It is established in Egypt that some young men resort to suicide to escape torture and rape; what is the ruling on this?

The questioner : What is your opinion regarding what some young men in Egypt are facing, regardless of whether the background of the events is true or false? However, it has been established in recent days that due to the severity of the torture, their honor may be violated, and they may resort to suicide, to put it another way.

The Shaykh : The answer has already been given, and you will know. Complete your question.

The questioner : To put it another way, are there cases mentioned by the jurists in which suicide is permitted?

The Shaykh : He does not expose himself to sin by his own hand. As for if he is forced into sin, there is no blame on him. But he is slaughtering himself!

The questioner : No, he sees before him, for example, ten men who were arrested. They took the first one and did this and that to him, and they all face the same fate. So he chose this matter, meaning he is fleeing from them with his honor and his religion, while the situation is like this.

The Shaykh : It is not permissible, it is not permissible. I told you, and I mean what I say and I mean what you say. The answer has already been given. Suicide is one of the major sins and may be disbelief. Yes. As for if it is done to him, God forbid, is he held accountable?

The questioner : He is not held accountable because he is coerced.

The Shaykh : But, there is a vast difference between what is done to him and what he does to himself. This is the first point. Second: My brother, our Lord (Mighty and Majestic), there is a verse of poetry whose meaning I like, but, glory be to Allah, I do not have it at hand, that between the blink of an eye...
The student : And its opening, Allah changes a state to another state.

The Shaykh: It must what?
The student : Allah changes from one state to another.

The Shaykh : What is the verse?
The student : Let the decrees run in their necks.

The Shaykh : How?
The student : "Let the decrees run in their necks, *** And do not spend the night except with an empty mind.
Between the blink of an eye and its opening, *** Allah changes from one state to another."

The Shaykh : This is it, this is the meaning in my mind, and I received it during my random studies from here and there and here, and so on. But this is a hidden meaning: that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the One who disposes of this universe. It is possible that in a single moment this ruling changes in a single moment. So why does this afflicted person see before him, as you said, that his turn is coming? So he says, "My turn is coming, so I will slaughter myself." No, my brother. First: if his turn comes, God forbid, it may be done to him against his will, and he is not held accountable. But if he comes and slaughters himself, then there is another point here. This sin, especially when it is done to him, is greater in the sight of Allah, or is his killing himself greater in the sight of Allah? There is no doubt that this is greater in the sight of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So here comes the rule of taking the lesser of two harms. There is no doubt that the lesser of the two harms is that he does not slaughter himself, but rather he is patient with the divine decree and destiny. If Allah saves him, this will be the reward for his patience. And if what was done to those before him is done to him, that is something he cannot prevent. Therefore, a question like this has repeated in this time, even in the recent past, or before that, I do not remember well. A question came regarding the Bosnian women who are subjected to this, and some of them issued a fatwa that she should slaughter herself. The same answer, my brother. If it is done to her, God forbid, this is not by her will. But if she slaughters herself, this is by her will, and this is forbidden and not permissible. This is the answer to the question.