The Ruling Concerning Suicide Missions

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.

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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 alBarāʾ 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 alBarāʾ 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.

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