MISCONCEPTION 12: Islam Supports Suicide

Hanging man

Points:

1.  Most suicide bombings are carried out by   Muslims
2. The story of Al Baraa bin Malik

REFUTATION

SUICIDE BOMBINGS


Before we proceed, it has to be established that there exists a difference between ‘suicide’ and ‘suicide killing’. In suicide, an individual takes his/her own life out of depression or curiosity (without harming others). Suicide killing on the other hand involves an individual taking his/her own life and the lives of those around him (deliberately) in order to achieve a goal (good or bad). Talking about suicide, various statistics by several establishments are available in publications with one thing in common; Muslims are scarcely represented. Irrespective of the source, there is never more than one Muslim dominated country in the top ten countries and there is always more than one Muslim dominated country in the bottom ten. Below is 2014 data by WHO (World Health Organization) showing the top ten and the bottom ten major countries in suicide:

     TOP TEN                                                       BOTTOM TEN

     Guyana                                                           Egypt

     North Korea                                                   Libya

     South Korea                                                   Azerbaijan

     Lithuania                                                        Iraq

     Sri Lanka                                                        Jamaica

     Suriname                                                        Oman

     Mozambique                                                  Lebanon

     Nepal                                                             Kuwait

     Kazakhstan                                                     Syria

     Tanzania                                                         Saudi Arabia

Note: WHO Excludes Cause of Death Data For the following countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Cook Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome, Seychelles, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

It is worthy to note that the only Muslim country in the top ten is Kazahstan with a Muslim population at 70%. This country is a highly secular one hence, the negativities there cannot be blamed on Islam. In the bottom ten however, 9 (nine) Muslim countries are mentioned out of ten.

According to CNN in 2011, there were 1,003 suicide bombings in Iraq from March 20 2003 to December 31 2010 (a seven year period). According to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, America alone records 44,193 suicides every year i.e. 309,351 (three hundred and nine thousand three hundred and fifty-three suicides) within the period under question.

It is also worthy to note that there are currently 21 countries in the world where it is a crime to even attempt suicide, 11 (eleven) of them are Muslim countries. They are: Brunei, Bangladesh, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE and Yemen.
The non-Muslim countries are: Bahamas, Cyprus, Ghana, Kenya, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, Singapore, Tanzania and Uganda.

Scripturally, there is not a single instance in Qur’an and Hadith where it is approved for Muslims to kill themselves for any reason rather, ALLAH (SWT) says in the Glorious Qur’an: “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”.  Suratul Nisa (4:29)

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever kills himself with iron then his iron will be in his hand, thrusting it into his stomach in the fire of Hell abiding therein eternally. Whoever drinks poison and kills himself will drink it in the fire of Hell abiding therein eternally. Whoever threw himself off a mountain and killed himself will be thrown into the fire of Hell abiding therein eternally.” 

These are Islamic scriptures condemning the idea of a person taking his/her own life.
However, religions such as Christianity and Judaism (no offence) tell us the story of how Samson killed himself and tens (probably hundreds) of others present. Christians and Jews admire this act of Samson so much so that they name their children after him. This is a typical example of a religious scripture giving permission for its followers to kill themselves in-order to kill others even though, Christians and Jews would say it was a fight against evil by Samson. This is not found in the Qur’an neither is it found in any example of Muhammad (SAW).

THE STORY OF AL BARAA BIN MALIK

In the battle of Yamamah, the Muslims launched their attack against the pagans, breaking their ranks and dealing telling blows against them until eventually they began to withdraw. They sought refuge in a garden which later became known in history as The Garden of Death because of the many killed there on that day. The garden was surrounded by high walls. Musaylamah (the imposter) and thousands of his men entered and closed the gates behind them and fortified themselves. From their new positions they began to rain down arrows on the Muslims.
The valiant Al Baraa bin Malik went forward and addressed his company thus: "Put me on a shield. Raise the shield on spears and hurl me into the garden near the gate. Either I shall die a martyr or I shall open the gate for you."
Al-Baraa was soon sitting on a shield. A number of spears raised the shield and he was thrown into the Garden of Death amongst the multitude of Musaylamah's men. He descended on them like a thunderbolt and continued to fight them in front of the gate. Many fell to his sword and he himself sustained numerous wounds before he could open the gate. The Muslims charged into the Garden of Death through the gates and over the walls. Fighting was bitter and at close quarters and hundreds were killed. Finally the Muslims came upon Musaylamah and he was killed.
Al Baraa was taken in a litter to Madinah. Khalid ibn alWalid spent a month looking after him and tending his wounds. Eventually his condition improved. Through him the Muslims had gained victory over Musaylamah.

From this story, we see that the aim was not for Al Baraa bin Malik to die even though it was highly risky. In Islam, there exists a golden rule; if there are two evils, a Muslim goes for the lesser one. In the light of this, some contemporary Muslim scholars even though agreeing that suicide is haram, hold the opinion that if suicide would defeat an enemy like what Samson did; then it is permissible (after being sanctioned by the military commander recognized by the Muslim community).

Hollywood is awash with movies showing how honourable it is for an individual to give his/her life to kill an ‘evil’ person or situation. In ‘Armageddon’, Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) blows himself up on an asteroid heading for earth. The movie won several awards. In ‘Resident Evil: Extinction’, Carlos Oliveira (Oded Fehr) blows himself up to kill a bunch of zombies which helped take down the bad guy. And so many other instances.

Conclusively, it is true that some Muslims commit suicide, but to say that they do this because the Islamic scriptures approve of it is a misconception. It is also a blatant misconception to believe that Muslims commit the greatest number suicides, the statistics speak for themselves.