Is brutally killing
people a part of an Islamic state?
God upholds the sanctity of life as universal principle.
God upholds the sanctity of life as universal principle.
"And
do not kill one another: for, behold, God is indeed a dispenser of grace unto
you!" (Surah an Nissa – Women, 4:29).
This can
be interpreted as a prohibition on suicide, as well as murder: Do not kill your
individual self, and do not kill other humans, who are like yourselves.
The
parable of Cain and Abel illustrates God's negative attitude towards those who
transgress this principle. Both offer a sacrifice to God, but the sacrifice of
the righteous, God-fearing brother is accepted while his brother's is rejected.
The rejected brother flies into a rage and threatens to kill his brother out of
jealousy.
"and convey unto them, setting
forth the truth, the story of the two sons of Adam - how each offered a
sacrifice, and it was accepted from one of them whereas it was not accepted
from the other. [And Cain] said: 'I will surely slay thee!' [Abel] replied:
'Behold, God accepts only from those who are conscious of Him, Even if thou lay
thy hand on me to slay me, I shall not lay my hand on thee to slay thee:
behold, I fear God, the sustainer of all the worlds' (Surah al Maida –
The Repast, 5:27-28).
But the
rejected brother refuses to listen to him and ultimately murders his brother.
"But
the other's passion drove him to slaying his brother; and he slew him: and thus
he become one of the lost" (Surah al Maida – The
Banquet, 5:30).
One who
kills another ensures that he will be "lost" to God's guidance in
this life. And denied entry to paradise in the Afterlife. Eventually, Cain realize
the enormity of his deed, and he is stricken by remorse. "Thereupon God
sent forth a raven which scratched the earth, to show him how he might conceal
the nakedness of his brother's body. [And Cain] cried out: 'Oh, woe is me! Am I
then too weak to do what this raven did, and to conceal then nakedness of my
brother's body? – and was thereupon smitten with remorse' (Surah al
Maida – The Banq, 5:31).
In sum,
the Cain and Abel example underscores the sanctity and value of human life in
Islam. As the moral of the story, God states,
"Because
of this did we ordain unto the children of Israel that if anyone slays a human
being - unless it be [in punishment] for murder of for spreading corruption on
earth – it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone
saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind" (Surah
al Maida – The Banquet, 5:32).
The value
of merely one life is such that it is worth the lives of an entire nation. To
murder another person is to murder one's own brother, since all human beings
are the progeny of Adam.
God views
murder as a major sin, condemning the offender in the Afterlife. This theme is
mentioned, for example, in the following two hadiths. "One of the evil
deeds with bad consequence which there is no escape for the one who is involved
in it is to kill someone unlawfully." "the Prophet said, "The
first cases to be decided among the people (on the Day of Resurrection) will be
those of blood-shed."
The
following three verses elaborate on the value of life, but also introduce the
role of law to deal with murder as a crime, and not just as a sin. Surah al
Furqan equates the sanctity of life with belief in a monotheistic God,
illustrating the high value that life holds in Islam.
"And who never invoke any
[imaginary] deity side with God, and do not take any human being's life – [the
life] which God has willed to be sacred – otherwise than in [the pursuit of]
justice, and do not commit adultery. And [know that] he who commits aught
thereof shall [not only] meet with a full requital (Surah al Furqan –
the standard of True and False, 25:68).
If life
has to be taken, it should only be through the due process of law, or
"just cause."
"Be they open or secret; and do not take
any human being's life – [the life] which God has declared to be scared –
otherwise than in (the pursuit of) justice: this has He enjoined upon you so
that you might use your reason " (Surah al Anam – Cattle,
6:151).
"And
do not take any human being's life – [the life] which God has willed to be
sacred – otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice. Hence if anyone has been
slain wrongfully, We have empowers the defender of his rights [to exact a just
retribution]; but even so, let him not exceed the bounds of equity in
[retributive] kill. [And as for him who has been slain wrongfully -] behold, he
is indeed succored [by God]! (Surah al Isra – The Night
Journey, 17:33).
This
verses but then goes to discuss the role of law in the determining how
punishment is to be regulated. Wrongful death [death due to negligence or
accident] falls under the category of qisas crimes, for whish the deceased's
heirs can either demand retribution, compensation of forgive the killer. All of
these verses point out that the due process of law is key in regulating how to
punish a killer for taking a life.
Examining
the themes of these three verses, we can summarize several conclusions, one is
that all life is valuable, regardless of the identity of individual. Two, the
value of life is indicated by equating it with the unity of God (tawhid), which
is central to the theological underpinnings of Islam . Third, in cases where
taking a life is justified, the only permissible reason is by "just cause
", which refers to the rule of law. Despite the fact that murder is a sin,
in this world, the punishment for it as a crime has to be determined on the
basis of law. in short, preserving life and stressing the value of it are key
to Islamic teachings.
Writer :
Dr. Ibrahim Negm
Senior Advisor to the Grand
Mufti of Egypt
Resource : eng.dar-alifta.org
