Is there a word on forgiving the killer on the part of the awliya (close friends of Allah) of the victim?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh. From time to time, especially in the newspapers, we hear about the act of forgiveness in cases of killing, meaning at the last minute. What is the reward for that? We ask for a word on this topic.
The Shaykh : What do you mean?
The questioner : When retaliation is due for a man
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : who killed at the last moment, meaning the wali (guardian) of the murdered person forgives. I want you to mention the consequence of that for us.
The Shaykh : It is no doubt that forgiveness is better. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:237] But forgiveness must be accompanied by reform, meaning that if you forgive, there is reform for the community in that. But if it is otherwise, do not forgive. For example, if we suppose that this killer killed out of criminality and a love for assassinations, and that if we forgive him today he will go and kill another on the second day, or others will dare to do what he dared to do in terms of killing, then forgiveness is not advisable here; rather, firmness must be taken. And praise be to Allah, the person who does not die today will die tomorrow. And killing this killer will be an expiation for him regarding the rights of the awliya (close friends of Allah) of the murdered person. And if he has repented to Allah with sincere repentance, it will also be an expiation for him regarding the right of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And the right of the murdered person remains.
Because the intentional killer has three rights attached to his crime: the right of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, the right of the murdered person, and the right of the awliya (close friends of Allah) of the murdered person. So if he repents to Allah, regrets, and surrenders himself to the awliya (close friends of Allah) of the murdered person, two rights have fallen from him, and the right of the murdered person remains. Yes, and the right of the murdered person remains. Some scholars say that the murdered person must take his right on the Day of Resurrection, even if the killer repented.
And some scholars say that if he repents with sincere repentance and Allah knows that from him, then Allah bears the injustice of the murdered person and pays it off on behalf of the killer. And this is closer to me due to the generality of the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Al-Furqan 25:68-70] The verse is general and indicates that if he repents, everything related to this killing falls from him.
The Shaykh : What do you mean?
The questioner : When retaliation is due for a man
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : who killed at the last moment, meaning the wali (guardian) of the murdered person forgives. I want you to mention the consequence of that for us.
The Shaykh : It is no doubt that forgiveness is better. Allah the Exalted said:
And to forego it is nearer to righteousness
وَأَنْ تَعْفُوا أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىBecause the intentional killer has three rights attached to his crime: the right of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, the right of the murdered person, and the right of the awliya (close friends of Allah) of the murdered person. So if he repents to Allah, regrets, and surrenders himself to the awliya (close friends of Allah) of the murdered person, two rights have fallen from him, and the right of the murdered person remains. Yes, and the right of the murdered person remains. Some scholars say that the murdered person must take his right on the Day of Resurrection, even if the killer repented.
And some scholars say that if he repents with sincere repentance and Allah knows that from him, then Allah bears the injustice of the murdered person and pays it off on behalf of the killer. And this is closer to me due to the generality of the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: