Why is suicide considered so abhorrent by the Abrahamic faiths?

[godlikemadman]

All the Abrahamic faiths connotate suicide with negativity: it will get you sent straight to hell in both Christianity and Islam, though I'm not completely sure about Judaism. My question is: why? Your life should be yours to do what you please with it. Why are things like smoking and drinking allowed if they are simply extended suicide? What about self-immolation for a noble cause?

 

[HerDotness]

Where did you get the idea that Christians believe someone who commits suicide is going to hell? I know many Christians who don't believe that at all since people who kill themselves often are mentally ill. Most that I've discussed this with said that we cannot know why the person did this, only God can, and thus shouldn't judge.

 

[PolyHedral]

It is a self-defence mechanism, for the religion, rather than the person. If it were not, there would be no reason not to do it to get to Heaven.

 

[Songbird]

Where did you get the idea that Christians believe someone who commits suicide is going to hell? I know many Christians who don't believe that at all since people who kill themselves often are mentally ill. Most that I've discussed this with said that we cannot know why the person did this, only God can, and thus shouldn't judge.

Some veins of Christianity teach or used to teach that, Catholicism among them. But I'm with you - I don't know any Catholic or Christian of any other stripe, for that matter, who currently believes that.

 

[CarlinKnew]

All the Abrahamic faiths connotate suicide with negativity: it will get you sent straight to hell in both Christianity and Islam, though I'm not completely sure about Judaism. My question is: why? Your life should be yours to do what you please with it. Why are things like smoking and drinking allowed if they are simply extended suicide? What about self-immolation for a noble cause?

Well from a memetics perspective it makes perfect sense. The more members of a religion that commit suicide, the less the religion spreads. Therefore it is beneficial to the religion's survival and propogation to forbid suicide.

 

[Godobeyer]

: why? Your life should be yours to do what you please with it. Why are things like smoking and drinking allowed if they are simply extended suicide?

i am talking about the muslims
because we believe that our body is not belong to us ,it's belong to God , He creat it,and it's not suppose to represent that your hate the life that give you (as bounty )
the existence is big bounty from God .
anyway ,suicide is causing bad conscequnces especialy to the family , kids ,of whom decide to suicide.
I believe that in the west suicide, become as commun demande , to some people whom are feel suffring in this life , because they are away from God , which make them feel always in sad mode , even they had everything that make them happy .
and this feeling is promiss from God to any one whom get away from Him .

20-124
But he who turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow life, and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection.

What about self-immolation for a noble cause?

For Islam in the case of defence for your country or your family (some want to rape your family ) it's very required to give your soul for that noble case .

 

[LaaIlahaIllAllah]

I think it's because this life is meant as a test for us and by committing suicide you are just ending it without following what God told you to do here and basically disobeying God.

Also drinking and smoking are prohibited in Islam. Plus setting yourself on fire since you're hurting/damaging yourself and committing suicide as well.
And the part where you basically said you should do whatever you want with yourself goes against most religions I think.

And Allah knows best.

 

[JacobEzra.]

I personally find it horrible to commit suicide. Whether God does or not I don't know.

I can't understand the reasons as to why someone would take their own life.

 

[Godobeyer]

I personally find it horrible to commit suicide. Whether God does or not I don't know.

I can't understand the reasons as to why someone would take their own life.

btw , is the suicide forbiden or allow in judiasm ?

 

[markymark]

Where did you get the idea that Christians believe someone who commits suicide is going to hell? I know many Christians who don't believe that at all since people who kill themselves often are mentally ill. Most that I've discussed this with said that we cannot know why the person did this, only God can, and thus shouldn't judge.

killing yourself is a form a murder just like any other sin ....what decides if i person goes to hell is rejecting jesus and waht he did - the bible says you need to be born again to enter the kingdon of God

 

[markymark]

All the Abrahamic faiths connotate suicide with negativity: it will get you sent straight to hell in both Christianity and Islam, though I'm not completely sure about Judaism. My question is: why? Your life should be yours to do what you please with it. Why are things like smoking and drinking allowed if they are simply extended suicide? What about self-immolation for a noble cause?

smoking and drinking are sins , just like muerder just committing suicide ... sin does not send somone to hell ...rejecting jesus means they cant enter the kingdom of heaven ... suicide is form of murder

 

[Kathryn]

I have been a Christian all my life, and a Catholic for part of that time, and the idea that a person automatically goes to hell for committing suicide has pretty much fallen out of favor now that we know more about mental illness.

That being said, and regardless of religious views, suicide is an incredibly selfish and short sighted act in many cases. I think of my uncle, who shot his head off in the bathroom while his kids stood thirty feet away at the bus stop and his wife screamed and beat on the bathroom door begging him not to do this. He scarred that family for life. Did he mean to do that? I don't know, but surely in those last moments he had to realize what he was about to do to his family - and it didn't matter.

Suicide is always tragic, and it nearly always leaves a trail of victims behind it, long after the one who died is dead and buried.

 

[JacobEzra.]

btw , is the suicide forbiden or allow in judiasm ?

Ask a youtube video. Its not like you would believe me or anyone else on this forum

 

[JacobEzra.]

smoking and drinking are sins , just like muerder just committing suicide ... sin does not send somone to hell ...rejecting jesus means they cant enter the kingdom of heaven ... suicide is form of murder

Yet even King David killed. He must be in hell to. Same as all the Christians in history who ever killed. Or all the christians in the military. etc etc

 

[Gharib]

Yet even King David killed. He must be in hell to. Same as all the Christians in history who ever killed. Or all the christians in the military. etc etc

But they believe in Jesus , it's OK for priests to molest little boys and other Christians to kill innocent people because they are saved for believing in Jesus. Christianity is so peaceful

 

[LaaIlahaIllAllah]

Islam does not teach that one who commits suicide will go to hell.

People who commit suicide are generally and in almost all cases people who are facing a hardship. Committing suicide in such a case so as to rid yourself of the pain and suffering one might be going through means to reject the Divine Decree of God and not having the patience to endure it. It's is a great sin to not accept the Divine Decree of a matter and to take ones own life.

Because suicide is a great sin and it is weak people who commit it, could potentially lead someone to hell due to the greatness it adds to ones scale of bad deeds.

And as pointed out before, Islam forbids alcohol and smoking. To willingly die for a good cause, to take a bullet for someone etc is also permitted, just as going to war is permitted, people die in wars.

Assalaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah,

Bro, I'm pretty sure Islam does teach that if you commit suicide, you will go to hell.

Check this out:

"O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful."

That's Surah 4, verse 29, Sahih International translation of meaning.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir says that this refers to both, killing yourselves "by committing Allah's prohibitions, falling into sin and eating up each other's property unjustly," - which reminds me of verse 195 of Surah 2, which basically says don't throw yourselves into destruction with your own hands by not spending in the way/cause of Allah. - but also to murder and suicide.

Then a hadith is mentioned about a man who prayed fajr without doing ghusl when he needed it but only did tayammum b/c he was scared that he would die since it was a very cold night. He told prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this verse (4:29) to him to justify his actions and the prophet (peace be upon him) smiled and did not say anything. And we know that when he does not say anything when such an issue happens, that means he approves of it or that it is not incorrect.

The tafsir also says: "Ibn Marduwyah mentioned this honorable Ayah and then
reported that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of
Allah said, ..." Then it mentions a bunch of ahadith which say that the person who committed suicide will be punished by the object he did it with in hell.

Plus (this is not mentioned in the tafsir or atleast under that verse) the ahadith about the man who said he was a Muslim and fought bravely with the Muslims but the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that he is one of the people of the Fire. He ended up killing himself from the pain of his injury and this is why he will end up in hell. - This is in Sahih Bukhari vol 8, #'s 603 and 604. The 'subject' of the ahadith is "Divine Foreordainment :: Reward depends upon one's last deed" as is mentioned in # 604 also.

And Allah (Subhana Wa Ta'ala) knows best.

peace

 

[loverOfTruth]

All the Abrahamic faiths connotate suicide with negativity: it will get you sent straight to hell in both Christianity and Islam, though I'm not completely sure about Judaism. My question is: why? Your life should be yours to do what you please with it. Why are things like smoking and drinking allowed if they are simply extended suicide? What about self-immolation for a noble cause?

Suicide is forbidden in Islam. A sane person only commits suicide when they lose hope of God's mercy and help (under difficult circumstances) almost to the extent of disbelief.

Dying in self-defense or while protecting others is not sinful (but blowing up yourself knowingly in places where innocent people will be harmed is sinful).

Also, it won't be sinful if an insane person(who's mind is affected by mental illness to the extent that they really don't know what they are doing) commits suicide.
Islam Question and Answer - She became mentally ill then she killed herself; is she regarded as having committed suicide?

 

[-Peacemaker-]

Psalm 24:1 "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;"

From a Christian pov, your life is not your own. It belongs to the one who made it. You've basically been loaned your body/life.

 

[Gharib]

Assalaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah,

Bro, I'm pretty sure Islam does teach that if you commit suicide, you will go to hell.

Check this out:

"O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful."

That's Surah 4, verse 29, Sahih International translation of meaning.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir says that this refers to both, killing yourselves "by committing Allah's prohibitions, falling into sin and eating up each other's property unjustly," - which reminds me of verse 195 of Surah 2, which basically says don't throw yourselves into destruction with your own hands by not spending in the way/cause of Allah. - but also to murder and suicide.

Then a hadith is mentioned about a man who prayed fajr without doing ghusl when he needed it but only did tayammum b/c he was scared that he would die since it was a very cold night. He told prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this verse (4:29) to him to justify his actions and the prophet (peace be upon him) smiled and did not say anything. And we know that when he does not say anything when such an issue happens, that means he approves of it or that it is not incorrect.

The tafsir also says: "Ibn Marduwyah mentioned this honorable Ayah and then
reported that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of
Allah said, ..." Then it mentions a bunch of ahadith which say that the person who committed suicide will be punished by the object he did it with in hell.

Plus (this is not mentioned in the tafsir or atleast under that verse) the ahadith about the man who said he was a Muslim and fought bravely with the Muslims but the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that he is one of the people of the Fire. He ended up killing himself from the pain of his injury and this is why he will end up in hell. - This is in Sahih Bukhari vol 8, #'s 603 and 604. The 'subject' of the ahadith is "Divine Foreordainment :: Reward depends upon one's last deed" as is mentioned in # 604 also.

And Allah (Subhana Wa Ta'ala) knows best.

peace

Thank you brother for correcting me, you are right.

I also found these hadith on the matter:

It was narrated from Thaabit ibn al-Dahhaak (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever kills himself with something in this world will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5700; Muslim, 110.

It was narrated that Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among those who came before you there was a man who was wounded and he panicked, so he took a knife and cut his hand with it, and the blood did not stop flowing until he died. Allaah said: ‘My slave hastened to bring about his demise; I have forbidden Paradise to him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3276; Muslim, 113.

Jazak Allah khairun for correcting me. May Allah reward you with Jannah.

 

[HerDotness]

But they believe in Jesus , it's OK for priests to molest little boys and other Christians to kill innocent people because they are saved for believing in Jesus.

You are mistaken. Not for Catholic priests, it's certainly not. Child molestation is regarded as horrible and sinful by the Roman Catholic Church which does not believe "being saved" as that is understood in some Protestant sects guarantees a person heaven.

Now, I did once talk to a Southern Baptist who told me that her understanding of the idea of being saved was that once a person accepted Jesus as personal Savior, s/he would go to heaven. I asked, "Even if the person kills someone deliberately?" The answer was yes.

However, other Southern Baptists I've asked this of said her understanding was not theirs at all--that people are still obliged to keep the commandments and thus killing is not necessarily excused by being saved. They admitted they weren't sure but thought that God would judge such cases, for instance, if a convicted serial killer killed for pleasure and then claims to be saved. God would have to judge how sincerely the person accepted Jesus.