4. An-Nisaa

You, O believers, will find another group of hypocrites who pretend to have faith when they are before you in order to protect themselves; but they display their disbelief when they are with their people, so that they are safe from them as well. Whenever they are called to disbelief in Allah and to ascribe partners to Him, they plunge into it. These are the ones, if they do not keep away from fighting you or if they do not make peace with you and restrain themselves, to seize and kill wherever you find them. These are the ones whom Allah has given you a clear authority for seizing and killing them because they are treacherous.

It is unlawful for a believer to kill another believer, unless it occurs by mistake. If anyone kills a believer by mistake, he must free a believing slave as a compensation for his action. The relatives of the killer, who inherit from him, will be responsible for the blood money to be handed over to the successors of the victim, unless the successors give up the right If the victim belonged to a people at war with you, but he was a believer, then the killer must free a believing slave and no blood money will be owed. If the victim was not a believer but belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty, such as disbelievers living in an Islamic state, the relatives of the killer, who inherit from him, will be responsible for blood money to be handed over to the successors of the victim and the killer must free a believing slave as compensation for his action. If he cannot find anyone to free or he cannot afford the price, then he must fast continuously for two consecutive months so that Allah accepts his repentance for what he has done. Allah knows the actions of His servants and their intentions; and He is Wise in His legislation and planning.

If anyone kills a believer, deliberately intending to do so, his recompense will be Hell to live there eternally. Allah will be angry with him, distance him from His mercy, and will prepare for him a great punishment for committing such a serious crime. The belief of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā’ah is that if the killer is a believing Muslim, he will not literally remain in Hell eternally; but he will be punished in it for a long period and will then be removed from there through Allah’s grace.

O you who have faith in Allah and follow His Messenger, when you go out to fight in Allah’s path, be sure about the case of those you are fighting. Do not say to the person who displays something indicating that he is a believer, ‘You are not a believer! You only displayed Islam out of fear for your life and wealth’; so that you then kill him in order to get the trivial goods of the world, such as the booty you acquire from this person after killing him. Yet Allah has much provision that is better and greater than this. In the past you were also like this person: hiding your faith from the people. Then Allah favoured you with Islam and protected your lives. So be careful, as Allah knows well what you do. Nothing is hidden from Him and He will reward you for your actions.

Those believers who remain behind from striving in Allah’s path – besides those who have an excuse, such as sickness – are not equal to those who strive in Allah’s path, spending their wealth and giving their time. Allah has given those who strive in His path a rank above those who remain behind. Those who strive, as well as those who remain behind with a valid excuse, shall receive the reward they deserve. Allah has preferred those who strive over those who sit back by giving them a greater reward from Him.

This reward will be ranks of loftiness and positions in the Paradise, one above the other, together with forgiveness of their sins and mercy. Allah is always Forgiving and Merciful towards His servants.

When the angels take the souls of those who wrong themselves by not migrating from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam, the angels say to them at that time, while reprimanding them, ‘What was the status of your religion that you did not migrate?’ They reply, presenting the excuse, ‘We were weak and powerless, and we could not defend ourselves’. The angels again criticise them, ‘Were not the lands of Allah spacious enough for you to leave the place you were in order to save your religion and yourselves from humiliation and domination?’ The end of those who did not migrate will be the fire of Hell, where they will settle. What an evil place of return it will be for them! This is because their failure to migrate, despite being able to do so, indicates that they were not true in their Islam.

Perhaps Allah will pardon such people through His mercy and grace. Allah always pardons His servants and forgives those who repent to Him.

Whoever migrates from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam in order to gain Allah’s pleasure will find a much better place in the land they migrated to, in comparison to the land they left. In this new land, they will receive honour and much provision. Whoever leaves their home as migrants to Allah and His Messenger and then pass away before reaching the land they are migrating to, their reward shall definitely be with Allah, even though they did not reach the land of migration. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful to those of His servants who repent to Him.