Suicide is totally forbidden (haram) in Islam. The Prophet of Islam in a tradition said that a person who commits suicide would be among the people of Hellfire. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3062) The Prophet’s disapproval of his action makes it clear that suicide bombing is not lawful in Islam under any circumstances. According to Islam, life is so precious that it can never be terminated at will on any pretext. Islam is a harbinger of life. It gives no license for premature death. That is why the virtue of patience is given the utmost importance in Islam. Patience (sabr) means tolerating the severest affliction rather than taking any such step as putting an end to one’s life.

The truth is that suicide is totally forbidden (haram) in Islam. It is forbidden to the point where, if someone is dying, and it is certain that he will not survive, even in his final moments Islam does not allow him to take his own life. Those Muslims who kill themselves in suicide bombings will die an unlawful death. No heaven is waiting to welcome them. Muslims have developed a baseless belief that a believer killed in a battle becomes a martyr, and therefore goes straight to heaven. Islam is a harbinger of life. No one can terminate one’s life on any pretext.

Source: The True Face of Islam