Ruling on Hunger Strikes in Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Taken from Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Question:
What is the ruling on hunger strikes?
Answer:
Hunger strikes are ḥarām. Using such tactics to force demands is completely impermissible and against Islamic teachings.
Qur’ānic Evidences
① Allah Almighty says:
وَلَا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 195]
“Do not throw yourselves into destruction with your own hands.”
② Allah Almighty says:
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ [Sūrat al-Nisā’: 29]
“Do not kill yourselves.”
Statements of Scholars
- ʿAllāmah Abū al-Walīd al-Bājī (رحمه الله, d. 474 AH):
“There is no difference of opinion that it is impermissible for one to kill himself by abstaining from food. Eating in such a case is obligatory.”
[Al-Muntaqā Sharḥ al-Muwaṭṭa’: 3/141; Al-Masālik Sharḥ Muwaṭṭa’ al-Imām Mālik: 5/324; Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī: 2/233]
- Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī Barelvi (رحمه الله, d. 1971 CE):
Under Sūrat al-Mulk (Ayah 15), he wrote:
“It is understood that eating is obligatory, since life depends on it, and life is the basis of all worship. Therefore, committing suicide by refusing to eat or going on hunger strike is ḥarām.”
[Nūr al-ʿIrfān, p. 898]
Conclusion:Hunger strikes are forbidden (ḥarām) in Islam, as they constitute self-destruction and contradict the preservation of life — which is a fundamental requirement for worship and obedience to Allah.
