Salafi Research Institute SRI
Translated by
Taalib Alexander
In this article professor Hamad al-‘Uthmaan, Professor in the department of Prophetic Traditions (Hadeeth) and Qur’aanic Exegesis (Tafseer), the Faculty of Islaamic Law and Islaamic studies at the Kuwait University, discusses the difference between Suicide Operations and defenestration (the act of throwing oneself at the enemy in the hope of killing as many as possible with the possibility of death) clarifying the Islaamic position against suicide operations and presenting the religious verdict – fatwa – of Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy upon him) which expounds the legal prohibition of suicide operations.
The difference between defenestration [1] at the enemy and suicide (operations) is extremely clear and it is that the suicide bomber sets out to kill himself by his own hand, and he chooses wanting death by this manner, while the defenestrator is killed by the hand of the enemy of Allaah after fighting them and defending himself.
Thus, what is established by some people (in the name of) martyrdom (attacks) using as proof the defenestration at the enemy for suicide operations is a (incorrigibly) corrupt viewpoint, so it is evidence not in other than the place of disagreement.
Indeed the erudite scholars have discussed suicide operations and clarified it (being) greatly prohibited and they have warned against it with the most severe of warning.
The father the venerable scholar Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy upon him) said [2], “as for what is done by some people from suicide (operations) in which they carry explosive implements and they precede with them to the disbelievers then they explode it when they are between them, for indeed this is from killing oneself and we seek refuge in Allaah. Whoever kills himself then he is forever eternally in the Fire of hell (from the) eternal dwellers as is reported in the Prophetic tradition (hadeeth) from the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa salam). Because this (form) of killing oneself is not for the benefit of Islaam, because when he kills himself and he kills ten or a hundred or two hundred, Islaam never benefits with that as the people do not submit (becoming Muslim), the opposite to the story of the young boy [3].
And this, perhaps cause the enemy to oppress even more and to harbour malice in his chest (due to) this action, until they slay the Muslims with severe devastation.
As found from actions of the Jews with the people of Palestine, when one of them dies by this explosion, and he kills six or seven and taking from those injured sixty individuals or more, there is no benefited achieved for the Muslims nor benefit for those whom exploded the explosives in their ranks.
Because of this, we see that what is done by some people from these suicide (operations) we see it as he (is) killing himself without a right (to do so) and he obligates his entry into the (hell) fire and we seek refuge in Allaah from that and that the individual is not a martyr, but if the person does this (due to ) erroneous interpretation thinking that it is permissible then we hope he is saved from the sin, as for martyrdom being written for him then no, because he did not traverse the path of martyrdom, and the one who tries hard and makes a mistake then for him is reward.
Source: Dr. Hamad al-‘Uthmaan, al-Jihaad, ad-Daar al-Athariyyah (Amman, Jordan), 1428 AH / 2007 CE, pp. 249 – 250.
taken from http://www.alhambrainitiative.com/
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1. The act of throwing oneself at the enemy in the hope of killing as many as Possible while knowing that there is a possibility one might be killed.
2. Sharh Riyaadh as-Saliheen, 1/165 – 166.
3. The shaykh – may Allaah have mercy upon him – is referring to the following story:
http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1205&Itemid=141
