The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: (And whoever kills a believer intentionally)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: (And whoever kills a believer intentionally)
It is known that only the people of shirk (associating partners with Allah) will remain in the Fire eternally,But in the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Surat al-Nisa: 93] So how do you interpret this verse, especially since the Khawarij use it as evidence for the disbelief of the one who commits a major sin?
This issue can be answered from five angles: The first angle: This verse is among the ambiguous verses, and so is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the one who kills himself with a blade: (that he will be punished with it in Hell, remaining in it forever) -so it is among the ambiguous texts-And the rule among the people of faith: The ambiguous texts are to be understood in light of the clear texts, and the clear texts indicate that killing oneself does not take a person out of faith,Allah the Exalted said: [Surat al-Baqarah: 178] until He said: [Surat al-Baqarah: 178] ; if that is the case, then it is obligatory to interpret the verse of warning and the hadith in a way that does not conflict with the other texts,She says: Killing a believer intentionally and killing oneself intentionally are causes for eternal abode in the Fire, and a cause may be opposed by a barrier that prevents the effect from occurring.
Have you seen an example in the chapter of inheritance? Kinship is one of the causes of inheritance, but a barrier may exist that invalidates this cause. If the father is a disbeliever and the son is a believer, and the son dies, the father does not inherit from him. And if the father dies, the son does not inherit from him, due to the difference in religion. So it is like these verses and hadiths that contain warnings,We say: These actions for which this warning of eternal abode in the Fire is established are among the causes, and if it is a cause, then it necessitates that a person be cautious of it; because this cause may have no barrier, as came in the hadith: (A man remains in a broad space of his religion as long as he does not touch forbidden blood) meaning: that whoever touches forbidden blood is likely to deviate and die upon disbelief,So we say: This action, namely killing a believer intentionally, is a cause for eternal abode in the Fire, and this cause may have a barrier that prevents it, which is faith. If a person has in his heart even the weight of a mustard seed of faith, he will not remain in the Fire eternally. This is one angle.
The second aspect: That this applies to the one who considers killing permissible, for he will remain in the Fire eternally. But when this angle was mentioned to Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) that so-and-so said: "The one who kills a believer intentionally while considering it permissible will remain in the Fire eternally," he laughed,And he said: If one considers killing a believer permissible, he is a disbeliever whether he kills him or not, so this answer is of no value.
The third reason: Some scholars said in another answer: [Surat al-Nisa: 93] If Allah punishes him, making the verse conditional, meaning if He punishes him, this is his reward, and if He does not punish him but forgives him, then this punishment does not befall him,They said: Because Allah the Exalted says: [Surat al-Nisa: 48] .
The fourth angle: Some scholars of knowledge said: This was stated as a deterrent and a warning, and what is stated as a deterrent and warning is not intended to establish this specific ruling, but rather to deter people from it,As you say to your son: And if I say, "If you do that, I will kill you," and you do it, would you kill him? No.
In fact, you may not even hit him, even though you said "I will kill you," threatening him with death but not killing him, but out of the intensity of the deterrent, you expressed it that way,So they said: Allah expressed eternal abode in the Fire for the one who kills a believer intentionally as a deterrent and warning, and the intention is not to bring about the reality of that.
The fifth aspect: Some scholars said: Eternal abode does not necessitate perpetuity; because "eternal abode" in the Arabic language means a long stay, not a permanent one. This angle can be used to answer regarding the noble verse; because Allah did not mention perpetuity in it, but it cannot be used to answer regarding the hadith that the one who kills himself with something will be punished with it in Hell, remaining in it eternally, forever.
In any case, in my view, the best of the answers is the first angle: That intentional killing of a believer is a cause for eternal abode in the Fire, but this cause may have a barrier that prevents it, so it serves as a severe warning against a person doing this action; because it is a cause for eternal abode in the Fire, so if he does it, the cause is present and realized, and the barrier is not realized, and a barrier may not occur.
It is known that only the people of shirk (associating partners with Allah) will remain in the Fire eternally,But in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally
وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِناً مُتَعَمِّداً فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِداً فِيهَاThis issue can be answered from five angles: The first angle: This verse is among the ambiguous verses, and so is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the one who kills himself with a blade: (that he will be punished with it in Hell, remaining in it forever) -so it is among the ambiguous texts-And the rule among the people of faith: The ambiguous texts are to be understood in light of the clear texts, and the clear texts indicate that killing oneself does not take a person out of faith,Allah the Exalted said:
prescribed for you is legal retribution for those murdered
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَىBut whoever overlooks from his brother anything
فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَيْءٌHave you seen an example in the chapter of inheritance? Kinship is one of the causes of inheritance, but a barrier may exist that invalidates this cause. If the father is a disbeliever and the son is a believer, and the son dies, the father does not inherit from him. And if the father dies, the son does not inherit from him, due to the difference in religion. So it is like these verses and hadiths that contain warnings,We say: These actions for which this warning of eternal abode in the Fire is established are among the causes, and if it is a cause, then it necessitates that a person be cautious of it; because this cause may have no barrier, as came in the hadith: (A man remains in a broad space of his religion as long as he does not touch forbidden blood) meaning: that whoever touches forbidden blood is likely to deviate and die upon disbelief,So we say: This action, namely killing a believer intentionally, is a cause for eternal abode in the Fire, and this cause may have a barrier that prevents it, which is faith. If a person has in his heart even the weight of a mustard seed of faith, he will not remain in the Fire eternally. This is one angle.
The second aspect: That this applies to the one who considers killing permissible, for he will remain in the Fire eternally. But when this angle was mentioned to Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) that so-and-so said: "The one who kills a believer intentionally while considering it permissible will remain in the Fire eternally," he laughed,And he said: If one considers killing a believer permissible, he is a disbeliever whether he kills him or not, so this answer is of no value.
The third reason: Some scholars said in another answer:
his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally
فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِداً فِيهَاIndeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُThe fourth angle: Some scholars of knowledge said: This was stated as a deterrent and a warning, and what is stated as a deterrent and warning is not intended to establish this specific ruling, but rather to deter people from it,As you say to your son: And if I say, "If you do that, I will kill you," and you do it, would you kill him? No.
In fact, you may not even hit him, even though you said "I will kill you," threatening him with death but not killing him, but out of the intensity of the deterrent, you expressed it that way,So they said: Allah expressed eternal abode in the Fire for the one who kills a believer intentionally as a deterrent and warning, and the intention is not to bring about the reality of that.
The fifth aspect: Some scholars said: Eternal abode does not necessitate perpetuity; because "eternal abode" in the Arabic language means a long stay, not a permanent one. This angle can be used to answer regarding the noble verse; because Allah did not mention perpetuity in it, but it cannot be used to answer regarding the hadith that the one who kills himself with something will be punished with it in Hell, remaining in it eternally, forever.
In any case, in my view, the best of the answers is the first angle: That intentional killing of a believer is a cause for eternal abode in the Fire, but this cause may have a barrier that prevents it, so it serves as a severe warning against a person doing this action; because it is a cause for eternal abode in the Fire, so if he does it, the cause is present and realized, and the barrier is not realized, and a barrier may not occur.