Are these suicides bombings justified by the Sunnah ?
Answer :Answered by Salman al-Oudah:
2. Suicide bombings are a modern issue that can almost not be found in the classical books of Islamic Law. This is because this form of resistance could only come about after the invention of explosives and an advancement in the technology surrounding them.
Generally, this approach is used as part of guerilla warfare which is typified by small bands of commandos capable of fast movement. This type of fighting was highlighted in the American Civil War, as well as the Second World War, and the wars that followed it. It became part of the war tactics taught at military colleges and academies.
The Muslims became in need of such attacks for the following reasons;
a. Their love for sacrifice and martyrdom. They feel life has less value if they have to live in humiliation. For them, a respectful death is better than humiliating life. A famous poet once said:
Do not give me the drink of life in humiliation,
Rather give me the drink of nobility in a glass of bitter colocynth
b. The oppressions from their enemies in some countries. The Muslim are violently attacked and oppressed due to their scientific and technical backwardness. The technological superiority of their enemies made the Islamic lands free pasture land for occupying powers. This can be clearly seen in Palestine, Kashmir, and Chechnya, and previously in Afghanistan and the Islamic Republics which were formerly part of the Soviet Union.
c. The paucity of available options. Among the causes of strength is a lack of alternatives. This defines for a person his course of action and give him renewed power.
That is why many people are now asking questions about the lawfulness of such attacks. Some describe them as “attacks seeking martyrdom” to clarify theirs legality, while others call them “suicide attacks” to show their unlawfulness or to follow what the media says.
Scholars of Islamic Law differ on this issue according to their various insights and according to how they weigh the evidence.
If we review the legal texts and the historical events, we can find something that we can relate to this matter:
1. It is mentioned in the Musannaf of Ibn Abî Shâybah” that Muhammad b. Ishâq (who is truthful but forgets and often does not mention all the people in the chain of transmitters), relates from Muhammad b. Qatâdah that Mu`âz b.`Afrâ’ said: “O Messenger of Allah, what makes Allah laugh on account of his servant?” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “That he attacks the enemy without wearing any protective gear.” Muhammad b. Qatâdah said: “Mu`âz cast aside the armor he was wearing and fought until he was killed.”
[This hadîth was authenticated by Ibn Hazm in al-Muhallâ, Volume 7 page 294. It is also related from `Awf b. al-Hârith by al-Tabarî in al-Târîkh (2/33)
2. Ibn Hazm also says in al-Muhallâ that Abû Ishâq Al –Subay`î said: “ I heard a man asking al-Barâ’ b. `Azib: “What do you think if a man fought a battalion of one thousand men alone; did he “throw himself into destruction? (quoting from the Qur’ân)” Al-Barâ’ said: “No, destruction is when a man commits a sin then despairs and says: there is no repentance for me.” Then he said: “Neither Abû Ayyûb al-Ansârî nor Abû Mûsa al-Ash`arî denied that a single man can fight an entire army alone and hold his ground until he is killed.”
3. The story of Abû Ayyûb in Constantine (present day Istanbul), is famous. In this story, a Muslim fighter attacked the Romans and pushed his way into them. People shouted : “Glory be to Allah , he “threw himself into destruction”? Abû Ayyûb stood up and said: “O people you interpret this verse in this way while it was sent to us, we Ansâr . When Allah gave victory to Islam and increased the number of its followers, some of us told others, secretly and in the absence of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him): ‘Our properties are lost and now Allah gave victory to Islam and increased the number of its followers, so how about going back to our properties and regaining what was lost of them?’ Then Allah sent this verse to his Prophet (peace be upon him).” [ Sunan al-Tirmidhî 2898 and Sunan Abî Dawûd 2151]
4. We find in the books of the Prophet’s biography and in Ibn al-Mubârak’s Kitâb al-Jihâd ( 1/134 ) the story of al-Barâ’ b. `Azib when he threw himself into the apostate army of Banû Hanîfah. In some of these references, like al-Siyar 1/196, Al-Barâ asked his comrades to put him inside a shield then raise him over their spears and throw him over the wall. He fought the enemy in their enclosure and opened its gate for Muslims. During that attack he received more than eighty cuts. The Muslims’ leader, Khâlid b. al-Walîd assigned someone to tend to his injuries. [Something similar to this is mentioned in the Thiqât of Ibn Haban 2/175 and al-Tâbâri’s History (2/281) and others. Also, a similar story for Al-Barâ’ is said to have taken place in the town of Tustur.]
5. Ahmad related that Abû Ishâq asked al-Barâ’: If a man attacks the polytheists, is he “throwing himself in to destruction”? He said: No, because Allah has sent his Messenger and revealed to him: “Then fight (O Mohammad) in the cause of Allah, you are not held responsible except for yourself.” In fact , the implication of that verse applies to spending.
6. In “ Sahih Muslim” there is the famous long hadîth where the boy, who the king could not slay, told the king : “You will not be able to slay me until you do what I ask you to do” The King said: “What is that?” He said: “You must gather all the people in one place, crucify me on a treetrunk, then you put an arrow inside a bow and say: ‘By the name of Allah the Lord of this boy’ then shoot me. If you do so you will kill me.” At the end of hadîth, the king did as the boy told and the boy died, then the crowd of people said: “We believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy.” This hadîth is also mentioned in Al-Musnâd (22805) and other books. This boy showed the king how he could kill him, and the king executed the method of killing that he guided him to. But the boy got the great benefit he was seeking, which was that all people believed in Allah after they came to know the full story and recognized the honor which Allah Has granted this boy.
7. Abû Sa`îd al-Khudrî relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him ) said: “Those who are fighting in the front line and do not turn their faces until they are killed, they are in great pleasure in the upper rooms of Paradise, and Allah laughs because of them, and whoever Allah laughs on account of will not have any reckoning on the Day of Judgment.” [related by Ibn Abî Shaybah (4/569), al-Tabarânî, AbûYa`lâ, Ibn al-Mubârak in al-Jihad, Abû Nu`aym in al-Hilya and others. Al-Munzirî said all the narrators are reliable.]
8. Ibn Abî Shaybah relates that Mudrak b. `Awf Al-Ahmasî said: “I was with `Umar b. Al-Khattâb, until it was said: “O Commander of the Faithful, a man bought himself. Then Mudrak b. `Awf said: “That, I swear by Allah, is my uncle. People proclaimed that he “threw himself into destruction.” `Umar said: “They told lie. He is one of those whom bought the Hereafter with the life of this world.”
9. Mohammad b. al-Hasan al-Shaybânî , in al-Siyar (1/163) says: “Whoever attacks the enemy is doing it for the glory of his religion, and he is looking for martyrdom which earns him eternal life, then how could he be throwing himself into destruction?” Then he says: “There is no harm that a man attacks alone, even though he believes he will be killed, if he believes he will be able to do something of value, like killing, injuring or defeating the enemy. Many Companions did that in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Battle of Uhud and he praised them for it. Someone told Abû Hurayrah: ‘Did you see Sa`îd b. Hishâm when the two armies met? He attacked alone until he was killed. Did he “throw himself into destruction”?’ Abû Hurayrah replied: No, but he put a verse of Allah’s Book into practice: And of mankind is he who would sell himself , seeking the pleasure of Allah
But, if he knows that he will achieve nothing and will not be able to hurt the enemy, then he should not attack them because he can not get any benefit for the glory of his religion but will only be killed. Allah says “ And do not kill yourselves” . Therefore, if he can not hurt there is no benefit, and then he should not attack.
10. Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalânî, while discussing the issue of one man attacking many, tells us that the majority of scholars say that if that is on account of his bravery and he thinks such an act will frighten the enemy or encourage the Muslims to fight, then his act is valid. But, if its only an act of rashness, it is forbidden, particularly if it will weaken the Muslims. [See Subul al –Salâm 2/473]
11. Al-Dasûqî, in Hâshiah al-Dasûqî ( 2/208) put two conditions for the lawfulness of such an act :
a. That the attacker’s intention is for the glory of Allah’s word.
b. That he thinks his act will hurt the enemy.
12. Ibn Al-Arabî, (1/166) said: It is permissible for a single man to fight a group of enemies for four reasons:
1. He is seeking martyrdom.
2. His objective is to inflict harm upon the enemy.
3. His objective is to encourage Muslims to fight the enemy.
4. His objective is to weaken the enemy’s resolve, by making them wonder that if a single man can accomplish so much, then how will it be when they all fight together?
Ibn Taymiyah said [al-Insâf 4/116]: “It is permissible to plow into the enemy ranks for the Muslims’ benefit. Otherwise it is forbidden, and it is self-destructive behavior.”
We can see that in most of these texts, it is a case where one man or a few men who go forward from the Muslims’ ranks and engage the enemy army, but in others, like in the boy’s story, it is not. The general opinion that we can derive from these texts is that it is allowed to do such an act under the following conditions:
1. That the intention is to assist Allah’s religion.
2. That the attacker is almost certain that his act will have some benefit, either by inflicting the enemy with casualties or injuries, by encouraging the Muslims to fight the enemy, or by weaken the enemy’s resolve by showing them what a single man is capable of. However such assessment cannot be made by any individual, particularly these days, but it should be determined by the people who have militarily and political experience, are known to be pious Muslims, and are concerned for the Muslims’ welfare.
3. That this act is against unbelievers who have declared war against the Muslims. There are different types of unbelievers; there are fighters, peaceful people, those who have protection, those who live with the Muslims under a covenant, and those who have a treaty agreement with the Muslims. It is not allowed to kill the unbelievers on account of their unbelief. In Sahîh Al-Bûkharî, `Abd Allah b. `Amr relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims, shall not smell the smell of Paradise though its smell is perceived from a distance of forty years.” [Related also by Al-Nasa’î, Ahmad, Ibn Mâjah and others] The contracts made with Muslims must be considered valid and not open to interpretation; otherwise chaos and great evil will prevail.
4. That such an act is in their countries or in countries under their rule, where Muslims need to resist them and expel them. For example, the Jews in Palestine and the Russians in Chechnya can be subject to these acts under the above mentioned conditions.
5. To be approved by the parents of the attacker, since parents’ approval is required for jihâd (struggle) in general, then their approval for this act is even more required. If someone received parental approval for jihâd, he will not be required to solicit another approval for this act in particular.
If a person does such act with its conditions that we have just mentioned and is killed, he is, Allah willing, a martyr. This is if he has the right intention, as deeds are only by intentions. We pray for him and ask Allah to have mercy upon him.
These acts can be supported by the general treasury or from Zakât because they are for the sake of Allah, or from other sources.
The damage to the enemy side can only be decided by experts as I have already mentioned. It must be expected that the act will kill them, wound them severely, instill fear in them, or force them to leave the lands under occupation. It should not bring about negative reactions such as their taking revenge on innocent people, razing homes and villages, or starting a full-fledged war against the Muslims which they are not prepared for. These and other considerations can only be assessed by people with the proper knowledge and expertise. This assessment is an area open to opinions that are subject to being right or wrong. Muslims are advised to keep their duty to Allah and fear Him as much as they can, and Allah knows best.
Answer :Answered by Salman al-Oudah:
2. Suicide bombings are a modern issue that can almost not be found in the classical books of Islamic Law. This is because this form of resistance could only come about after the invention of explosives and an advancement in the technology surrounding them.
Generally, this approach is used as part of guerilla warfare which is typified by small bands of commandos capable of fast movement. This type of fighting was highlighted in the American Civil War, as well as the Second World War, and the wars that followed it. It became part of the war tactics taught at military colleges and academies.
The Muslims became in need of such attacks for the following reasons;
a. Their love for sacrifice and martyrdom. They feel life has less value if they have to live in humiliation. For them, a respectful death is better than humiliating life. A famous poet once said:
Do not give me the drink of life in humiliation,
Rather give me the drink of nobility in a glass of bitter colocynth
b. The oppressions from their enemies in some countries. The Muslim are violently attacked and oppressed due to their scientific and technical backwardness. The technological superiority of their enemies made the Islamic lands free pasture land for occupying powers. This can be clearly seen in Palestine, Kashmir, and Chechnya, and previously in Afghanistan and the Islamic Republics which were formerly part of the Soviet Union.
c. The paucity of available options. Among the causes of strength is a lack of alternatives. This defines for a person his course of action and give him renewed power.
That is why many people are now asking questions about the lawfulness of such attacks. Some describe them as “attacks seeking martyrdom” to clarify theirs legality, while others call them “suicide attacks” to show their unlawfulness or to follow what the media says.
Scholars of Islamic Law differ on this issue according to their various insights and according to how they weigh the evidence.
If we review the legal texts and the historical events, we can find something that we can relate to this matter:
1. It is mentioned in the Musannaf of Ibn Abî Shâybah” that Muhammad b. Ishâq (who is truthful but forgets and often does not mention all the people in the chain of transmitters), relates from Muhammad b. Qatâdah that Mu`âz b.`Afrâ’ said: “O Messenger of Allah, what makes Allah laugh on account of his servant?” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “That he attacks the enemy without wearing any protective gear.” Muhammad b. Qatâdah said: “Mu`âz cast aside the armor he was wearing and fought until he was killed.”
[This hadîth was authenticated by Ibn Hazm in al-Muhallâ, Volume 7 page 294. It is also related from `Awf b. al-Hârith by al-Tabarî in al-Târîkh (2/33)
2. Ibn Hazm also says in al-Muhallâ that Abû Ishâq Al –Subay`î said: “ I heard a man asking al-Barâ’ b. `Azib: “What do you think if a man fought a battalion of one thousand men alone; did he “throw himself into destruction? (quoting from the Qur’ân)” Al-Barâ’ said: “No, destruction is when a man commits a sin then despairs and says: there is no repentance for me.” Then he said: “Neither Abû Ayyûb al-Ansârî nor Abû Mûsa al-Ash`arî denied that a single man can fight an entire army alone and hold his ground until he is killed.”
3. The story of Abû Ayyûb in Constantine (present day Istanbul), is famous. In this story, a Muslim fighter attacked the Romans and pushed his way into them. People shouted : “Glory be to Allah , he “threw himself into destruction”? Abû Ayyûb stood up and said: “O people you interpret this verse in this way while it was sent to us, we Ansâr . When Allah gave victory to Islam and increased the number of its followers, some of us told others, secretly and in the absence of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him): ‘Our properties are lost and now Allah gave victory to Islam and increased the number of its followers, so how about going back to our properties and regaining what was lost of them?’ Then Allah sent this verse to his Prophet (peace be upon him).” [ Sunan al-Tirmidhî 2898 and Sunan Abî Dawûd 2151]
4. We find in the books of the Prophet’s biography and in Ibn al-Mubârak’s Kitâb al-Jihâd ( 1/134 ) the story of al-Barâ’ b. `Azib when he threw himself into the apostate army of Banû Hanîfah. In some of these references, like al-Siyar 1/196, Al-Barâ asked his comrades to put him inside a shield then raise him over their spears and throw him over the wall. He fought the enemy in their enclosure and opened its gate for Muslims. During that attack he received more than eighty cuts. The Muslims’ leader, Khâlid b. al-Walîd assigned someone to tend to his injuries. [Something similar to this is mentioned in the Thiqât of Ibn Haban 2/175 and al-Tâbâri’s History (2/281) and others. Also, a similar story for Al-Barâ’ is said to have taken place in the town of Tustur.]
5. Ahmad related that Abû Ishâq asked al-Barâ’: If a man attacks the polytheists, is he “throwing himself in to destruction”? He said: No, because Allah has sent his Messenger and revealed to him: “Then fight (O Mohammad) in the cause of Allah, you are not held responsible except for yourself.” In fact , the implication of that verse applies to spending.
6. In “ Sahih Muslim” there is the famous long hadîth where the boy, who the king could not slay, told the king : “You will not be able to slay me until you do what I ask you to do” The King said: “What is that?” He said: “You must gather all the people in one place, crucify me on a treetrunk, then you put an arrow inside a bow and say: ‘By the name of Allah the Lord of this boy’ then shoot me. If you do so you will kill me.” At the end of hadîth, the king did as the boy told and the boy died, then the crowd of people said: “We believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy.” This hadîth is also mentioned in Al-Musnâd (22805) and other books. This boy showed the king how he could kill him, and the king executed the method of killing that he guided him to. But the boy got the great benefit he was seeking, which was that all people believed in Allah after they came to know the full story and recognized the honor which Allah Has granted this boy.
7. Abû Sa`îd al-Khudrî relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him ) said: “Those who are fighting in the front line and do not turn their faces until they are killed, they are in great pleasure in the upper rooms of Paradise, and Allah laughs because of them, and whoever Allah laughs on account of will not have any reckoning on the Day of Judgment.” [related by Ibn Abî Shaybah (4/569), al-Tabarânî, AbûYa`lâ, Ibn al-Mubârak in al-Jihad, Abû Nu`aym in al-Hilya and others. Al-Munzirî said all the narrators are reliable.]
8. Ibn Abî Shaybah relates that Mudrak b. `Awf Al-Ahmasî said: “I was with `Umar b. Al-Khattâb, until it was said: “O Commander of the Faithful, a man bought himself. Then Mudrak b. `Awf said: “That, I swear by Allah, is my uncle. People proclaimed that he “threw himself into destruction.” `Umar said: “They told lie. He is one of those whom bought the Hereafter with the life of this world.”
9. Mohammad b. al-Hasan al-Shaybânî , in al-Siyar (1/163) says: “Whoever attacks the enemy is doing it for the glory of his religion, and he is looking for martyrdom which earns him eternal life, then how could he be throwing himself into destruction?” Then he says: “There is no harm that a man attacks alone, even though he believes he will be killed, if he believes he will be able to do something of value, like killing, injuring or defeating the enemy. Many Companions did that in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Battle of Uhud and he praised them for it. Someone told Abû Hurayrah: ‘Did you see Sa`îd b. Hishâm when the two armies met? He attacked alone until he was killed. Did he “throw himself into destruction”?’ Abû Hurayrah replied: No, but he put a verse of Allah’s Book into practice: And of mankind is he who would sell himself , seeking the pleasure of Allah
But, if he knows that he will achieve nothing and will not be able to hurt the enemy, then he should not attack them because he can not get any benefit for the glory of his religion but will only be killed. Allah says “ And do not kill yourselves” . Therefore, if he can not hurt there is no benefit, and then he should not attack.
10. Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalânî, while discussing the issue of one man attacking many, tells us that the majority of scholars say that if that is on account of his bravery and he thinks such an act will frighten the enemy or encourage the Muslims to fight, then his act is valid. But, if its only an act of rashness, it is forbidden, particularly if it will weaken the Muslims. [See Subul al –Salâm 2/473]
11. Al-Dasûqî, in Hâshiah al-Dasûqî ( 2/208) put two conditions for the lawfulness of such an act :
a. That the attacker’s intention is for the glory of Allah’s word.
b. That he thinks his act will hurt the enemy.
12. Ibn Al-Arabî, (1/166) said: It is permissible for a single man to fight a group of enemies for four reasons:
1. He is seeking martyrdom.
2. His objective is to inflict harm upon the enemy.
3. His objective is to encourage Muslims to fight the enemy.
4. His objective is to weaken the enemy’s resolve, by making them wonder that if a single man can accomplish so much, then how will it be when they all fight together?
Ibn Taymiyah said [al-Insâf 4/116]: “It is permissible to plow into the enemy ranks for the Muslims’ benefit. Otherwise it is forbidden, and it is self-destructive behavior.”
We can see that in most of these texts, it is a case where one man or a few men who go forward from the Muslims’ ranks and engage the enemy army, but in others, like in the boy’s story, it is not. The general opinion that we can derive from these texts is that it is allowed to do such an act under the following conditions:
1. That the intention is to assist Allah’s religion.
2. That the attacker is almost certain that his act will have some benefit, either by inflicting the enemy with casualties or injuries, by encouraging the Muslims to fight the enemy, or by weaken the enemy’s resolve by showing them what a single man is capable of. However such assessment cannot be made by any individual, particularly these days, but it should be determined by the people who have militarily and political experience, are known to be pious Muslims, and are concerned for the Muslims’ welfare.
3. That this act is against unbelievers who have declared war against the Muslims. There are different types of unbelievers; there are fighters, peaceful people, those who have protection, those who live with the Muslims under a covenant, and those who have a treaty agreement with the Muslims. It is not allowed to kill the unbelievers on account of their unbelief. In Sahîh Al-Bûkharî, `Abd Allah b. `Amr relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims, shall not smell the smell of Paradise though its smell is perceived from a distance of forty years.” [Related also by Al-Nasa’î, Ahmad, Ibn Mâjah and others] The contracts made with Muslims must be considered valid and not open to interpretation; otherwise chaos and great evil will prevail.
4. That such an act is in their countries or in countries under their rule, where Muslims need to resist them and expel them. For example, the Jews in Palestine and the Russians in Chechnya can be subject to these acts under the above mentioned conditions.
5. To be approved by the parents of the attacker, since parents’ approval is required for jihâd (struggle) in general, then their approval for this act is even more required. If someone received parental approval for jihâd, he will not be required to solicit another approval for this act in particular.
If a person does such act with its conditions that we have just mentioned and is killed, he is, Allah willing, a martyr. This is if he has the right intention, as deeds are only by intentions. We pray for him and ask Allah to have mercy upon him.
These acts can be supported by the general treasury or from Zakât because they are for the sake of Allah, or from other sources.
The damage to the enemy side can only be decided by experts as I have already mentioned. It must be expected that the act will kill them, wound them severely, instill fear in them, or force them to leave the lands under occupation. It should not bring about negative reactions such as their taking revenge on innocent people, razing homes and villages, or starting a full-fledged war against the Muslims which they are not prepared for. These and other considerations can only be assessed by people with the proper knowledge and expertise. This assessment is an area open to opinions that are subject to being right or wrong. Muslims are advised to keep their duty to Allah and fear Him as much as they can, and Allah knows best.
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