Is suicide bombing in the name of Allah allowed?

Sources

• ✓ 4:93 · An-Nisaa

  4:93 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًۭا مُّتَعَمِّدًۭا فَجَزَآؤُهُۥ جَهَنَّمُ خَٰلِدًۭا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُۥ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُۥ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًۭا

  Whoso slayeth a believer of set purpose, his reward is hell for ever. Allah is wroth against him and He hath cursed him and prepared for him an awful doom.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 4:93

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 4:93

  Allah declares that it is not permissible for a believer to kill another believer unjustly in any circumstance. This is supported by authentic hadiths recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Muslim, such as the narration from Ibn Mas'ūd that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am His Messenger is not lawful except in three cases: one who kills a soul in retribution (qisas), a married adulterer, and one who leaves Islam and separates from the community." However, if any of these three cases occurs, it is not for just any individual among the people to execute the punishment, but it is the right of the Imam or his deputy alone. Regarding the term "except by mistake" in the verse, scholars view this as an absolute exception, meaning an accidental or unintentional killing is treated differently. There are many examples supporting this interpretation. As for the cause of revelation of this verse, Mujāhid and others reported it was revealed concerning ʿIyāsh ibn Abī Rabīʿah, brother of Abu Jahl’s mother, Asmāʾ bint Mukharribah. He killed a man who had been torturing him and his brother over Islam, namely Al-Ḥārith ibn Yazīd al-ʿĀmirī, out of mistaken assumption at the time of conquest, thinking he was still an idolater. Allah revealed this verse in response. Abd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd ibn Aslam related a different cause, that it was revealed concerning Abū al-Dardāʾ who killed a man who had declared the words of Islam while he was about to strike him; the Prophet (peace be upon him) commented that the declaration was made as a plea for protection. This story is also found in authentic collections. On the prescribed penalties for accidental killing, Allah commands the freeing of a believing slave and the payment of blood money to the family of the victim, unless they willingly forgive. These two prescribed acts are mandatory. The act of freeing a believing slave is a form of atonement for the grave sin, even if the killing was by mistake. Among the conditions discussed is that the slave must be genuinely Muslim; a non-Muslim slave's emancipation does not count toward this expiation. Ibn Abbas, ash-Shaʿbī, Ibrahim an-Naḫʿī, and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said that a child would not suffice for emancipation unless he intended true faith. Others held that if the slave was born to Muslim parents, it is valid, otherwise not. The majority say that if the slave is Muslim, freeing him counts as atonement regardless of age. The hadith of a man bringing a black female slave to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to emancipate her as atonement is authentic, demonstrating the permissibility and manner of this law. The Prophet questioned her faith to confirm her status before accepting. The blood money (diyah) paid to the victim’s relatives is the second obligatory measure for accidental killing, compensating them for the loss of their kin. The amount is set according to prophetic tradition—usually one-fifth of the full amount for a free woman or man, paid by the killer’s tribe (not his private wealth). It is narrated from Ibn Masʿūd that the Prophet fixed blood money for an accidental killing as twenty daughters of Maḥāzin, twenty sons of Maḥāzin, twenty daughters of Labūn, twenty Jadhʿah camels, and twenty Ḥiqqah camels. In case the victim is a believer but his relatives are disbelievers at war with the Muslims, no blood money is due, but the killer must still free a believing slave. If the victim’s relatives are under a covenant or treaty with the Muslims, then blood money is due to them, and also freeing a believing slave is required. If the killer cannot afford to free a slave, then he must fast two consecutive months without interruption as expiation. There is some difference among scholars regarding whether the fast is broken due to travel. If the killer fails to do this, he must repent sincerely. The verse ends by describing Allah as All-Knowing and Wise, reflecting His awareness and wisdom in legislating these penalties. The tafsir then transitions to the law regarding intentional (premeditated) killing of a believer. Allah warns of a severe punishment: eternal Hellfire, with His wrath and curse, and a great torment prepared for the killer. This is a stern admonition for the grievous sin, which the Qur'an associates with shirk (associating partners with Allah) in severity. Various hadiths affirm the prohibition of killing a believer unlawfully. Ibn Masʿūd narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said the first case to be judged among people on the Day of Resurrection is blood issues. Other hadiths emphasize the seriousness of this sin, including that the destruction of the world is lighter in God's sight than killing a Muslim unjustly, and that whoever assists even in part in killing a Muslim will have a mark of despair from God's mercy on his forehead on Judgment Day. Ibn Abbas believed that there is no forgiveness for an intentional murderer of a believer. The verse declaring this punishment is among the last revealed and remains unrepealed. Scholars confirm this through various chains of transmission. Discussions exist around whether a killer can repent and be forgiven after intentionally killing a believer. Ibn Abbas reportedly held that repentance is impossible once the crime is known. Others argue that if one sincerely repents, God may forgive, reflecting His mercy and the broad Quranic declaration that He forgives all sins except shirk. Several authentic reports describe the killer and victim confronting each other on Judgment Day, with the victim demanding from the killer the reason for the killing. The tawhid of Allah and the sanctity of human life are reinforced in related verses and hadiths. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stressed the monumental gravity of these crimes through multiple narrations. Regarding worldly legal rulings for intentional killing, the victim's relatives have authority to seek retribution, forgive, or accept blood money, as Allah says: "Whoever is killed unjustly, We have given his heir authority..." (Quran 17:33). Disagreement among jurists exists on whether additional expiation (such as fasting or freeing a slave) is obligatory for intentional killing. The majority hold that no expiation is required due to the severity of the offense. Also conveyed are various narrations showing the Prophet ordering the emancipation of slaves as expiation in certain cases of accidental killing, supporting the practice and its legislated forms. In summary, the verse condemns all unjust killing of believers, establishes penalties particularly for accidental manslaughter involving freeing a believing slave and payment of blood money, and severe punishment for intentional murder, underscoring the holiness of human life and the mercy and justice of Allah. It affirms that sincere repentance to Allah can wipe away all sins except associating partners with Him, encouraging hope in divine mercy.

• ✓ Sahih al-Bukhari 23:116

  Sunni SAHIH

  Sahih al-Bukhari · Book 23, Hadith 116 · Narrated by Thabit ibn adh-Dhahhak

  The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever swears by a religion other than Islam, knowingly and deliberately, is like that person." And he said, "And whoever kills himself with an iron weapon will be punished with it in Hellfire." And Hajjaj ibn Munhal narrated: Jareer ibn Hazim narrated to us from Al-Hasan that Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated in this mosque— and we have not forgotten nor fear that Jundub would lie about the Prophet (peace be upon him)— that a man with wounds killed himself, and Allah said, "My servant has injured himself, forbidden Paradise to him."