Is there any specific rule in Islam which allows suicide bombing even though suicide itself is haram?
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2Assalamu alaikum ,this question is not about general suicide . My question is is there any specific rule in islam which allows suicide bombing even when suicide bombing is haram . Sorry if question was not clear :)– TachyonsJun 24, 2012 at 14:07
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Wether you're bombing or shooting it doesn't matter. It's still a duplicate.– DynamicJun 24, 2012 at 17:12
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@Dynamic : please read the discussion done in chat :)– TachyonsJun 24, 2012 at 17:14
9 Answers
I would conclude that suicide bombing is not permissible, and is in fact highly punishable
To support this, there are many examples from Hadith, where suicide is explained quite explicitly:
Hadith - Bukhari 7:670, Narrated Abu Huraira
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever purposely throws himself from a mountain and kills himself, will be in the (Hell) Fire falling down into it and abiding therein perpetually forever; and whoever drinks poison and kills himself with it, he will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever; and whoever kills himself with an iron weapon, will be carrying that weapon in his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever."
Also, an explicit example from a battle.
Hadith - Bukhari (Book #52, Hadith #297) Narrated Abu Huraira:
We were in the company of Allah's Apostle in a Ghazwa, and he remarked about a man who claimed to be a Muslim, saying, "This (man) is from the people of the (Hell) Fire." When the battle started, the man fought violently till he got wounded. Somebody said, "O Allah's Apostle! The man whom you described as being from the people of the (Hell) Fire fought violently today and died." The Prophet said, "He will go to the (Hell) Fire." Some people were on the point of doubting (the truth of what the Prophet had said) while they were in this state, suddenly someone said that he was still alive but severely wounded. When night fell, he lost patience and committed suicide. The Prophet was informed of that, and he said, "Allah is Greater! I testify that I am Allah's Slave and His Apostle." Then he ordered Bilal to announce amongst the people: 'None will enter Paradise but a Muslim, and Allah may support this religion (i.e. Islam) even with a disobedient man.'
Emphasis mine.
Compare with:
Hadith - Sahih Bukhari, 52:53 Narrated Anas bin malik:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Nobody who dies and finds good from Allah (in the Hereafter) would wish to come back to this world even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to the world and get killed again (in Allah's Cause)." Narrated Anas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the afternoon or in the forenoon is better than all the world and whatever is in it. A place in Paradise as small as the bow or lash of one of you is better than all the world and whatever is in it. And if a houri from Paradise appeared to the people of the earth, she would fill the space between heaven and the Earth with light and pleasant scent and her head cover is better than the world and whatever is in it." (Book #52, Hadith #53) [see also Sahih Muslim, 20:4635]
Such a clear distinction. I would conclude, may Allah forgive me if I am mistaken, that had the man from the second hadith waited, he would have been martyred.
Whilst the first hadith does not mention explosives, nor the fact that the act of suicide kills those whom a martyr may fight, it seems clear from this that suicide, even 'in the name of Allah' is forbidden, and punished severely.
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1to me, a good answer is that which has the conclusion at the top(!) and then the explanation. I find such answers more readable. Aug 18, 2012 at 16:49
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1What if he does that for a just cause which will not evidently involve killing of innocents? Jul 20, 2014 at 22:29
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@infatuated That would still involve suicide, which is Haram. Jul 21, 2014 at 15:47
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You're so wrong! If sacrifice for a good cause is haram there can no jihad! Because all jihad involves risking of one's life and readiness to sacrifice for the cause of Allah. Jul 21, 2014 at 21:08
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1Some scholars have permitted martyrdom operations against enemies when there's no other way of defending muslims and inflicting damage on an aggressive enemy other than carrying bombs to an enemy site. However if a person carrying out the operation can still find a way to save himself he should. Jul 22, 2014 at 5:35
It is forbidden to commit suicide.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَأۡڪُلُوٓاْ أَمۡوَٲلَكُم بَيۡنَڪُم بِٱلۡبَـٰطِلِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَـٰرَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ۬ مِّنكُمۡۚ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَنفُسَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمۡ رَحِيمً۬ا (٢٩) وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ عُدۡوَٲنً۬ا وَظُلۡمً۬ا فَسَوۡفَ نُصۡلِيهِ نَارً۬اۚ وَڪَانَ ذَٲلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرًا (٣٠) O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good-will: nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful. (29) If any (one) does that in rancour and injustice,― soon shall We cast him into the Fire: and easy it is for Allah. (30)
Narrated Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak:
The Prophet said, "Whoever swears by a religion other than Islam, is, as he says; and whoever commits suicide with something, will be punished with the same thing in the (Hell) Fire; and cursing a believer is like murdering him; and whoever accuses a believer of disbelief, then it is as if he had killed him."
حَدَّثَنَا مُعَلَّى بْنُ أَسَدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ، عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ، عَنْ ثَابِتِ بْنِ الضَّحَّاكِ، قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَنْ حَلَفَ بِغَيْرِ مِلَّةِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَهْوَ كَمَا قَالَ ـ قَالَ ـ وَمَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ بِشَىْءٍ عُذِّبَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ، وَلَعْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ كَقَتْلِهِ، وَمَنْ رَمَى مُؤْمِنًا بِكُفْرٍ فَهْوَ كَقَتْلِهِ ".
If suicide is forbidden then suicide bombing is strictly haram. suicide bombing kills innocent people, and Allah says that who ever kills someone then it is like the whole of humanity is killed. It is forbidden in Islam to kill other people so suicide bombing is forbidden.
Allah says in Quran:
Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors. 5:32
So to commit suicide in of it self is totally, absolutely, haram. And furthermore, not only are suicide bombing haram because it is the killing of your self, but also it is the killing and endangering other innocent lives and people, children and women. I mentioned above the verse in the Quran which condemns such, as well as it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (the emphasis is from me):
الْمُؤْمِنُ مَنْ أَمِنَهُ النَّاسُ عَلَى دِمَائِهِمْ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ
the believer is the one from whom the people's lives and wealth are safe
So I end by saying that no true believer would commit such a forbidden act, nor will he endanger others as such, furthermore what is necessary for us Muslims is to change what is within ourselves, and our families, and wake the whole Ummah back up, only then can we defend our selves and spread the truth again, and there would be no reason for people to commit a forbidden act and say it is for Allah. So if someone tries to argue that it (suicide bombing) is allowed if necessary, ask for proof, and then mention the authentic proofs against it. May Allah forgive me of my mistakes, and may He guide us all.
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@infatuated still, it is killing oneself, martyrdom is not suicide, one should seek martyrdom and not suicide.– مجاهدJul 21, 2014 at 21:47
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But what about situations where there is no other effective way of fighting an aggressive enemy without resort to martyrdom operations? Jul 22, 2014 at 5:33
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@infatuated Since there has been so much evidences for suicide to be highly punishable, one can argue otherwise and ask you that why there can be no way to fight an agressive enemy except suicide bombing? And who decides that ? Remember that if one cannot resort to a way to fight with an agressive enemy, then it's not necessary that such a way doesn't exist but it's the limitation of brain. May 28 at 19:39
"Suicide bombing" is not simply direct suicide. None of the answers here actually address "suicide bombing"; they only address suicide. It is simply a term used by those who disagree with it. A suicide bomber will refer to themselves as a "martyr" - someone who faces certain death to defend Islam.
Faced with a different audience and different situations, I think you'll find very different answers to this one. It's remarkably easy for someone who lives in a modern society to consider suicide bombing as unnecessary, but there are situations where it is indeed defense.
There are many of the Prophet's Companions who went to war with near suicidal odds. But it's not the same analogy as suicide bombing, because a suicide bomber has a 100% chance of death.
There are no weapons during the early Islamic times which could deal the kind of damage suicide bombs do, with the same degree of certain death.
The closest I can find is a situation in the Ridda wars, in the battle against Musaylimah:
o Muslim army: 11000, Musaylimah's army: lowest estimate was 40000
o Musaylimah's army backed into a garden and sealed it. The garden became known in history as the Garden of Death because of the many people killed there on that day.
o One Muslim soldier asked to be thrown into the garden so that he could open the door from the inside. Who was this very courageous soldier? This man was al-Baraa ibn Malik al- Ansari, the brother of Anas ibn Malik, the personal aide of the Prophet. He was thin and wiry with so little flesh on his bones that it was painful to look at him. Yet in single- handed combat he defeated and killed many opponents and in the thick of battle he was an outstanding fighter against the mushrikeen. During the battle against Musaylimah, al-Baraa went forward and addressed his company, "Put me on a shield. Raise the shield on spears and hurl me into the garden near the gate. Either I shall die a martyr or I shall open the gate for you." He sustained numerous wounds before he could open the gate. (taken from "Companions of The Prophet", Vol.1, By: Abdul Wahid Hamid) (Source)
(Also another reference to the same story in Huroob Ar-Riddah, by Shauqee Abu Khaleel, pg 92)
The situation was of someone who, alone, faced near certain death to hasten a siege. He survived, but jumping alone into a room filled with enemy soldier is near certain death! This was also an offensive maneuver, not one done by someone who is backed into a corner.
There have also been plenty of other near-suicidal moves done by the Sword of Islam, Khalid al-Walid himself. As these were some of the Prophet's companions, it could be argued that it is an Islamic approach to sacrifice oneself for the greater good.
Again, this is a poor analogy, because there were no suicide bombs during the Prophet's time.
It depends on intention and situation. If a person is going to blow up civilians out of spite and desperation, of course, it's haraam. If a person does so to enable a decisive victory in the name of Islam, history seems to encourage it.
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1I would not use the word "suicidal" to describe the courage of the Companions(RAA). In both the cases cited above the concerned Companion came out of the situation alive. Though Khalid(RAA) took many risks that most people today would even call "foolhardy," they hardly constitute suicide since he came out of each of them intact except for a few wounds. A suicide bomber on the other hand knows for sure when he straps bombs on himself that he will not live through it. This makes this act diametrically opposite to the courage of the Sahaabah(RAA). Suicide bombings are acts of the Khwarij.– NajeebFeb 24, 2014 at 3:44
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So far there haven't been many examples of anything that requires actual certain death to further the cause. Selfish suicide for the sake of martyrdom is clearly haraam, as is practiced by modern Arabian 'terrorists' attacking civilian targets. My point is tactical suicide bombing like the Japanese kamikaze pilots, who tried to sink aircraft carriers. They were very effective, and had they succeeded in their mission, they would have prevented millions of civilian deaths.– MuzFeb 24, 2014 at 5:39
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I guess it means that when death is certain when you are surrounded by merciless enemies, it is better to inflict maximum damage on them before dying. But, one has to be certain of death (with no recourse to surrender to the enemy) in that situation.– NajeebFeb 24, 2014 at 5:42
Suicide bombing is an "act of desperation" where death is certain for the bomber. He may not eliminate his intended target but he will certainly perish. Sahaba took "great risks upon themselves" in certain situations but ultimately it was the enemy who killed them no matter what the odds. The almighty grants martyrdom, we are not allowed to take martyrdom by force. Islam condemns this desperate behaviour whatever the situation and insists people put faith in their Lord.
Suicide bombing is haraam due to following reasons:
surity of death by own arms not by enemies arms like sucide bombing....
in case of sahaba and early muslims, when they entered kafirs army with a risk of death they never did killed by themselves but were killed by their enemies.
in that case their was a chance of survival as sahaba or early muslims can be arrested by their enemies during war and could survive as war prisioner and after end of war they could be freed by exchange or by payment.
but above situation can't be attained in sucide attaks so the conclusion is that the case of sahaba and early muslims was not equal or have any analogy to sucide attacks in any case.....
Killing Your self is haram, Even if you are fighting infidels we cannot kill ourselfs to kill them too but instead fight them and try to survive to kill more not being scared to die and then if we die then we are Martyr In Sha Allah. Allah knows the best.
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+ Killing innocent people is Haram, Fight those who are ready to fight you and not kill those who are not part of any group that's fighting you.– ShuaibJul 20, 2014 at 7:36
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What about martyrdom operations when a person fighting a just Islamic cause embarks on an operation to harm the enemy knowing that he will also be killed in the process, provided that it can not be avoided. Jul 20, 2014 at 23:38
Suicide bombing, look at the implication. Suicide alone (on your own self) is haram. Then for others and destruction/damage of the building caused by the bombing and also the innocent victims, will cause difficulties to other parties. To retaliate the cruel actions by our enemies, it must be done in the best manner that will not be affecting any innocent victims and public facilities such as building, housing, school etc etc. Committing cruelty is haram.
There is no clear answer to this question. The answer is not a simple "yes" or "no".
These things are clear and for sure:
- It is not allowed to commit suicide in Islam.
- It is not allowed to harm innocent people and even their personal belongings during a war.
But, however, at extreme measures, almost every haram (forbidden) thing can be mubah (allowed). For example:
- You cannot tell lie, but if it is for preventing husband and wife to divorce, it is allowed.
- You cannot kill people, but if it is a war, and the enemy is attacking, you can kill the enemy.
- You cannot eat pork meat, but if you are in a desert and you will die if you don't eat it, then you are allowed to eat it.
- You cannot break your fast, but if you suddenly become very sick and your life will be in danger if you continue to you fast, you can break it for that day, and redo it in another day.
- You cannot disobey to you parents, but if they are ordering you to worship someone/something other than Allah, you must disobey them.
As you see, at extreme situations, every haram can be done. Suicide bombing is prohibited for sure, but of course, there may also be some extreme cases for it too.
Please consider this example:
Suppose that a powerful country has invaded your country. Your people are poor, helpless and hopeless, don't have any weapons to fight back. You heard two enemy soldiers talking, they were saying that tomorrow will be a big massacre day, they are going to eradicate the entire village by killing all the innocent villagers. If you tell this to the villagers, there will be a panic and you will be found out anyway; and all the ways are hold to prevent the villagers from escaping anyway. There is only one bomb you have, and all you can do is secretly penetrate their base at night and destroy their arsenal. And yes, you will be sacrificed in the process. But you have a possibility of saving the people in the village. Is this prohibited as well?
I'm telling it again (don't claim that I simple said that suicide bombing is OK): Suicide bombing is not allowed in Islam. But every forbidden thing maybe allowed under extreme cases.
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2There are seven down votes currently. Can I ask at least one wrong point in my answer? Why doesn't anybody leave any comment? Aug 17, 2012 at 11:29
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1I DV'ed because I think you didn't really answer the question. Your answer doesn't have any conclusion, and end up asking another question itself. Your answer looks like "I am not sure" to me.– user44Aug 17, 2012 at 16:00
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@yasar11732 I clarified that there is no "yes" or "no" answer for this question. Sometimes people ask you a question and want you to choose your answer from one of the given choices, and all of them may be incorrect. Did you want me to answer this question like "Oh yes, suicide bombing is good." or "No no no, suicide bombing is never a choice.". Sorry but the answer is not that simple. A that kind of answer deserves a down-vote. A perfect answer must mention all cases, and should point out that different cases and possibilities might lead to different answers. Aug 17, 2012 at 18:53
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1It is ok to answer as "there is no clear answer", however, the way you present your argument seemed weak and ambigious to me. For example, you didn't really clarify the point you are trying to make with your last example. For example, if you have said something like "according to A, it is acceptable because A says ..." and "according to B, it is not acceptable because B says ...". I think your answer needs something more solid. That is all I am saying.– user44Aug 18, 2012 at 6:11
It is clear in my mind that the one trying to answer the question on suicide bombings has no ilm of the affair.
There is no proof from the book or the sunnah or from the salaf (those who we have been ordered to follow in faith) or that they ordered or took part in any kind of suicide, let alone suicide bombings that take there own life and kill innocent people without any right. The proof that we do have, all forbid suicide no matter what kind it is... and Allah knows best.
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1Please use the comment feature to comment on other posts, if you think a post is not good than downvote it and give your comment. As for your answer, give the source, what is the Hadith? Ayah? and so on. Here we require answers to have citations for it's quality.– مجاهدDec 16, 2012 at 10:56