Sahih Muslim, 978
sahihJabir b. Samura reported:
(The dead body) of a person who had killed himself with a broad-headed arrow was brought before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), but he did not offer prayers for him.
حَدَّثَنَا عَوْنُ بْنُ سَلاَّمٍ الْكُوفِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، عَنْ سِمَاكٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ، قَالَ أُتِيَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِرَجُلٍ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِمَشَاقِصَ فَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَيْهِ .
References2 variants
- In-Book Reference
- Book 11, Hadith 138
- USC-MSA web (English) reference
- Book 4, Hadith 2133 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The preservation of life is one of the supreme objectives of the Islamic Shariah, and killing a person unjustly is one of the gravest major sins. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was keen to deter the Muslim from killing himself. In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the bier of one of the Muslim men who had killed himself with a broad-headed arrow, was brought to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), but the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not offer the funeral prayer for him by himself, by way of deterring people from acting like the dead person. However, the Companions offered the funeral prayer for him. Likewise, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) initially refrained from offering the funeral prayer for a debtor, to deter them from taking borrowing lightly and neglecting repayment. He commanded his Companions to offer the funeral prayer for him. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Pray for your companion." Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim. In the Hadīth: The graveness of killing people.