The ruling on one who dies while on a hunger strike is that he has killed himself and done what is forbidden, for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
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The questioner : He asks about hunger strikes. He says, “We often hear on the radio and read in the newspapers about people who go on hunger strikes in protest against certain rulings. These people are usually prisoners. What is the ruling on one who dies while on a hunger strike?”
The Shaykh : The ruling on one who dies while on a hunger strike is that he has killed himself and done what is forbidden, for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:[An-Nisa 4:29] And it is known that one who refuses food and drink will inevitably die.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Accordingly, he is a killer of himself, and it is not permissible for a person to go on a hunger strike for food or drink for a duration in which he will die. However, if he goes on a hunger strike for a duration in which he will not die, and this is the only means for him to free himself from injustice or to recover his right, then there is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If it is in a country where this action is a means to escape injustice or to obtain his right, then there is nothing wrong with it. But if it reaches the point of death, then it is not permissible under any circumstances.
The questioner : Yes, you have done well.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we reviewed the questions of our esteemed listeners: Muhammad al-Hasan from the College of Usul al-Din in Riyadh, Sa'd Saleh al-Fajri from al-Ahsa, the city of al-Ayun, and finally a message from one of the seekers of help whose name was symbolized by S.N.S, and his question regarding performing the sunnahs while sitting, and one who dies while on a hunger strike.
We presented these questions and inquiries to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saleh al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia in al-Qasim, and imam and khatib of the Grand Mosque in the city of Unayzah.
The Shaykh : The ruling on one who dies while on a hunger strike is that he has killed himself and done what is forbidden, for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.
ولا تقتلوا أنفسكم إن الله كان بكم رحيماThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Accordingly, he is a killer of himself, and it is not permissible for a person to go on a hunger strike for food or drink for a duration in which he will die. However, if he goes on a hunger strike for a duration in which he will not die, and this is the only means for him to free himself from injustice or to recover his right, then there is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If it is in a country where this action is a means to escape injustice or to obtain his right, then there is nothing wrong with it. But if it reaches the point of death, then it is not permissible under any circumstances.
The questioner : Yes, you have done well.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we reviewed the questions of our esteemed listeners: Muhammad al-Hasan from the College of Usul al-Din in Riyadh, Sa'd Saleh al-Fajri from al-Ahsa, the city of al-Ayun, and finally a message from one of the seekers of help whose name was symbolized by S.N.S, and his question regarding performing the sunnahs while sitting, and one who dies while on a hunger strike.
We presented these questions and inquiries to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saleh al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia in al-Qasim, and imam and khatib of the Grand Mosque in the city of Unayzah.