If one drives his car at high speed and is involved in an accident that results in his death, is he considered to have killed himself?
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The questioner : He drove his car at high speed, then was involved in an accident and died. Is he considered to have killed himself?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
Whoever causes his own death is considered to have killed himself, and likewise, whoever directly commits suicide is a killer of himself. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us: And by whatever means he kills himself, he will be tortured with it in Hell, may Allah protect us from that.
Likewise, whoever is the cause of his own death by not intending to kill himself but doing what is a cause of death is considered to have killed himself because he is the cause, but he is not like the direct perpetrator in terms of sin. The one who speeds at a speed that becomes a cause of an accident is, in reality, causing his own destruction and is sinful. And Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:29] Therefore, it is not permissible for a person to speed at a speed that becomes a cause of an accident, nor to overload the car to a degree that becomes a cause of an accident, nor to turn at this speed in a way that results in an accident.
The important point is that it is not permissible for a person to cause his own death by any means. It is astonishing that some people hasten with this blameworthy, forbidden haste, even though if he slowed down to a speed without danger, there would be no difference between the time of his arrival at the dangerous speed and his arrival at the normal speed except about ten percent. But man is an enemy to himself; he thinks that by speeding he will be safe, but he falls into danger.
It has reached me that a man who was a leader in his tribe rode in his car one day and said to the driver: "Do not speed, for there is only a quarter of an hour left until the appointment." The driver was astonished, asking how he could say, "Do not speed," when there was only a quarter of an hour left? It was expected that he would say, "Speed up, for there is only a quarter of an hour left." So he asked him, "Why did you say, 'Do not speed,' when there is only a quarter of an hour left?" He said, "Yes, because if you speed, it will be a cause of an accident in which we would remain for hours. But if you do not speed, we will arrive at the appointed time." This is wisdom: that a person estimates the measures of things and takes precautions so that he does not fall into what he dislikes and is not pleased with.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
Whoever causes his own death is considered to have killed himself, and likewise, whoever directly commits suicide is a killer of himself. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us:
Whoever kills himself will be tortured in Hell with what he killed himself with. If he killed himself with poison, he will be tortured with poison which he will drink in Hell. If he killed himself with a blade, he will be tortured with his blade in Hell.
أن من قتل نفسه فإنه يعذب في جهنم بما قتل به نفسه ، من قتلها بسم فإنه يعذب بسم يتحساه في جهنم ، وإن قتلها بحديدة عذب بحديدته في جهنمLikewise, whoever is the cause of his own death by not intending to kill himself but doing what is a cause of death is considered to have killed himself because he is the cause, but he is not like the direct perpetrator in terms of sin. The one who speeds at a speed that becomes a cause of an accident is, in reality, causing his own destruction and is sinful. And Allah the Exalted said:
And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.
وَلا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًاThe important point is that it is not permissible for a person to cause his own death by any means. It is astonishing that some people hasten with this blameworthy, forbidden haste, even though if he slowed down to a speed without danger, there would be no difference between the time of his arrival at the dangerous speed and his arrival at the normal speed except about ten percent. But man is an enemy to himself; he thinks that by speeding he will be safe, but he falls into danger.
It has reached me that a man who was a leader in his tribe rode in his car one day and said to the driver: "Do not speed, for there is only a quarter of an hour left until the appointment." The driver was astonished, asking how he could say, "Do not speed," when there was only a quarter of an hour left? It was expected that he would say, "Speed up, for there is only a quarter of an hour left." So he asked him, "Why did you say, 'Do not speed,' when there is only a quarter of an hour left?" He said, "Yes, because if you speed, it will be a cause of an accident in which we would remain for hours. But if you do not speed, we will arrive at the appointed time." This is wisdom: that a person estimates the measures of things and takes precautions so that he does not fall into what he dislikes and is not pleased with.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.