we have
witnessed in the struggles of the Palestinians against the Jews.
As for the statement of the one who says that these actions are
permissible, then this individual does not base this statement
upon any principles found in the religion. Rather, this individual
bases this assertion on a corrupt opinion since the evil result of
the action itself far greater than anything beneficial that could
come as a result of it.

1
This article is adapted from 2 Fatwás found in the book liqāʾ al-Bāb al-Maftūḥ by Shaykh
Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn.

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 And there is no textual support for this action in the story of al-
Barāʾ ibn Mālik () concerning the expedition of Yamāmah when
he ordered his companions to launch him over a wall in order to
open the door from within the fortress’s walls. This story of al-
Barāʾ does not involve his death and for this reason he was able
to open the door from within and make the fortress accessible to
the Muslims so this story should not be used as proof.
It should also be said: “What can be said concerning those who
have been specifically directed to perform these actions?” We
say: Those people have been misguided or are misled by those
whom they follow that have issued rulings without knowledge.
They should not receive the punishment that we alluded to
earlier because they have been misguided or misled by erroneous
rulings. And the sin of issuing these rulings that oppose the
legislation of Islam returns to the ones who issue and promote
them.
Q: What do you say concerning the suicide missions carried out in
Palestine; are those who perform these actions concerned
Martyrs?
A: We previously addressed this issue and said that the individual
who does this has indeed killed himself and is forever tormented
with whatever he killed himself with in the Hellfire as the
Prophet () informed us. This action should be considered
clearly impermissible (Ḥarām) because Allah the Mighty and
Majestic says: “And do not kill yourselves” [Sūrahan-Nisāʾ 4:29].
However, those ignorant individuals who do what they do, if
they are truly ignorant and think that they are drawing closer to
Allah the Mighty and Majestic with this action; I hope that they
are not subjected to this torment in the Hellfire. They will not
receive any reward for their action since their actions were sinful
and they intended them due to misguidance; so it is hoped that
they are excused (from everlasting torment).
Then as for their intentions, then there is no place for us to
discuss them. Were their intentions solely for Allah, desiring to

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make His word uppermost in the land or were they solely
motivated to exact vengeance for themselves? We have no
knowledge of these things and the knowledge of this lies with
Allah alone.
However, it is still important to differentiate between the one
who kills the enemy with the intention of exacting revenge and
the one who does so for the sake of Allah seeking to make the
word of Allah uppermost in the land; which of the two is
performing the action for the sake of Allah.
The individual who fights against the enemy seeking vengeance
for himself from a people who have wronged him or oppressed
him is not considered for the sake of Allah. For this reason it is
important for us to observe caution and discretion so that we do
not become a reason that victory over our oppressors escapes us.
Indeed, failure of the Islamic nation to achieve victory against the
enduring and repeated tyranny and oppression of opposing
peoples and nations like the Jews, Pagans, and other than them is
due to this nation’s failure to move forward in a manner which is
appropriate.
Firstly, sinfulness has become prevalent and negligence has
become a commonplace; for example one of them will go out to
fight against the enemy yet does not pray. It is imperative that
we struggle (literally perform Jihād) within ourselves before all
else. We must correct our own path to Allah the Mighty and
Majestic before engaging in battle with the enemy. We must
similarly strive to correct the path of others.

In any event, the summarized answer to your question is as

follows: Certainly, suicide is impermissible (Ḥarām) and the one
who performs suicide missions has killed himself and subjected
himself to the threat of a great punishment since the one who
kills himself will be forever tormented with what he used to kill
himself with in the Hellfire. However, whoever does this out of
ignorance or is misguided, then we hope that Allah the Glorified
and Exalted will not subject him to this punishment.