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This paper aims to provide a philosophical foundation for the Islamic prohibition on suicide and its binding nature.

June 6, 2026Open Access

THE COVENANT OF WILL: A Contractarian Account of the Islamic Prohibition on Suicide

Key Points

This paper aims to provide a philosophical foundation for the Islamic prohibition on suicide and its binding nature.
Develops a philosophical account of religious obligation.
Applies Nuridin-Amin’s theory of morality to suicide prohibition.
Engages classical Islamic commentators on the concepts of mithaq and amanah.
Identifies the prohibition on suicide as a breach of the binding covenant (mithaq).
Explores implications for Islamic bioethics and the philosophy of religion.

Abstract

The Islamic prohibition on suicide enjoys one of the strongest consensuses in Islamic thought, yet its philosophical foundation remains underdeveloped. This paper presents a rigorous philosophical account of why religious obligation is binding at all and then applies that account to the prohibition on suicide, demonstrating that suicide constitutes a breach of a binding covenant. Drawing on Nuridin-Amin’s unified theory of morality and engaging classical commentators, it identifies this covenant as the mithaq and the architecture through which its obligations are fulfilled as the amanah of Q33:72. It concludes with implications for Islamic bioethics and the philosophy of religion.

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