It can be argued on the basis of the Qur'?n that suicide is prohibited. Q4:29 states, "And do not kill yourselves…," and Q2:195 advises, "And do not throw yourselves in destruction." The notion of disallowing actions that can be self-destructive is also found in the American legal system. Specifically, the Fifth Amendment includes the right to refuse answering questions that can be self-incriminating. In short, a human impetus exists, which leans towards the self-preservation of life. Yet contrary to this natural disposition and the Qur'?n's instructions, certain Prophetic reports appear to permit the taking of one's own life, albeit, not on the basis of killing one's self in the literal sense. In a set of ?ad?th (Prophetic reports/narratives) on the punishment of stoning, a woman self-confesses to the offense of zin? (illicit sexual intercourse). She is recorded to have said to the Prophet, "O Messenger of God, I have committed zin? and I want you to purify me." The imperative verb used by the woman is tu?ahhiran?, derived from ?ahhara, meaning to clean or purify. From the root of this word, we get ?ah?ra, which means ritual purity needed for the Islamic five daily prayers. According to the report, the Prophet eventually gives the order for her to stoned, and she is stoned. Thereafter, the Prophet participates in the jin?za prayer for her, and remarks that her punishment is equal to the repentance of 70 Medinans. In sum, the stoning punishment served as an exculpatory measure for the Hereafter. The specific term used by the self-confessing woman, and the Prophet's remark about what her punishment signifies, expresses a conception of ritual prayer that does not conform to that which is typically understood about rituals in the Islamic ethos. Stoning, it seems, was constructed as a form of a ritual act. In this paper, I will examine this issue in further detail. Specifically, I contend that the narrative about a zin? offender subsumes the self-confession and stoning under the rubric of ritual prayer. This is creates space for taking actions that can lead to one's own death, which seemingly contradicts the Qur'?n's expression of restraint against suicide.