Bi-Ayyi 'Aql wa-Din Yakun al-Tafjir wal-Tadmir Jihadan
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Bi-Ayyi 'Aql wa-Din Yakun al-Tafjir wal-Tadmir Jihadan?! Wayhakum... Afiqu ya Shabab!! (By What Reason and Religion Can Bombing and Destruction Be Considered Jihad?! Woe to You... Awake, O Youth!!) is an Islamic treatise authored by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad . It addresses the phenomenon of militant bombings and armed violence in Muslim lands, refuting the claim that acts of bombing, suicide attacks, and the killing of protected individuals constitute legitimate jihad in Islam .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed following the bombings in Riyadh and the discovery of weapons and explosives in Mecca and Medina in early 1424 AH (2003 CE) . Al-Abbad characterizes these bombings as severe acts of criminality and corruption on earth (fasad fi al-ard), arguing that it is even worse when Satan deceives perpetrators into believing that such acts are forms of jihad . He wrote the work to establish textual proofs from the Quran and Sunnah regarding the gravity of unlawful killing, to warn young Muslims against religious extremism (ghuluww), and to urge them to seek guidance from established scholars .
Structure and Content
The treatise is organized into an introduction, thematic chapters compiling scriptural proofs on various categories of homicide, and a concluding exhortation :
Introduction and Historical Precedents
Al-Abbad begins by outlining Satan's two avenues of misguidance: enticing the negligent into sins, and pushing devout individuals into excess and extremism (al-ifrat wal-ghuluww) . He presents historical precedents showing that returning to the scholars is the safeguard against strife (fitnah):
- The Kharijites who rebelled against Ali ibn Abi Talib, two thousand of whom repented after Abdullah ibn Abbas debated them and clarified the correct understanding of scripture .
- A group enamored by Kharijite doctrine regarding the major sinner's eternal damnation, who abandoned their plan to rebel after hearing Jabir ibn Abd Allah teach the hadith of intercession in Medina .
- An example of young age (hadathat al-sinn) being prone to misunderstanding, citing Urwah ibn al-Zubayr's early misreading of the Quranic verse on Safa and Marwah, which was corrected by Aisha .
Sanctity of Life in Prior Revelations and Suicide
The author reviews passages detailing the gravity of killing in earlier divine laws, including the story of Adam's two sons and Moses's remorse over unintentionally killing an Egyptian . He then addresses suicide (qatl al-nafs), compiling explicit Quranic prohibitions such as: وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا ("And do not kill yourselves; indeed, Allah is ever merciful to you") [Quran 4:29], alongside hadiths threatening eternal torment in Hellfire for those who intentionally take their own lives with poison, weapons, or other means, while noting that accidental self-killing is excused .
Unlawful Killing of Muslims and Treaty-Bound Non-Muslims
Al-Abbad details the severe warnings against shedding Muslim blood without legal right (bi-ghayr haqq), quoting the Prophet's ﷺ Farewell Pilgrimage declaration equating the sanctity of blood, wealth, and honor to that of the sacred month, day, and city . He highlights that bloodshed is the first matter judged between people on the Day of Resurrection, and reviews the legal consequences of accidental killing, which requires both blood money (diyah) and expiation (kaffarah) .
The author also devotes a section to the prohibition of killing non-Muslims under treaties or guarantees of protection (al-dhimmi, al-mu'ahad, and al-musta'man) . He cites authentic hadiths, including: مَن قتل نفسًا معاهدًا لم يرح رائحة الجنة، وإنَّ ريحها توجد من مسيرة أربعين عامًا ("Whoever kills a person under a covenant will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even though its fragrance is found from a distance of forty years") . He emphasizes that accidental killing of a treaty-bound non-Muslim likewise incurs diyah and kaffarah under Islamic law .
Conclusion
The book concludes with a direct appeal to Muslim youth to fear Allah regarding their own lives, their elders, women, and children, to respect protected blood and property, and to awake from heedlessness rather than serving as instruments of Satan for devastation on earth .
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