Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
In the remainder of this long hadith regarding the story of the boy: When the king killed the monk and his companion, the boy was brought and he was asked to renounce his religion and return to the king's religion. The king's religion was a religion of shirk (associating partners with Allah), for he, may Allah protect us from that, called people to worship him and to deify him. The boy refused to renounce his religion, so the king handed him over to a group of his men, meaning a group of people, and said to them:Sahih Muslim 3005: a mountain known to them, tall and high, meaning: throw him to the ground so that he falls from the top of the mountain and dies. He says: after they had offered him the chance to renounce his religion, : because faith had settled in his heart, and it was not possible for it to change or waver. So when they were about to throw him down, he said: Sahih Muslim 3005 a supplication of a believer in dire necessity, Sahih Muslim 3005: by whatever You will, without specifying it, and they perished, meaning a boat, : gather all the people of the town in one place, an open area, , and they believed in Allah and disbelieved in the king. This is what this boy had wanted. So in this portion of the hadith, there is evidence for several issues:
First: the strength of this boy's faith, and that he did not waver from his faith, nor did he change. And in it is a sign from the signs of Allah, where Allah Mighty and Majestic honored him by accepting his supplication, so He shook the mountain with the people who wanted to throw him from the top of the mountain, until they fell. And in it is that Allah Mighty and Majestic answers the supplication of the one in dire necessity when he calls upon Him. So if a person calls upon his Lord in a state of dire necessity, certain that Allah will answer him, then Allah the Exalted will answer him. Even the disbelievers, when they call upon Allah in a state of dire necessity, Allah answers them, even though He knows that they will return to disbelief. When a wave covers them like mountains in the sea, they call upon Allah, sincere to Him in religion. But when He saves them, they associate partners with Him. He saves them because they were sincere in their return to Allah the Exalted when they called upon Him, and He, Glorified and Exalted is He, answers the one in dire necessity, even if he is a disbeliever.
And in it are also benefits: that it is permissible for a person to risk his life for a general benefit for the Muslims. For this boy indicated to the king a matter by which he would be killed and by which he would destroy himself, which was to take an arrow from his quiver and place it on the bowstring and say: "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy." Shaykh al-Islam said: "Because this is jihad in the path of Allah": a nation believed, a nation believed, and he did not miss out on anything, because he died, and he would have died sooner or later anyway.
As for what some people do of suicide, where they carry explosive devices and advance with them toward the disbelievers, then detonate them when they are among them, then this is killing of the soul, may Allah protect us from that, and whoever kills himself is eternally abiding in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever, as came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Because this is killing of the soul not for the benefit of Islam. For if he kills himself and kills ten or a hundred or two hundred, Islam does not benefit from it, and the people do not become Muslims. Unlike the story of the boy, for in it was the Islam of many. All those who were present in that open place became Muslims. As for the fact that ten or twenty or a hundred or two hundred of the enemy die, this does not necessitate that the people become Muslims. Rather, the enemy may become more stubborn and this action may incense his chest, so that he strikes the Muslims with the harshest strike, as is seen in what the Jews did with the people of Palestine. For when one of the people of Palestine dies with these explosives and kills six or seven, they take from the result of that sixty people.
In the remainder of this long hadith regarding the story of the boy: When the king killed the monk and his companion, the boy was brought and he was asked to renounce his religion and return to the king's religion. The king's religion was a religion of shirk (associating partners with Allah), for he, may Allah protect us from that, called people to worship him and to deify him. The boy refused to renounce his religion, so the king handed him over to a group of his men, meaning a group of people, and said to them:
Take him to such and such mountain
اذهبوا به إلى جبل كذا وكذاWhen you reach its peak, throw him down
فإذا بلغتم ذروته فاطرحوهIf he renounces, well and good; otherwise, throw him down. So when they brought him to the peak of the mountain, they asked him to renounce his religion, but he refused
فإن رجع وإلا فاطرحوه ، فلما بلغوا به قمة الجبل طلبوا منه أن يرجع عن دينه فأبىO Allah, save me from them (in any way) Thou likest
اللهم اكفنيهم بما شئتO Allah, save me from them (in any way) Thou likest
اللهم اكفنيهم بما شئتSo Allah shook the mountain with them and they fell
فرجف الله بهم الجبل فسقطواAnd the boy came to the king and he said: What brought you? Where are your companions? He said: Allah the Exalted sufficed me against them. Then he handed him over to another group: another group of people, and ordered them to board the sea in a boat
وجاء الغلام إلى الملك فقال : ما الذي جاء بك ، أين أصحابك ؟ فقال : قد كفانيهم الله عز وجل ، ثم دفعه إلى نفر آخر : جماعة آخرين وأمرهم أن يركبوا البحر في قرقورWhen they reached the middle of the sea, they offered him the chance to turn back from his religion, but he refused. Then he said: “O Allah, suffice me against them by whatever You will.” So the ship overturned and they drowned, but Allah saved him. Then he came to the king and said: “Where are your companions?” He informed him of what had happened. Then he said to him: “You will not kill me until you do what I command you to do.” He said: “What is it?” He said: “Gather the people in one open place.”
فإذا بلغوا لجة البحر عرضوا عليه أن يرجع عن دينه فإن لم يفعل رموه في البحر ، فلما توسطوا مِن البحر عرضوا عليه أن يرجع عن دينه ، عن الإيمان بالله عز وجل فقال : لا ، أبى ثم قال : اللهم اكفنيهم بما شئت ، فانقلبت السفينة وغرقوا وأنجاه الله ، ثم جاء إلى الملك فقال : أين أصحابك ؟ فأخبره بالخبر ، ثم قال له : إنك لست قاتلي حتى تفعل ما آمرك به ، قال : وما هو ؟ قال : تجمع الناس في صعيد واحدThen nail me to a tree trunk, then take an arrow from my quiver, place it on the string of the bow, and shoot me, saying: “In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.” If you do that, you will have killed me. So the king gathered the people in one open place, nailed the boy to a tree trunk, and took an arrow from his quiver. He placed it on the string of the bow and shot him, saying: “In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.” Then he shot him again, and the arrow struck his temple. He placed his hand on it and died. So the people began to say: “In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.”
ثم تصلبني على جذع ، ثم تأخذ سهما من كنانتي ، فتضعه في كبد القوس ثم ترميني به وتقول : بسم الله رب الغلام ، فإنك إن فعلت ذلك قتلتني ، فجمع الملك ، جمع الناس في صعيد واحد ، وصلب الغلام ، وأخذ سهما من كنانته ، فوضعها في كبد القوس ثم رماه وقال : بسم الله رب الغلام ، ثم رماه فأصابه السهم في صُدغه فوضع يده عليه ومات ، فأصبح الناس يقولون : بسم الله رب الغلامFirst: the strength of this boy's faith, and that he did not waver from his faith, nor did he change. And in it is a sign from the signs of Allah, where Allah Mighty and Majestic honored him by accepting his supplication, so He shook the mountain with the people who wanted to throw him from the top of the mountain, until they fell. And in it is that Allah Mighty and Majestic answers the supplication of the one in dire necessity when he calls upon Him. So if a person calls upon his Lord in a state of dire necessity, certain that Allah will answer him, then Allah the Exalted will answer him. Even the disbelievers, when they call upon Allah in a state of dire necessity, Allah answers them, even though He knows that they will return to disbelief. When a wave covers them like mountains in the sea, they call upon Allah, sincere to Him in religion. But when He saves them, they associate partners with Him. He saves them because they were sincere in their return to Allah the Exalted when they called upon Him, and He, Glorified and Exalted is He, answers the one in dire necessity, even if he is a disbeliever.
And in it are also benefits: that it is permissible for a person to risk his life for a general benefit for the Muslims. For this boy indicated to the king a matter by which he would be killed and by which he would destroy himself, which was to take an arrow from his quiver and place it on the bowstring and say: "In the name of Allah, the Lord of the boy." Shaykh al-Islam said: "Because this is jihad in the path of Allah": a nation believed, a nation believed, and he did not miss out on anything, because he died, and he would have died sooner or later anyway.
As for what some people do of suicide, where they carry explosive devices and advance with them toward the disbelievers, then detonate them when they are among them, then this is killing of the soul, may Allah protect us from that, and whoever kills himself is eternally abiding in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever, as came in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Because this is killing of the soul not for the benefit of Islam. For if he kills himself and kills ten or a hundred or two hundred, Islam does not benefit from it, and the people do not become Muslims. Unlike the story of the boy, for in it was the Islam of many. All those who were present in that open place became Muslims. As for the fact that ten or twenty or a hundred or two hundred of the enemy die, this does not necessitate that the people become Muslims. Rather, the enemy may become more stubborn and this action may incense his chest, so that he strikes the Muslims with the harshest strike, as is seen in what the Jews did with the people of Palestine. For when one of the people of Palestine dies with these explosives and kills six or seven, they take from the result of that sixty people.