Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question Summary
Is suicide my best option?
Question Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
Suicide is never the better option. Allah Most High says, “O believers! Do not devour one another’s wealth illegally, but rather trade by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves. Indeed Allah is ever Merciful to you. [Qur’an; 4:29]
This verse indicates that life is a blessing from Allah’s mercy. It may be difficult to see life as a blessing when one is going through tests, but it is through these tests that Allah Most High raises the ranks of His servants in the Hereafter, the True Life.
Taking One’s Life
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever kills themselves with a sharp object, they will be pointing that sharp object at their stomachs in the fire of Hell for eternity. Whoever consumes poison and thus kills themselves, they will experience that poison in the fire of Hell for eternity. Whoever throws themselves from a precipice, they will continue to fall in the fire of Hell for eternity.” [Muslim]
This narration highlights that committing suicide is not a relief from the difficulties of this world, which are finite; it is a choice to transition to worse difficulties in the Hereafter, which are never-ending.
Contentment with Allah’s Decree and Building Servitude
With regards to your physical health, one should seek the means to improve their health, but sometimes one is afflicted will a health condition that cannot be prevented and/or cured. In such a case, we must remember that we belong to Allah Most High and are subject to His decree.
It is Allah’s decree that reminds us that we are not in total control of our own lives. It puts us in a humbled state and brings us nearer to our existential purpose, which is to be in servitude to Allah Most High. This servitude is the highest state a human can reach in their relationship with Allah Most High.
In fact, when praising His Beloved Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), Allah Most High says, “Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” [Qur’an; 17:1]
It is with this optimism, taught to us by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) that we must view the Divine Decree. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Indeed, having a beautiful opinion of Allah is from the beauty of one’s worship of Allah.” [Tirmidhi]
How to Inculcate a Good Opinion of Allah Most High
The decree of Allah Most High is directly related to His Knowledge, and Allah’s knowledge is all-encompassing. The knowledge of the human is limited to what they can perceive in the sensory realm and the limited scope of their intellect. It is for this reason that we, as humans, may not see the wisdom of Allah Most High while we face the difficulties of life decreed for us.
We must know that everything Allah Most High decrees is from His wisdom. Allah Most High says, “…Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.” [Qur’an; 2:216]
I would greatly encourage you to listen to this lecture from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (may Allah preserve him) explaining the great work of ‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam titled ‘The Benefits of Tribulation.’
Dealing With Doubts of Hypocrisy and Bad Spiritual Health
The most precious thing a Believer has is their faith in Allah Most High. It is more precious to them than the air they breath, the food they eat, and the water they drink to survive. It is this faith that will allow them access into the Eternal Gardens of Bliss. And it by means of this faith that One will be blessed to see Allah Most High, their Creator, in whom they believed sight unseen.
For these reasons, we must hold on tight to our faith, protect it, renew it constantly, strengthen it, and increase it.
Protecting One’s Faith:
The greatest means of protecting one’s faith is to acquire knowledge of the tenets of our faith as Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” [Bayhaqi]
The knowledge referred to above as being obligatory is the knowledge by which one’s faith and practice are sound, and according to that, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) has come with.
Knowledge is power, and it is through knowledge that one’s faith is protected from the infiltration of any doubts, whether they be from Shaytan, atheists, or others.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “A person of deep religious understanding in harder upon Shaytan than a thousand people who worship without such understanding.” [Tirmidhi]
Renewing and Strengthening One’s Faith:
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said to his companions, “Renew your faith!” They replied, “How do we renew our faith, O Messenger of God?” He said, “Abundantly say La Ilaha Ill Allah (There is none worthy of worship save God).” [Ahmad]
Remembrance of Allah, and especially the remembrance of La ilaha ill Allah, is profoundly effective in strengthening one’s faith and in shunning away the whispers of Shaytan.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Indeed Shaytan will come to one of you saying, ‘Who created the sky?” They will reply, “Allah the Exalted and Majestic.” He will then ask, “Who created the Earth?” They will reply, “Allah.” Then he will ask, “Who created Allah?” The Messenger then said, “If one of you senses anything of that nature, let them say, ‘I believe in Allah and His messengers!’ [Ahmad]
There are many lessons to be taken from this narration. The most important of those lessons is that one should not argue these thoughts away. Doing so gives Shaytan strength and increases us in agitation and worry. This is due to the fact that even if we can prove to ourselves one thing, Shaytan will bring another whisper, another doubt, another issue, and will not stop.
However, if we don’t give Shaytan any attention regarding these whispers and immediately turn to Allah Most High in the declaration of our faith in Him and His Messenger with our hearts and tongues, Shaytan’s plot is ended, and his whispers fall on deaf ears.
Though it may sound paradoxical, such whispers of doubt are signs of pure faith.
Pure Faith
It must be known that we are not our thoughts. Thoughts, especially those of this nature, are introduced to the heart externally.
Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentions under the chapter heading: ‘Clarifying misgivings (waswasa) in faith and what one should say if they encounter them’ the following narrations.
Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Some of the Prophet’s companions (may Allah bless pleased with them) came and asked the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) saying, ‘We encounter in ourselves that which one of us would deem to grave to speak of.’ He said, “Do you indeed encounter that?” They said, “Yes.” He said, “That is clear faith.”
In another narration, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) was asked about misgivings (i.e., in faith), and He said, “That is pure faith.” [Muslim]
Scholars have understood the above narrations in two main ways.
(1) Shaytan whispers doubts into the hearts of those who he has no hope of deceiving. And it is due to his inability to deceive them that he resorts to disturbing them through misgivings. As for the disbeliever, he comes to him as he wishes and not only whispers but toys with them as he wishes. Therefore the reason for the misgivings is pure faith or that it is a sign of pure faith. This opinion was supported by Qadi’ Iyad. [Nawawi, Sharh Muslim]
(2) Others have understood from this narration that the reluctance of the companions in telling the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) and their dislike for such thoughts are in themselves signs of pure faith.
Increasing Faith:
The faith of the general Believers is prone to increase and decrease. This is different than the faith of the Prophets and Messengers (Peace be upon them). Their faith is in constant increase and never decreases. It is also different than that of the Angels. Their faith is always stable, not increasing or decreasing.
So what causes our faith to increase and/or decrease? Our deeds. Sins cause one’s faith to weaken. This is because the purity and clarity heart, the place of our faith, is impeded by our sins. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Indeed when the Believer sins, there is a dark spot on his heart. If he then repents, desists, and seeks forgiveness – it is polished away. But if he continues, it increases, until it overcomes the heart entirely…” [Ahmad]
Likewise, good deeds increase one’s faith and illumine the heart. Allah Most High says in the beginning of Sura al-Anfal, “The ˹true˺ believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord.” [Qur’an; 8:2]
Of the actions most effective in increasing faith are those mentioned in this verse, which is the remembrance of Allah and the recitation of the Qur’an. Every Muslim should have a daily portion of each which they are consistent in doing, even if small.
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is a very strong word. If by hypocrisy you mean that you feel you are not living up to your faith, this feeling is a sign of a good spiritual state. Imam al-Bukhari (Allah have mercy on him) brings the following statements of the elect of the early Muslims:
– Ibrahim al-Taymi said, ‘I never compared my deeds to my claims except that I fear that I’d be belied.”
– Ibn Abi Mulaika said, “I met thirty of the Companions of the Prophet (Allah be pleased with them). All of them feared hypocrisy for themselves. None of them said that they were upon the faith of Jibril and Mikaail (the Angels).”
– Hasan al-Basri said, “None fears it (i.e., hypocrisy) except the true believer, and none deems themselves safe from it, except the hypocrite…” [Bukhari]
Repentance and Hope
Allah Most High did not create us to be perfect. He created us to sincerely try our best and turn to Him when we fall short therein. Likewise, we are to turn to Him seeking His Help in dealing with the difficulties of life.
It is in this turning back to Allah Most High that the servant finds solace, an intimate connection, deep meaning in life, and everlasting bliss in the Hereafter coupled with the opportunity to see Allah Most High.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “All of the Children of Adam are prone to error, and the best of those who err, are those who turn back to Allah in repentance.” [Ahmad; Tirmidhi]
After trying your best and seeking Help and forgiveness from Allah Most High, have hope that Allah will accept your efforts and have a reasonable opinion of Allah Most High.
Allah Most High is merciful. Allah wants for you to succeed in this life and the next. Your situation is only a stepping stone for you to draw nearer to Allah Most High.
Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Help.
If your anxiety and depression increase and you feel despair with life, never be afraid or too shy to seek Help. Counseling is a very beneficial avenue for you to find clarity and Help. Here is the number to the Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani