THE DEAD EPISODE · 51 – DOES AN IMAM PRAY FOR SOMEONE WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE?
Jabir relates:
“A man fell ill and after a while lamentations arose concerning him. Thereupon his neighbor came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, ‘My neighbor has died.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘How do you know he is dead?’ He said, ‘I saw it.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘He is not dead.’
Jabir says: The man returned, but still heard the lamentations. He came again to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, ‘My neighbor has died.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘He is not dead.’ The man returned again, but still heard lamentations concerning that person. The wife of the sick man told her neighbor to go to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and inform him that her husband has died. The man said: “O God, curse this woman.” Jabir says: Then this man went and found that person having killed himself with a spike from his spear. He immediately came to the Prophet and informed him of his death. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Who told you he is dead?’ He said, ‘I saw him cut himself with the spike he had with him.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘In this case, I will not perform the funeral prayer for him.’ [98]
COMMENTARY:
The funeral prayer is not performed for one who commits suicide. Because every self-slaughterer is seized by a derangement of mind at the last moment and thus commits suicide. This is the view of Imam al-Azam and Imam Muhammad. Imam Abu Yusuf has said that the funeral prayer is not performed for one who commits suicide unless it is due to pain or mental instability. (Fatwa al-Hindiya, vol. 1, p. 163)