SUICIDE AWARENESS

"Do not kill yourselves, for indeed Allah (God) is Most Merciful to you"

Whoever takes his or her own life by any means, has unjustly taken a life that Allah has made sacred." Its preservation is a duty incumbent upon every individual. An aggression against a human life is the second greatest sin, second only to a denial of Allah Himself. Since a human is not the creator of his or her self nor even so much as a single cell of one’s body. The life of the individual does not belong to one self. It is a trust given by Allah (swt.). No one is permitted to diminish it, let alone harm or destroy it. Allah says, "Do not kill yourselves, for indeed Allah is Merciful to you"1With the ever increasing incidents of self-destructive behavior, particularly among our youth. Many writers have hastened to write and publish books with the objects of guiding one in the process of suicide. Books such as: Exit House, Choosing suicide as an alternative, by Jo Roman. Let me die before I awake and the Final Exit by Derek Humphrey, among other publications.

 All have been written with the thought in mind that they are liberating humankind from ignorance and despair. A large number of Medical doctors are asking in a clear and unclouded way, how the task of suicide may legally be performed. For the many creatures on the earth, death is not a problem; it is only human beings for whom death is a problem. The question posed, is it permitted to terminate ones life? Some of the new terminology being evolved is; Self-Termination, being death brought about by the person involved as opposed to termination by Euthanasia, where a Medical accomplice participates with the individual in the decision-making.

 The question arises, how does life end? Death occurs when Allah directs the angels to withdraw the Soul from the body. Death is on act decreed by Allah, while killing and suicide is caused by human beings. Killing is a crime of extreme violence committed by men and women. Those who say that suicide is not killing and that an individual has the right to commit suicide are wrong. Suicide is a crime against one's own soul and they will be punished for this unforgivable sin. The Holy Quran says: Take not a life, which Allah has made sacred, except in the course of Justice.2

 The assault on human life amounts to:

1. Breaking a divine law

2. A violating of Allah's limit.

3. A sacrilegious act

4. A defiance of Allah's Will

5. A denial that life is a sacred trust

 Death is a Mercy from Allah, just as life is a Mercy from Him. The Holy Quran continues saying: Whosoever kills a human being, unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land. It would be as if he had killed the whole nation, and anyone who saves a life, it would be as if he had saved the life of the whole nation.

 With the increase in self-destructive behavior, we witness a growing disrespect for human life. The Islamic teaching require the Muslim to be resolute in facing hardship; he is not permitted to give up and to run to away from the vicissitudes of life. When one suffers a tragedy, or when one's hopes are dashed he must not lose heart. A believer is created to strive and not for escape. His faith and character do not permit him to give up or run away from the ammunition that is never exhausted, being the weapon of his unshakable faith and the ammunition of his moral steadfastness. The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) warned that anyone who commits the crime of suicide will be deprived of the Mercy of Allah and will not enter Paradise; he will deserve Allah's wrath and be cast into Hell.

 The prophet Mohammed further said: A man was wounded. His wound troubled him so much that he took a knife slashed his wrist. He bled to death. Allah said: My servant has hurried in the matter of his life.. Therefore, he is deprived of paradise. If a person is deprived of Paradise because he could not bear the pain of his wound and so killed himself. What about one who takes his life because he has suffered a financial loss, great or small. Has failed an examination or been rejected by a woman. Those who are so weak should be aware of the Tradition (Hadith) which says; one who commits suicide by hurling himself from a high rock or kills himself with a weapon, will be repeating this act in the fire of hell.

 Death occurs when Allah withdraws the Soul from the human body. There are many that question the existence of the soul. Dr. Arthur J. Allison, of Oxford University a scientist worked for six years as chairman of the British Parapsychology and Spiritual Studies Society. In his many experiments he was able to prove that sleep and death are one single process. In his experiment he has proven conclusively that something goes out of the body when one goes into a deep sleep, but that something does not return upon death. That something has a weight factor. This only occurs in humans and not in animals. His finding was based on substantial studies with electronic instruments, his main area of specialization.

 Dr. Allison findings are confirmed by the Holy Quran, which says: It is Allah who takes the souls (of man) at death and those who die not (He takes) during their sleep. Those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life); but the rest, He sends back to their bodies for a term appointed.

 What this is saying, is that when we go into a deep sleep, the soul exits the body and returns upon awakening. In death the soul does not return. In poetic imagery it is said, Sleep is the twin-brother of death. We must seek to create an awareness of this grave problem among all mankind. We must make all aware that suicide is a major sin, which denies one the Kingdom of Heaven.

 We should not treat life with disrespect; rather we should see life as being the most important gift in creation. The sudden increase in suicide among our youth results from peer pressure and from parent pressure; which forces some of our youth to contemplate or to commit suicides. Not only our youth are affected, but also our elderly because of the breakdown of the extended family, many are being forced into senior- citizen homes and institutions, resulting in a growing tendency for many to seek escape through suicide.

 Let us approach this problem of suicide from the faith perspective. In Islam life is sacred and cannot be taken or terminated by any human being, except through due process of law. When anyone takes his or her life: or the life of someone else, this is against divine law and justice. Every human being has been given life by God , and only He can take it back. He gives and takes; no one else has been given the prerogative of ending life. If human beings were able to give life, then it might be said that he or she has the right to end it; but human beings do not give life, only God is the giver.

 According to the teachings of Islam, anyone who takes his or her own life, or anyone else's life, will not be Blessed on the Day of Resurrection. What the individual has done is that person has interrupted a act designed by God Himself> It amounts to a denial of God's Revelations. A peaceful and believing Soul will always seek to return to it is origin. With this idea in mind the Quran says: " O (Thou) Soul in complete rest and satisfaction! Come back to thy Lord, well pleased (thy self) and well pleasing unto Him"