Sermon's Title: Before You End Your Life: Suicide—The Disease and the Cure
Themes of the Sermon:
1- Suicide is among the major sins and greatest transgressions.
2- The effective cure before committing suicide.
3- The role of the family and society.
All praise is due to Allah, the Near, the Responsive. His generosity encompasses the inhabitants of the earth and the heavens, and He has extended His hand with favor and giving. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah send His peace and many blessings upon him.
To proceed: Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, with the true fear He deserves, and remain mindful of Him in private and in public.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ
“O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].” [Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 102].
O servant of Allah:
How many times have you thanked Allah for the blessing of life?
Whenever our Prophet ﷺ woke up from sleep, he would praise Allah, saying: “Praise be to Allah who gave us life after He had caused us to die, and to Him is the ultimate return.” .
The blessing of life is immense; Allah bestowed it upon us, saying:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَكَفُورٌ
“And He is the one who gave you life; then He causes you to die and then will [again] give you life. Indeed, mankind is ungrateful.” [Sūrat al-Ḥajj: 66].
For this reason, preserving lives is among the best of deeds, and taking them is among the greatest of major sins. He, Glorified be He, said:
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land—it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one—it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” [Sūrat al-Māʾidah: 32].
Allah also legislated legal retribution (qiṣāṣ) against the intentional killer so that people’s lives may be preserved; He said:
وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقِصَاصِ حَيَاةٌ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“And there is for you in legal retribution [saving of] life, O you of understanding, that you may become righteous.” [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 179].
Despite all this, some people’s souls weaken and their will collapses. They turn against this blessing—the blessing of life—which Allah gave them, and they extinguish it with their own hands, rushing toward death. Out of His mercy, Allah prohibited this in His Book, saying:
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
“And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.” [Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 29].
He followed this with a severe warning, saying:
وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ عُدْوَانًا وَظُلْمًا فَسَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِ نَارًا وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرًا
“And whoever does that in aggression and injustice—then We will drive him into a Fire. And that, for Allah, is [always] easy.” [Sūrat al-Nisāʾ:30].
The one who commits suicide is a person weighed down by worries and sorrows. The earth, despite its vastness, has become narrow for them. They are surrounded by the armies of distress and calamity, and shrouded by clouds of loss and deprivation. They see the world only through the eyes of misfortune and pain, so they lose hope in goodness and despair of the mercies of the Most Generous. Their soul whispers to them to end it, and Satan beautifies the thought that by killing themselves, they will find relief from that exhaustion. But did they truly find safety and happiness?
No, by Allah! Rather, that was the beginning of misery. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself will be in the Fire of Hell, throwing himself down into it forever and ever. Whoever drinks poison and kills himself, his poison will be in his hand and he will be drinking it in the Fire of Hell forever and ever. And whoever kills himself with a piece of iron, his iron will be in his hand and he will be stabbing himself in the stomach with it in the Fire of Hell forever and ever.” .
The same applies to anyone who kills themselves by any other means. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever kills himself with something in this world will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.” .
How immense is this punishment! That the one who committed suicide continues to kill themselves in that same painful manner in the Fire of Hell, residing therein forever, with Paradise forbidden to them.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Among those who came before you, there was a man who had a wound. He became impatient, took a knife, and cut his hand. The blood did not stop flowing until he died. Allah the Almighty said: 'My servant has preceded Me with himself (hastened his death); I have forbidden Paradise for him.” .
O servants of Allah:
We are in an era of harsh material life, fragmented family ties, weakened spiritual resilience, and widespread psychological fragility. We have begun to hear many stories of those who commit suicide, and clips of their crimes are broadcast within sight and sound of everyone. We have started to hear words of mourning for them and sympathy for their actions, viewing them merely as victims who deserve no blame or reproach. Let us look at how the Divine Law treats this disease.
To begin with, a believer must know that Allah created them to fulfill the duty of servitude (ʿubūdiyyah) to Him. He tests His servants with both good and evil, with ease and hardship, so that Allah’s knowledge of His creation becomes manifest—showing who will remain a servant of Allah in every state. Ease should not lead them to arrogance and vanity, nor should hardship lead them to despair and irritation; rather, they are always either grateful or patient.
The believer knows that this world is a place of trial and affliction, not a place of ultimate bliss. Therefore, Allah said:
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ
“We have certainly created man into hardship.” [Sūrat al-Balad: 4].
Hardship (kabad) means struggle and exhaustion. Thus, life is never purely easy for a human; today there is wealth, tomorrow poverty; today health, tomorrow sickness; today companionship and gathering, tomorrow loneliness and separation!
Gabriel once came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him: “O Muḥammad, live as you wish, for you will surely die; and do what you wish, for you will surely be recompensed for it; and love whom you wish, for you will surely part from them.” .
Among the psychological traits of human beings during times of hardship and affliction are anxiety, impatience, despair, and hopelessness, as He, Glorified be He, said:
لَا يَسْأَمُ الْإِنْسَانُ مِنْ دُعَاءِ الْخَيْرِ وَإِنْ مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ فَيَئُوسٌ قَنُوطٌ
“Man does not weary of supplication for good [things], but if evil touches him, he is hopeless and despairing.” [Sūrat Fuṣṣilat: 49].
However, the believer is different. Faith in Allah has fashioned them in a way that makes them patient through Allah and for Allah, fulfilling His rights no matter how severe the distress, and rejoicing in His relief no matter how much the pain and calamities multiply.
The believer does not despair of the mercy of Allah, for they know that Allah’s mercy encompasses all things. They know that He tests His believing servants with what is within their capacity—to refine and purify them, not to destroy them. He withholds from them out of mercy and kindness, not out of neglect or stinginess; rather, everything happens according to His brilliant wisdom and vast mercy.
The believer does not despair because they believe that Allah is al-Wāsiʿ (the All-Encompassing)—Vast in knowledge, Vast in favor, and Vast in mercy. If the world becomes narrow for them in one place, with Allah there is spaciousness and ease.
They read the words of the Almighty regarding divorce:
وَإِنْ يَتَفَرَّقَا يُغْنِ اللَّهُ كُلًّا مِنْ سَعَتِهِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ وَاسِعًا حَكِيمًا
“But if they separate [by divorce], Allah will enrich each [of them] from His abundance. And Allah is ever Encompassing and Wise.” [Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 130].
Thus, they take heart despite the pain of parting, knowing that Allah’s provision and favor are vast. They rise from their stumble, push despair out of their path, and face life seeing light amidst the darkness and hope amidst the pain.
A person may lose money, a job, or perhaps someone dear to them; they may lose a child or their parents. They grieve because they are human, but they do not despair of Allah’s decree, for they believe that with Allah there is compensation, that after death there is a reunion, and that Allah rewards the patient without account.
The Prophet ﷺ lost his son, Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him). He wept and said: “The eye sheds tears, and the heart grieves, but we do not say except that which pleases the Lord. Were it not a true promise and a general appointment, and that the last of us shall follow the first, we would have grieved for you, O Ibrāhīm, more than we do. Indeed, we are grieved by your departure.” .
The believer does not despair of Allah’s relief and mercy, for their Lord is al-Wahhāb (the Bestower) and the Doer of Good. His mercy preceded His anger. His storehouses are full and never empty; His hand is open, spending night and day, and giving does not decrease His wealth.
For He is the one who said, Glorified be He, in the Ḥadīth Qudsī: “O My servants! If the first of you and the last of you, the humans among you and the jinn among you, were to stand in a single place and ask of Me, and I were to give every person what they asked for, that would not decrease what I possess except as a needle decreases the sea when it is dipped into it.” .
How can we despair when Allah is the Near, the Responsive? He does not close His door in the face of a servant who asks Him with humility. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah is Generous (Jawād) and He loves generosity.” .
How could the hope of a servant be frustrated when they have a Merciful Lord of whom our Prophet ﷺ told us: “Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains and says: ‘Who is calling upon Me, that I may respond to him? Who is asking of Me, that I may give to him? Who is seeking My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?” .
The one who despairs of Allah’s mercy is astray in their knowledge of Allah. They have lost sight of His mercy, His generosity, and His immense ease and goodness. Their state is as He, Glorified be He, said:
وَمَنْ يَقْنَطُ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا الضَّالُّونَ
“And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?” [Sūrat al-Ḥijr: 56].
Consider Yaʿqūb (peace be upon him); he lost Yūsuf for many long years, and after him, his other two sons. Yet, his hope in Allah was never severed, so he said:
يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُوا فَتَحَسَّسُوا مِنْ يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلَا تَيْأَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَيْأَسُ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ
“O my sons, go and find out about Yūsuf and his brother and despair not of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” [Sūrat Yūsuf: 87].
The Qur’ān is entirely a call to life and hope, and a planting of tranquility and peace. In it, you read the words of the Almighty:
سَيَجْعَلُ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍ يُسْرًا
“Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease.” [Sūrat al-Ṭalāq: 7].
Thus, you become certain that the distress will pass, and that the Cleaver of the Dawn will save you from your worry. You read the words of the Almighty:
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا * إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
“For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.” [Sūrat al-Sharḥ: 5–6].
You rejoice that Allah did not decree one hardship except that He placed two eases with it. So stand and complain to your Lord alone, just as Yaʿqūb did when he said:
إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
“I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know.” [Sūrat Yūsuf: 86].
May Allah bless me and you through the Great Qur’ān and benefit us through the verses and wise remembrance within it. I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and for you; so seek His forgiveness, for He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
The Second Sermon:
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and those who follow him. To proceed:
A man asked the Prophet ﷺ about good deeds, and he said to him: “Do not belittle any good deed, even if it is meeting your brother with a cheerful face, or meeting your brother and giving him the greeting of peace, or comforting a lonely person in the land.” .
How great is this religion that makes smiling in the faces of people a charity, and makes comforting a lonely person a charity! Our religion is a religion of love between believers, of social bonding, of excellence, and of maintaining ties with all creation. It made maintaining ties of kinship among the greatest of acts to draw near to Allah, made visiting the sick among the highest of degrees, and made relieving the distress of people a cause for the relief of its doer from the distress of this world and the Hereafter.
It is only fitting that the followers of this religion be as one body, and that they do not leave their brothers who have been struck by poverty or hardship as prey to the whispers of the soul or the despair of Satan. Look after those in misfortune, mend the hearts of the wounded, give them hope for the future, and open for them the paths of life.
O Allah, guide our hearts, forgive our sins, relieve our distress, and dispel our worries and anxieties.
O Allah, help us and do not help others against us; grant us victory and do not grant victory over us; plan for us and not against us; and grant us victory over those who oppress us.
O Allah, grant us safety in our homelands, rectify our leaders and those in authority over us, and place our leadership among those who fear You, are conscious of You, and seek Your pleasure.
Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
