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What is the ruling on a wronged prisoner going on a hunger strike, and is he considered to have committed suicide if he dies because of it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

First, the wronged person must be patient and seek reward from Allah, and pursue all available means to remove the injustice.

Second, it is permissible to go on a partial hunger strike or for a period that does not lead to death or organ damage, especially if it results in a benefit such as improved treatment or reduced detention time, as it embarrasses the oppressor. However, a hunger strike that leads to death or organ damage is forbidden, because it is an act of killing oneself, which Allah the Almighty has prohibited, as He says: (And do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction) and (And do not kill yourselves). And whoever dies because of it is considered a killer of himself. Even if the available food is unlawful, such as carrion, it is obligatory for the person in dire necessity to eat from it if they fear perishing by abandoning it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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