If a group is forced to eat some of their own, is that permissible?

The questioner : I say, if the whole group is forced, I say, if a group is forced to survive by eating some of them, for example, as if they were struck by a disaster, for example,

The Shaykh : and they are alive.

The questioner : That is, while they are alive, would some of them eat the others? Or would the living one wait until some of them die of hunger, and then take them?

The Shaykh : Well, if we say,

The questioner : meaning some of them,

The Shaykh : that they eat some of the others.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Would you rule that the elders eat the young, or the other way around?

The questioner : The Shaykh omitted this.

The Shaykh : I ask you now, if we say it is permissible for some of them to eat the others.

The questioner : By Allah, O Shaykh, this requires a distinction. If the elders are scholars,

The Shaykh : the meat of the young is better. Understood.

The questioner : I say, if the elders are scholars, they are left alone.

The Shaykh : Meaning, they kill people? Allah is sufficient for you. What? No, not at all.

The questioner : This is better for you than this incident.

The Shaykh : The important point, may Allah bless you, is that a living person cannot be killed for another living person.

The questioner : Yes, I say, wait, meaning until he dies, until he dies, I mean.

The Shaykh : Until, meaning, Allah knows best, you might wait until he dies and you die with him.

The questioner : Yes, welcome.

The Shaykh : Allah knows best.

The questioner : Yes, I say, but wait until he dies.

The Shaykh : Meaning, is it possible?

The questioner : She remains alive.

The Shaykh : He is now like you in sanctity, as long as he is alive and you are alive, so you are both equal in sanctity. So even if someone says, why don’t we draw lots?
We draw lots, as if people, for example, are in the midst of the sea and the ship is about to sink unless it is lightened. In this case, you throw the wealth first of all.
You throw the wealth before the lives. So if it becomes heavy even with the lives, participation is necessary.
And the one on whom the lot falls goes down into the sea, as happened to Yunus (peace be upon him). But this is not of the same kind, because that vessel was one carrying everyone, whereas here every person is separate from the others. Therefore, it is not permissible to draw lots among them. If they said, draw lots among us so we don’t all die, draw lots among us, and the one on whom the lot falls is slaughtered and given to the others, this is not permissible.

The questioner : Well, O Shaykh, if, for example, some of them ate the others, we rushed, and two remained, who were the ones left of the group. If one of them feared for his life from the other. Correct, O Shaykh, you see, I am not making this up as a hypothetical; this is an incident. If one of them feared for his life from the other, is it permissible for him to eat him or not?

The Shaykh : Well, I fear for the lower one, how do you mean?

The questioner : Yes, he fears for his life from him. Inhale.

The Shaykh : That one is also afraid for his own life.

The questioner : Yes, likewise.

The Shaykh : When do they sit down, I mean?

The questioner : So, if one fears, God forbid?

The Shaykh : The case is happening now.

The questioner : This happened in a plane crash. A plane crashed and they remained in a place where radars did not detect them and devices did not find them. Then they ate some of the others, they ate some of the others until only two remained. And I don’t know if one of them ate the other or if the two remained.

The Shaykh : Verify the matter, if Allah wills.

The questioner : If, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : As I told you, the scholars say it is not permissible. Destroying a life to preserve another life. For this reason, the scholars said, if we suppose a pregnant woman has a child in her womb, and the doctors say if the child remains in her womb until it is born, she will die, and if we take it out before that, it will die, it is not permissible to take it out. Even though there is a benefit in this, because if the mother is saved, the fetus might remain alive. But it is never permissible to destroy a life to preserve another life.