What is the ruling on one who runs a red light and causes an accident, resulting in death, or kills another person? What is the ruling on this killing? Is it intentional?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
May the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : If a person drives a car at a speed exceeding one hundred and twenty, or runs a red light, and an accident occurs in which he dies, or another person with him or in another car dies, is this killing intentional or quasi-intentional? And is it permissible to run a red light if there are no cars in the other lanes, based on the jurisprudential principle "the ruling follows its cause"? Please inform us, may Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : As for the issue of speed, speed cannot be defined by a specific limit, because it varies. There is a difference between a fast highway and a private road, and there is also a difference between a person driving in the desert and one driving in a town. The important point, may Allah have mercy on you, is that speed is restricted according to the need for caution, and it cannot be strictly regulated.
Furthermore, the cars themselves differ. For some cars, exceeding one hundred and twenty is risky, while for others, the margin is wider. Every situation has its own specific ruling.
As for running a red light, I see that it is not permissible to run a red light, because Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:59] And the authorities, when they place signs telling a person: stop, and signs telling a person: go, these signals are in the position of speech. That is, it is as if the authority is saying to you: stop, or saying: go. And the authority is obligatory to obey, and there is no difference between the other lanes being empty or containing people who need the lane to be opened for them.
Because I asked the General Director of Traffic here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he said: these signals are not for organization, but for stopping and holding. If that is the case, then what the questioner referred to in his statement, "the ruling revolves with its cause in existence and absence," does not apply to this, because this is a command to stop, and the meaning is not: stop if the other lanes are occupied, but rather the meaning is: stop absolutely. And on this basis, it is not permissible for a person to exceed this.
Then, a person may see that the lane is not occupied, meaning the other lanes, and then a person comes quickly to catch the signal that permits him to drive, and an accident occurs, as has happened sometimes. Therefore, we see that it is obligatory to stop, and the matter, praise be to Allah, does not exceed three minutes, and then the lane opens for him.
As for your statement that it is intentional killing or quasi-intentional killing, it is neither intentional nor quasi-intentional.
May the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : If a person drives a car at a speed exceeding one hundred and twenty, or runs a red light, and an accident occurs in which he dies, or another person with him or in another car dies, is this killing intentional or quasi-intentional? And is it permissible to run a red light if there are no cars in the other lanes, based on the jurisprudential principle "the ruling follows its cause"? Please inform us, may Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : As for the issue of speed, speed cannot be defined by a specific limit, because it varies. There is a difference between a fast highway and a private road, and there is also a difference between a person driving in the desert and one driving in a town. The important point, may Allah have mercy on you, is that speed is restricted according to the need for caution, and it cannot be strictly regulated.
Furthermore, the cars themselves differ. For some cars, exceeding one hundred and twenty is risky, while for others, the margin is wider. Every situation has its own specific ruling.
As for running a red light, I see that it is not permissible to run a red light, because Allah the Exalted said:
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْBecause I asked the General Director of Traffic here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he said: these signals are not for organization, but for stopping and holding. If that is the case, then what the questioner referred to in his statement, "the ruling revolves with its cause in existence and absence," does not apply to this, because this is a command to stop, and the meaning is not: stop if the other lanes are occupied, but rather the meaning is: stop absolutely. And on this basis, it is not permissible for a person to exceed this.
Then, a person may see that the lane is not occupied, meaning the other lanes, and then a person comes quickly to catch the signal that permits him to drive, and an accident occurs, as has happened sometimes. Therefore, we see that it is obligatory to stop, and the matter, praise be to Allah, does not exceed three minutes, and then the lane opens for him.
As for your statement that it is intentional killing or quasi-intentional killing, it is neither intentional nor quasi-intentional.