‘They killed him—may Allah kill them! Why did they not ask when they did not know? The cure for ignorance is simply to ask.’”

Likewise, the following account is narrated: “When ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās entered a state of major ritual impurity during the expedition of Dhāt al-Salāsil, it was a cold night, so he performed dry ablution and led his companions in prayer with that ablution. When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He asked, ‘O ‘Amr, did you lead your companions in prayer while in a state of major ritual impurity?’

“He replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I heard Allah say: “And do not kill yourselves.”’

“He laughed and said nothing.”

Thus, ‘Amr explained that an act of worship leading to one’s death, without serving any benefit that one is commanded to pursue, constitutes the prohibited act of killing oneself. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, approved his understanding.

Killing oneself is forbidden by the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. As established in the authentic hadith collections, he said:

“Whoever kills himself with something will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.”

In another hadith:

“My servant has forestalled Me by taking his own life, so I have forbidden Paradise to him and made Hell his due.”

There is also the hadith about the killer who took his own life when his wounds became severe. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had been saying that he was among the people of Hell—perhaps on account of his evil end. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would not offer the funeral prayer for anyone who