Sacrificing your own life

[finding light]

:salam2: Brothers and Sisters!

Oh I am so full of questions today.....!

So now I am wondering, Islamically is it permissible to sacrifice your own life in order to spare or save the life of another? For example (extreme case but possible in a lot of countries today) jumping in front of a bullet to save a spouse or mother or father... or trading your life for your loved ones in a hostage situation... This is a conscious decision. Risking your life in order to save another - with an absolute certainty that you will die.

JazakAllah

 

[Ajaz Bhat]

:salam2: Brothers and Sisters!

Oh I am so full of questions today.....!

So now I am wondering, Islamically is it permissible to sacrifice your own life in order to spare or save the life of another? For example (extreme case but possible in a lot of countries today) jumping in front of a bullet to save a spouse or mother or father... or trading your life for your loved ones in a hostage situation... This is a conscious decision. Risking your life in order to save another - with an absolute certainty that you will die.

JazakAllah

walykum salam

Ye, ofcourse.. that is true. and that is what humanity is.. A person without this commitment cannot come out of the chains of his/her desires, he is likely to value this worldly life more than aakhira.

 

[sister herb]

:salam2:

Somewhere in Quran is text as: if you save one person (from death) it is like you would save all mankind.

If you save another but die doing it is greatest gift you have gave to other person.

:tti_sister:

 

[sister herb]

Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. And indeed, there came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidences, and signs, even then after that many of them continued to exceed the limits (e.g. by doing oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allah by committing the major sins) in the land!.
Al Quran surah maidah, chapter 5, verse 32

 

[kashif_nazeer]

:salam2: Brothers and Sisters!

Oh I am so full of questions today.....!

So now I am wondering, Islamically is it permissible to sacrifice your own life in order to spare or save the life of another? For example (extreme case but possible in a lot of countries today) jumping in front of a bullet to save a spouse or mother or father... or trading your life for your loved ones in a hostage situation... This is a conscious decision. Risking your life in order to save another - with an absolute certainty that you will die.

JazakAllah

Allahu aalam but wouldn't it be better if you tried saving both your and another person's life,like pushing them away from bullet,missile ,car etc.
Sorry I am being a bit cheeky but one should act wisely in such a situation.
That being said,I would like to reiterate what sister harb posted alhamdulillah saving life is like saving whole humanity.
What can be a better death ,than the death of a martyr and righteous person?
Better than dying like an old horse.
May Allah give us a good end.Ameen.

Allah knows best!

 

[sister herb]

Allahu aalam but wouldn't it be better if you tried saving both your and another person's life,like pushing them away from bullet,missile ,car etc.
Sorry I am being a bit cheeky but one should act wisely in such a situation.
That being said,I would like to reiterate what sister harb posted alhamdulillah saving life is like saving whole humanity.
What can be a better death ,than the death of a martyr and righteous person?
Better than dying like an old horse.
May Allah give us a good end.Ameen.

Allah knows best!

:salam2:

Surely it would be the best but sometimes best is not possible.

 

[kashif_nazeer]

:salam2:

Surely it would be the best but sometimes best is not possible.

InshaAllah.

 

[Ajaz Bhat]

:salam2:
well the good is that one is still rewarded even if both die.. Because of right intention.
As it is attributed to prophet "Innamal emmal u bin niyyaat"..
Actions are determined by intentions.

 

[finding light]

Asalaamualaikum!
Thanks for all the responses... I always wondered. Because if you know for certain that you will die would it be considered as suicide? Of course no one will chose to die if the option of both being saved was there! (well at least no mentally healthy person).

JazakAllah Khayr for the answers.
Allah bless you all

 

[Ajaz Bhat]

I think first we need to differentiate between the two. In both cases, a person kills himself. But in case of suicide, a person kills himself because he WANTs to end his life. In case of the sacrifice, a person wants to save other life, he does not WANT to end his life and will infact try to save both. So it is the intention that seperates the two clearly. As I mentioned the saying of Prophet "Deeds are [a result] only of the intentions [of the actor]",
so will be judged accordingly.

There is another way to see it, using objective morality ideology. That is,
In islam, If one kills himself in accordance with the commandments of Allah, it is a sacrifice. If one kills himself against the commandments of Allah, it is a suicide.
this is my own understanding of islam, so may not be right also. But .....
............
"Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) mentioned suicide many times, a few of these incidents are recorded in Muhammad Ibn Ismael's, 'Sahih Al-Bukhari'. In one incident narrated by Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak (RA): the Prophet (SAW) said, "Whoever intentionally swears falsely by a religion other than Islam, then he is what he has said, (e.g. if he says, 'If such thing is not true then I am a Jew,' he is really a Jew if he is a liar). And whoever commits suicide with a piece of iron, he will be punished with the same piece of iron in the Hell-fire."
Narrated by Jundub: The Prophet (SAW) said, "A man was inflicted with wounds and he commited suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him."
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet (SAW) said, "He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell-fire (forever), and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself, he shall keep stabbing himself in the Hell-fire (forever)."
........................... Courtesy.. http://www.inter-islam.org/Prohibitions/suicide.html

jazakallah