Whoever throws himself from a mountain and kills himself will be in Hellfire, falling down into it and abiding therein eternally forever
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever throws himself from a mountain and kills himself will be in Hellfire, falling down into it and abiding therein eternally forever; whoever drinks poison and kills himself will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in Hellfire, wherein he will abide eternally forever; and whoever kills himself with a piece of iron will be carrying his piece of iron in his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in Hellfire wherein he will abide eternally forever."
Attribution: Agreed upon
Grade: Authentic
Explanation
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against intentionally taking one's own life in this world, stating that such a person will be punished in Hellfire on the Day of Judgment in the same manner by which he ended his life, as a fitting recompense. If someone threw himself off a mountain and died, he will continuously fall from the mountains of Hellfire into its valleys, abiding therein forever. If someone drank poison to kill himself, he will have that poison in his hand, drinking it repeatedly in Hellfire, eternally. And if someone stabbed himself in the belly with a piece of iron, he will have that piece of iron in his hand, stabbing his belly repeatedly in Hellfire, abiding therein forever.
Benefits
The prohibition of a person killing himself, as it is one of the major sins that entails severe punishment.
What is mentioned in the Hadīth is an example of some types of self-inflicted death. However, regardless of the method of suicide, the person will be punished in the same way he took his own life. It is stated in Sahīh Al-Bukhāri that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever strangles himself will strangle himself in Hellfire, and whoever stabs himself will stab himself in Hellfire."
An-Nawawi said: As for the Prophet's statement: (He will be in Hellfire abiding therein eternally forever); It is said: There are several opinions: The first opinion: It refers to one who commits such an act while considering it lawful, despite knowing that it is unlawful—this person is a disbeliever, and this would be his punishment. The second opinion: The term "eternally" refers to a long duration, not literal eternity, similar to when it is said: May Allah make the king's rule eternal. The third opinion: This is indeed the punishment, but Allah Almighty, out of His generosity, has informed us that no person who dies as a Muslim will remain in Hellfire forever.
This is an example of the correspondence between the punishments in the Hereafter and the offenses in this world. It is derived from this that a person's harm to himself is similar to harming others in terms of sin. This is because a person does not own his soul completely; rather, it belongs to Allah Almighty, and he should only dispense with it according to what He has permitted.
