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course of) justice, nor commit zina. And whoever does that shall pay the price (of his sin). The punishment
shall be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection and he will abide in it in disgrace, except for him who
repents and believes and does righteous deeds. As for them, Allâh will change their evil deeds to good
deeds, and Allâh is Forgiving, Merciful. (25:68-70)
“The Murderer and the Murdered Will Be in Hell”
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) considered a Muslim’s fighting another Muslim to be a door to unbelief and a deed
pertaining to pre-Islâmic jahiliyyah, during which people used to wage wars and shed blood over a camel or
a horse. He said, “Insulting the Muslim is wickedness and fighting him is unbelief.” (Compiled by al-Bukhâri
and Muslim.) “Do not become unbelievers after I pass away, killing one another.” (Compiled by al-Bukhâri
and Muslim.) He further said, ‘When two Muslims draw weapons against each other, they are at the brink of
Hell. If one of them kills the other, they both enter it together.’ Someone asked, ‘O Messenger of Allâh, this
one wthe murderer, but what was the fault of the murdered?‘ He replied, ‘He was eager to kill the oth.’
(Compiled by al-Bukhâri and Muslim.)
Because of this the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) forbade any act which might lead to murder or to a fight, even pointing
a weapon, saying, None of you should point a weapon at his brother. Perhaps Satan may make his hand slip
and then he will fall into the pit of Fire. (Compiled by al-Bukhâri.) He also said, If anyone points a piece of
iron at his brother, the angels curse him until he stops doing it, even if he is his real brother. (Compiled by
Muslim.) He even went so far as to say, “It is not permissible for the Muslim to frighten his brother.”
(Reported by Abû Daoud as well as by al-Tabarani on reliable authority.)
The sin of murder is not limited to the murderer alone. Each individual who participated in this crime, by
deed, or by word, will be the recipient of Allâh’s punishment in proportion to his share in it; even a person
who happened to be at the scene of the murder will receive a share of the sin. A hadith states, None of you
should remain in a place where a man is being killed unjustly, for the curse (of Allâh) descends on anyone
who was present and did not defend him. (Reported by al-Tabarani and by al-Bayhaqi on good authority.)
The Sanctity of the Lives of Allies and Non-Muslim Residents
Thus far we have quoted those texts which warn Muslims against killing or fighting fellow Muslims. But let no
one get the impression that the life of a non-Muslim is not safe in a Muslim society, for Allâh has declared
the life of every human being to be sacred, and He has safeguarded it.
This applies as long as the non-Muslim does not fight against the Muslims; if he does so, shedding blood is
permissible. However, if the non-Muslim is of a people with whom there is a treaty or if he is a dhimmi (a
non-Muslim resident of an Islâmic state), his life is sacred, and it is unlawful for the Muslim to attack him. In
this regard the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has said, Anyone who kills a person from among the people with whom
there is a treaty will not smell the fragrance of the Garden, although its fragrance reaches to a walking
distance of forty years. (Compiled by al-Bukhâri and others.) “Anyone who kills a dhimmi will not smell the
fragrance of the Garden.” (Reported by al-Nisai.)
Capital Punishment
Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala says,...Do not take the life which Allâh has made sacred except in (the
course of) justice....(6:151) Allâh has mentioned three crimes for which the death penalty is justified:
1.
Unjust murder. Murder which has been proved demands retaliation by taking the life of the
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murderer—a life for a life, a like return for an evil committed, as the initiator of the killing is the initiator of the
wrongdoing. As the Qur‘ân states, In the law of qisas (retaliation) there is life for you, O people of
understanding....(2:179)
2.
Publicly committing zina with a person who is not one’s spouse if at least four upright people have
actually witnessed intercourse taking place and testified before the court that they saw it. The death penalty
applies to either of the two who is married. Confession, repeated four times before the court by the adulterer
or adulteress, is equivalent to the testimony of four witnesses.
3.
Apostasy from Islâm after willingly accepting it and subsequently declaring an open revolt against it
in such a manner which threatens the solidarity of the Muslim community is a crime punishable by death. No
one is compelled to accept Islâm, but at the same time no one is permitted to play tricks with it, as some
Jews did during the Prophet’s time: A party of the People of the Book say, ‘Believe in what has been revealed
to the Believers‘ at the beginning of the day and reject it at the end of it, in order that they may turn back
(from Islâm). (3:72)
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) limited capital punishment to these three crimes only, saying, The shedding of the
blood of a Muslim is not lawful except for one of three reasons: a life for a life, a married person who commits
zina, and one who turns aside from his religion and abandons the community. (Compiled by al-Bukhâri and
Muslim)
In any of these instances, the death penalty can be implemented only by the proper authority after due
process of law prescribed by the Shari‘ah; individuals cannot take the law into their own hands, becoming
judges and executioners, since this would result in absolute chaos and disorder. However, the judge may
turn the murderer over to the victim’s next-of-kin to be executed in his presence so that their hearts may be
eased and the desire for revenge extinguished. This is in obedience to the saying of Allâh Ta‘ala,...And
whoever is killed wrongfully, We have given authority to the heir; but let him not go to excess in killing (by
way of retaliation), for indeed he will be helped. (17:33)
Suicide
Whatever applies to the crime of murder likewise applies to committing suicide. Whoever takes his life by
any means whatsoever has unjustly taken a life which Allâh has made sacred. For since he did not create
himself, nor even so much as a single cell of his body, the life of an individual does not belong to him; it is a
trust given to him by Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala. He is not allowed to diminish it, let alone to harm or
destroy it. Allâh Ta‘ala says:...Do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allâh is merciful to you. (4:29)
The Islâmic teachings require the Muslim to be resolute in facing hardships; he is not permitted to give up
and to run away from the vicissitudes of life when a tragedy befalls or some of his hopes are dashed.
Indeed, the believer is created for striving, not for sitting idle; for combat, not for escape. His faith and
character do not permit him to run away from the battlefield of life, and he possesses a weapon which never
fails and ammunition which is never exhausted: the weapon of his unshakable faith and the ammunition of
his moral steadfastness.
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) warned that anyone who commits the crime of suicide will be deprived of the mercy of
Allâh and will not enter the Garden; he will deserve Allâh’s wrath and be cast into the Fire. The Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) said, ‘In the time before you, a man was wounded. His wounds troubled him so much that he took
a knife and cut his wrist and bled himself to death. Thereupon Allâh said, ‘My slave hurried in the matter of
his life.’ therefore, he is deprived of the Garden.’ (Compiled by al-Bukhâri and Muslim.)
If a person is deprived of the Garden because he cannot bear the pain of his wounds and so kills himself,
what about the one who takes his life because he has suffered a loss, whether great or small in his
business, has failed an examination, or has been rejected by a woman. Let those people who are weak of
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