Suicide a grave sin: Grand Mufti

By Abdullah Al-DaniOkaz/Saudi GazetteJEDDAH – Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, Grand Mufti and Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulama and the Administration for Religious Research and Ruling (Ifta), has said that those who commit suicide commit a grave sin.He said Qur’anic verses and sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) have warned against committing suicide, which is forbidden (haraam) according to Shariah. The Grand Mufti warned against using suicide as a means to exert pressure or highlight some demands. He also warned against being lax in using expressions like ‘the star’ or ‘martyr.’Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manee’, member of the Board of Senior Ulama and Adviser to the Royal Court, attributed suicides to weak iman (faith). He said all religious texts indicate that the person who commits suicide commits a great crime and his abode is hellfire. But if someone suffering from a psychiatric condition commits suicide, then he might be forgiven, Al-Manee’ said.