How do Muslims reconcile with deaths caused by suicide? Per Islamic principles, funeral and burial procedures vary depending on cause of death. By far most deaths receive “normal” funeral and burial rites whereby a funeral service is performed which consists of the funeral prayer followed by burial.
However for individuals whom cause of death has been identified to be due to suicide (intentional or unintentional) the funeral rights and burial procedures vary. AFAIK, the deceased is not given funeral rights relating to the performance of funeral prayers but rather a straightforward burial occurs instead.
For the deceased loved one’s and family and friends, this may further exacerbate their stress, grief and bereavement to the point where cause of death may be purposely with-held from the relevant religious leaders and at large to the community due to the stigma attached to suicide. I have heard of incidences where family have not reported cause of death due to the stigma and reaction from the community and so have had the full funeral procedure carried out.
For those who were under duress or had mental health problems and committed suicide whilst in these “states” – most would state there would be no sin upon them for the act of suicide. But would they still have a full funeral and burial in the “normal” sense?
Does anyone know why the funeral procedures are different in this case (for those who commit suicide)? For those who are martyred they are not given the ritual washing but buried in the clothing they passed away wearing but funeral prayers are performed for them.
But in terms of death by suicide (not in the “martyr” sense of suicide) why are funeral prayers not performed?
If I have the information on this wrong, then please do correct me with the relevant sources to back up your POV for benefits of encouraging own further reading for myself and fellow readers.
My father’s cousin committed suicide when I was a young girl and just about a month ago a girl that I had grown up with committed suicide.
I know with my father’s cousin that the issue had come up amongst the family whether he would be able to have a jenaza prayer because he took his own life. From my understanding suicide goes against submitting to the will of Allah and thereby you have committed an act which calls into question your status of being Muslim.
In the case of my father’s cousin the Imam at the time said he had the full rights to a funeral as he was mentally ill and been taking medications – add to that that no one even saw him shoot himself in the head – there was even some speculation that it may not have been suicide and no one really made a fuss about it (I was so little that I can’t even remember all of the details).
In the case of my friend – I heard she killed herself and since it’s always been a Bosnian tradition that women not attend funerals – I did not go but later heard that she as well had full funeral rights.
In this particular case – I wondered why it was that she had the full funeral rights as her mental state was considered good. In her case – apparently there was a witness that saw her drive her car into the lake and then watched her trying to get out of the car frantically. Since she changed her mind – it was considered as though it wasn’t suicide.
Still, while I can understand that by going against the will of Allah would put a person outside of Islam what I can’t understand is how we as humans can judge the mental capacity of any person. For example – in the instance of my friend while by all signs she appeared to have healthy mental health who are we to really know that her mental health was in tact. Just because she had never seen a doctor and been diagnosed with something that would make her prone to this action does not mean she was.
While I myself have been wanting to look into the matter a little further ever since last month – I haven’t been able to do so and can not provide you with any links. I will however be watching this thread to see if anyone else has any answers. I’m so glad you brought this up.
I’ve been pondering on this issue for a while now. And yes I agree with your point Samaha that if a mental health problem goes undetected or is not treated then how can that individuals mental state and therefore mental capacity be judged and labelled/catergorised for subsequent funeral rites to occur accordingly?
In your 2nd example there was a “witness” and so that woman in particular was deemed to have “repented” by way of trying to escape her sinking car situation, but if there was no-one to have seen it would it have been treated as suicide?
It is all very intriguing.
The law can only go so far as it knows. There is of course no real way to judge a person’s mental state, outside of it clearly being known beforehand by mental health experts. I would imagine (not that I know anything of sources) that apparent suicide without mental health issues will always be treated as suicide, because again, there is no way of knowing so we go forward based on what we know, rather than what we do not (ie, doubt never replaces certainty).
I also had a similar question the other day with dh. He was telling me how when he was younger, a friend committed suicide because he was in love with a girl but the family had refused his proposal. He said that many pple in the neighbourhood didn’t want to go and say the prayers as it was a suicide and against the islamic law. I remember when I was younger a girl’s mother in another class had committed suicide, I have no idea what happened but since you are writing about this, all these memories are coming back.
I can understand y family would keep it quiet abt their son or daughter commiting suicide.
Must be hard enough dealing with the death of their child without the stares and whispered attacks behind their backs of the common muslims. Especially the type we get in indian/asian culture!
I don’t know anyone personally who committed suicide. However as for judging if they were mentally ill or not…if a person’s mental state is such that it leads him or her to suicide…well then aren’t they suffering great sorrow and depression, so where do you draw the line?
Does anyone actually know for sure if Shariah says a Muslim must be buried differently if they committed suicide?
I found this on Islam Q&A:
There is more on the link, but that is the jist of it.
Im really wary of referring to Islam Q/A for queries as I’ve found major discrepancies with some of their responses in the past.
I’ve read the reason why its not performed for a person who commits suicide is because that act in itself takes the person out of the fold of Islam. That then leads to the obvious query of what about those who engage in all kinds of acts that theoretically take them out of the fold of Islam but for whom normal funeral prayers are performed? Does it go back to what Sophister mentioned of whats known vs what is unknown?
And with regards to not performing funeral prayers for those who are in debt – strange that because most of the people who have passed away that I’ve come across were definitely in debt (they had a mortgage and various other loans to repay) but they’ve been given the full funeral prayer rites. But again that goes back to people being aware of them being in debt in the first place. IMO the funeral prayer is a right of the deceased and he/she should have it offered unless circumstances prevent it so (what those would be I have no idea)
Just last week in our neighbour a very beautiful woman committed suicide, bcs her husband used to bother her so much.
And 2 of my high school classmates commited suicide too.
All of them were buried normally and had funeral.
It is true that in Islam, a person who commits suicide, should not have funeral and should be known as Kafir or bla bla.
But in Iran families never introduce that their child killed himself. All know that’s suicide of course. But nobody talks about it.
They feel ashamed to say it openly, so They treat him like all others and bury him normally with a good funerals.
I know some religious families who dont go to kind of funeral.
Also there are some families who close the document with a little funeral. Not bcs of fearing of religion, but bcs they are afraid people ask this Q:”Oh, what did his/her family that he/she commited suicide?!”
According to the fatwa i quoted, the funeral prayer should be offered for those who commit suicide and/or the debtor, but not by the scholars (i.e., those of religious authority); all other members of society should still perform this obligation.
Do you have a link to the fatwa that say Muslims who commit suicide are kaafirs? There is obviously a grevious punishment for suicide in the akhira, but as long as the person died upon imaan, they are still Muslim. And Allah will forgive any sin He pleases on the Day of Judgement, except kufr and shirk… it just seems extreme to say they are no longer Muslim, unless there is a clear hadith etc that states the case a such. Allahu ‘alam.
iMuslim, i personally dont believe that a person who commits suicide is kafir or should be treated differently.
I faced with many cases who commited suicide and didnt die. I agree with the idea that they are just mentally sick or have weak personality or faith, or at the moment they commite suicide, they get insane and lose their control on their brain.
I think the islamic fatwa is not bcs of the suicide particularely. Our body is something God gives us as an Amanah, and we will be punished in the hereafter if we intended injure it. Decision of our death is by God. We are not allowed to decide..
Anyway, Suicide is one of big sin and who commit to do that, there is something wrong in his faith and trust on God..
Anyone who commits suicide is mentally ill or depressed enough to be considered mentally ill. It is a very difficult question about funeral rites, but that is for the living. It does not matter to the dead, who are now in Allah’s hands of infinite love and mercy.
Ya Haqq!
Oh I’m late! What I wanted to say has been said. I see Samaha’s and Irving’s points.
I was going to write a post on a personal someone I once knew who commited suicide , the familly never said he did , it was in the newspapers , the familly were acting extremely weird . They said he had a car accident, the fact that the police did not even go in to the case further , made me think perhaps he did . I was extremely upset about him , he was still alive in the hospital I just pray that allah accepts his forgiveness .
According to what I know , if the person commits suicide then you don’t pray for them . It is that of a seriouse sin . Yes it is extremely upsseting I did not speak to this person for four years , but when I found out this happened , I was upset about it for a couple of months . As if i had recently spoken to them. It is something hard to believe that somoene YOU knew commited suicide , you start to think why ? what must of gone through their head ..on top of that it was the way he died , he had burnt him self alive ..was he in his head ? how can that be possible, kind of a mystery really ..
As someone who has been suicidal at times of extreme mental stress, I agree that it is only Allah who knows our true state and our faith. For myself, the urge to end things has not been rational or something I would normally think on a day to day basis. It is a response to panic and considering how it always happens in the same way, i think it is physiological. It is a major struggle to stay focused on Allah and not fall into the feeling, because it is so extreme and absolutely terrifying. I don’t know about the prayers but in terms of understanding suicidal impulses our communities have a long way to go.