She is suffering from a skin disease on her face that prompted her to attempt suicide

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Many people in this world live
with wrong ideas, because of which they think that what they have of good
health, or wealth and comfort, safety and security, are all permanent states
that will never change or alter. Yet every day they see the sickness, pain
and problems that befall people around them, or in nearby countries, and
they think that they are safe from that, or that Allah, may He be glorified
and exalted, has singled them out for protection and care, to the exclusion
of all other people.

Some of them remain hopeful, and
perhaps immersed in wishful thinking, until they are suddenly faced with a
calamity that they never took into account, and they have no means of
warding off the anxiety and distress that has come upon them.

One of the most important things
that all of us should become accustomed to – in order to be able to overcome
the calamities of this world – is to constantly be aware of our
circumstances and be prepared for any calamity or problem that may befall
us. Indeed we should expect the vicissitudes of time that may befall us, for
it is impossible for things to remain the same all the time. One of the most
serious delusions with which people live is the idea that one will live and
die far away from any trial or calamity. For the Prophets were faced with
the gravest trials and calamities and suffered all kinds of illness and
sickness. Some of them were imprisoned, some of them were killed, some of
them were driven out by their people, while others were persecuted and
tortured. This also befell the scholars and the righteous after them, and
this is what we see nowadays in many of the Muslim countries around us,
where people are going through all kinds of calamities night and day, such
as no one knows except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.

All of that should prompt you to
ask the natural and logical question: are you dearer to Allah than all of
these people? Or do you have a covenant from Allah that He will protect you
from all calamities, to the exclusion of all other people? Or were all of
these people evildoers who deserved what befell them? Or is your heart so
pure that you do not deserve the test which Allah is giving you? Allah, may
He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

{And as for
man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him,
he says, “My Lord has honored me.”

But when He
tries him and restricts his provision, he says, “My Lord has humiliated me.”}
(al-Fajr 89:15-16).

If you wish, we can remind you
that what has befallen you, no matter how hard it is, is easy in comparison
to what may befall others who are patient and seek reward with Allah, and we
invite you to look at the state of women who are held captive, oppressed and
persecuted in prisons, and those who are incapacitated by illness and
calamity to the extent that they will never again be able to move or speak
or talk. What is your situation in comparison to theirs?

We appreciate what you say and
we feel sad for what has befallen you and you are a university student, but
we also appreciate the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon you and upon
all His slaves. We know that if you were to follow the advice given by the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to those who are
afflicted by calamity, what you are suffering would become easier to bear.

It was narrated that Abu
Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Look at the one who is at
a lower level than you, and do not look at the one who is above you, for
that may keep you from scorning the blessing of Allah.” (Narrated
by Muslim (2963))

You are not suffering from
physical pain that tears you apart, Allah forbid, and what you are suffering
is not causing extreme poverty that forces you to beg from people; you are
not being subjected to oppression and injustice from the most evil of
people. As for the healthy and well-off people you see around you, you are
only seeing their external appearances. If you were able to examine their
true situations, you would see in them and in their families, calamities and
hardship the likes of which has never crossed your mind, and if you knew
anything about it you would praise Allah for the well-being that you have.

The truly happy one is the one
who praises Allah, may He be exalted, for his situation and is pleased with
his Lord and his Lord is pleased with him; he accepts whatever He decrees
with a contented heart, and with hope for that which is with Allah, may He
be glorified, of compensation and an immense reward. This world is fleeting
and will not last forever, and these calamities are but reminders to us, so
that we will not love that which is transient and forget the Hereafter. In
fact, they are a mercy and a gift from Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted, so that we will not transgress and disbelieve, and so that we will
not forget and fall short. Thus we will be constantly aware that we are on a
journey and will gather provisions for it by doing righteous deeds and
fearing Allah a great deal, for the best of provision is fear of Allah.

We need spiritual strength with
which to face our calamities, and we cannot attain that except by
contemplating the ideas discussed above and by reminding ourselves of the
other blessings that we enjoy, of which many people are deprived. Over and
above all that, each of us needs to live an active and productive life so
that we may attain the goals that are set for all Muslims, namely to attain
true servitude to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and to spread
values and virtues and bring happiness to all people. When we focus on that
goal, and live and die to achieve and fulfil it, only then will these
obstacles in our path become insignificant to us, and we will realise that
everything that is less than hellfire and the wrath of the Almighty is
bearable and can be endured.

It was narrated that Jabir (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, those who were
healthy and well-off will wish, when they see the reward that is given to
those who suffered calamities, that their skin had been cut with scissors in
this world.” (Narrated
by at-Tirmidhi (no. 2402). He said: A ghareeb hadith. It was classed as
hasan (good) by al-Albani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi)

So focus on your studies, for we
do not advise you to delay them because of your sickness. If everyone who
suffered a setback were to stop striving for success and achievement,
because of what has befallen him, no human would ever reach any goal and all
people would fail to achieve their aims. We would like to suggest that you
wear niqab, for it is an act of obedience to Allah and a means of drawing
closer to Him; moreover, it will spare you from the feeling that people are
always looking at you. If there is another college similar to the one where
you are studying, and you can transfer there and start over in a new
environment, that would be a good idea.

You should understand that
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has honoured you by saving you from
death and your attempts at suicide, for He has protected you from that grave
sin and has opened to you the door of repentance from those evil, devilish
whispers. This is one of the signs of goodness, praise be to Allah, for
which you should give thanks to Allah by doing righteous deeds, repenting
sincerely and asking for forgiveness for all the attempts that you have made
at suicide. When you call to mind the grave sin of the one who commits this
major sin, you will realise the greatness of the blessing that Allah has
bestowed upon you. Life is a precious and unique opportunity that will not
be repeated, and the ummah needs you to succeed and achieve great things in
your field. You are a brick in the great structure of our ummah, so you
should never feel weak or unable to contribute anything good, no matter how
small.

It was narrated that Nafi‘ said:
When Ibn ‘Umar sat in a gathering, he would not leave before he offered
supplication for his companions by saying these words, and he said that the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to offer
this supplication for his Companions in any gathering: “O Allah, allocate to
us a share of fear of You that will serve as a barrier between us and
disobedience towards You; and a share of obedience to You that will enable
us to reach Your Paradise; and a share of certain faith that will make it
easy for us to bear the calamities of this world. O Allah, let us enjoy our
hearing, our sight and our strength so long as You keep us alive, and let
that stay with us until the moment we die; help us to settle the score with
those who wrong us; support us against those who show enmity to us; do not
let our calamity affect our religious commitment; do not let this world be
the focus of our concern or the sum of our knowledge; and do not let people
gain power over us who will not show us mercy.” (Narrated by an-Nasai in
as-Sunan al-Kubra (9/154); at-Tirmidhi in as-Sunan (no. 3502) –
he said: It is hasan ghareeb. It was classed as saheeh by al-Albani in
Saheeh at-Tirmidhi).

It was narrated from ‘Ata ibn
as-Saib that his father said: ‘Ammar ibn Yasir led us in prayer, and he made
it brief. Some of the people said to him: You have made the prayer brief. He
said: But in it I offered a supplication that I heard from the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). When he left, one of the
people – namely my father – followed him, and asked him about the
supplication, then he came and told the people about it: “O Allah, by virtue
of Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation, grant me life
so long as You know that life is good for me, and cause me to die if You
know that death is good for me. O Allah, I ask You to enable me to fear You
in private and in public, and I ask You to enable me to speak the truth
whether I am calm or angry, and I ask You for moderation in spending whether
I am poor or rich. I ask You for blessing that will never end, and I ask You
for delight that will never cease, and I ask You for contentment after Your
decree comes to pass, and I ask You for a life of bliss after death, and I
ask You for the joy of gazing upon Your Countenance, and longing to meet
You, with no unbearable harm or misleading turmoil. O Allah, adorn us with
the adornment of faith and cause us to be guided and to guide others.
(Narrated by an-Nasai
in al-Mujtaba (no. 1305); classed as saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh
an-Nasai)

For more information, please see
fatwas no.

21677 and

111938

And Allah knows best.