I begin with the Name of Allaah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
“Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein; and the wrath and the curse of Allaah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.” Qur’an 4:93
The Islamic view of humanity is characterized by mercy and compassion. It advises the Muslims to treat every human kindly, the neighbours, even if they are non-muslims. It equally warns against spilling the blood of a mu’aahid (a non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever kills a mu’aahid will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, although its fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty years.” Recorded by al-Bukhari. Allaah Exalted be He says: “Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allaah loves those who deal with equity.” Qur’an 60:8
Be it as it may, in an ideal society where the Laws of Allaah Exalted be He, are the primary and only source of Law (in the true sense of the word) with which people operate, less is heard of, with respect to the violation of human blood, wealth and dignity. The Sharia (Islamic law) rulings generally dictate the obligation to protect the five essentials of life and to ensure that they are kept safe and intact. They are religion, life, honor, mental health and wealth. Islam is fully aware of the great dangers and the dire consequences that can result from negligence toward protecting and preserving these life essentials. By and large, the onus of ensuring that they remain safe largely lies on the shoulders of those charged with such responsibilities, viz-a-viz; leaders and security agents.
Also enshrined in Article 3 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is the special recognition and emphasis on the fact that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Alas! this is fast becoming a fairy tale because almost everywhere in the world today, innocent blood is being spilled as a result of the aggressive and oppressive action of certain governments, organizations and individuals. Organized crimes and politically motivated killings are becoming the new norm and the religious and ethnic cards have become once again convenient tools to spur people into chaos and anarchy.
Undoubtedly, one of the most important messages of Islam with respect to Muslim society is the inviolability of a Muslim’s blood, wealth and honor. And if this message is echoed around the four corners of each society with emphasis also on the dangers of spilling the blood of even non-Muslims living peacefully with Muslims, and it is subsequently adhered to, less will be heard of in terms of societal problems. People will live securely and well protected. However, a near total breakdown in the quality of leadership and decadence in the moral values of a typical Nigerian society has made it an ideal ground for bloodbath.
Tragically, scores get killed almost on a daily basis in places like Zamfara and most recently in Jos, Benue and Taraba with statistics showing victims from both major religions in Nigeria – Islam and Christianity. However, the media and nay the architects of this unfortunate mayhem are ever eager to often at times paint the victims as villains or even turn a complete blind eye to such killings in places like Zamfara because to them, it has no any religious nor political undertone that will play to their advantage.
The dangers of spilling the blood of a Muslim without any Shari’a (Islamic Law as in the case of capital punishment) justification cannot be overemphasized. Politically motivated killings and the likes will only plunge the already volatile nation into more volatility if something urgent and decisive is not done by those charged with the responsibility. A Muslim is but a part of the larger Muslim community across the globe and by his training, he cannot just be concerned with his own happiness and ease but rather he would genuinely also think about others. In a narration by al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “You will find the believers, with respect to their mutual mercy, love and compassion for one another, like one body; if one portion of the body is ailing, the rest of the body suffers from sleeplessness and fever.”
One of the things most hated by Allaah Exalted be He, is for the one who believes in and is worshipping Him to be injured or killed. Regarding this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in a narration by an-Nasaai which has been graded authentic by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jaami’, “The perishing of this world is lighter in Allaah’s sight than the killing of a Muslim man.”
Safe to say that, the cheapest blood to spill today is the blood of the Muslim largely due to the evil conspiracies and hateful statements deliberately crafted by the enemies of Islam to instigate their followers to kill innocent Muslims. And because of media bias which has created an atmosphere of Islamophobia, the Muslims, despite suffering worse in all these are often projected as the evil ones. An expository presentation by a member of Nigerians National Assembly, the many video clips of pastors on their pulpits making inciteful speech against the Muslims, the self-confession audio and video clips, the many criminals arrested disguising as Muslims and Herdsmen to perpetrate all sorts of evils and atrocities, and the complicity of certain perceived powerful individuals in all of these, are enough evidence to see the direction this is going. The part of the world that has eyes to see and ears to listen are keenly waiting to see what measures will be taken by the leaders to guarantee the safety of lives and properties.
In conclusion, whoever has a hand in the spilling of the blood of a Muslim whether he is a fellow Muslim or a non-Muslim, whether through silent approvals or provocations, in whatever form, such a person is deserving of the punishment of the Hell-Fire. In Sunan At-Tirmidhi in a narration which has been graded authentic by al-Albani in Sahih Sunan At-Tirmidhi, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If the inhabitants of the heaven and the inhabitants of the earth jointly participated in the blood of a believer, Allaah would certainly throw them all into the Fire.”
Mr Abdullah can be reached on Twitter at: @Penabdull, Instagram: @Penabdul
