Hurmat al-Ifsad fi al-Ard
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- Editions
- The book is published on the website of the Saudi Ministry of Awqaf without data
Hurmat al-Ifsad fi al-Ard (The Prohibition of Spreading Corruption in the Land) is a treatise on Islamic jurisprudence and Sharia-based policy (al-siyasa al-shar'iyya) by Abd al-Aziz bin Abd Allah Al al-Shaykh, addressing the religious prohibition of terrorism, bombings, and acts of sabotage .
Scope and Content
The work was published as part of the series Fatawa fi Fiqh al-Jihad wa-l-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya (Fatwas on the Jurisprudence of Jihad and Sharia Governance) . It compiles authoritative legal rulings and institutional statements addressing acts of public violence, insurgent bombings, and breaches of security in Saudi Arabia :
- The 1409 AH (1989 CE) Mecca Bombing: A fatwa by Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz denouncing the bombing near the Sacred Mosque in Mecca on 7 Dhu al-Hijjah 1409 AH. The text condemns the incident as a heinous crime that terrorized pilgrims, breached the sanctity of the Holy Sanctuary, and violated the inviolability of human life and property .
- The 1416 AH (1995 CE) Riyadh Bombing: A legal response and an official resolution concerning the explosion in the al-Olaya district of Riyadh on 20 Jumada al-Ula 1416 AH . Ibn Baz characterizes the act as grave corruption on earth (ifsad fi al-ard), arguing that targeting lives, homes, and infrastructure warrants the Quranic penalties of armed brigandage (hirabah) under Surah al-Ma'idah (5:33) . The Council of Senior Scholars issued a concurrent statement classifying the attack as treachery and ideological deviation .
- The 1417 AH (1996 CE) al-Khobar Bombing: The official declaration of the Council of Senior Scholars adopted during its tenth extraordinary session in Ta'if on 13 Safar 1417 AH regarding the explosion in al-Khobar on 9 Safar 1417 AH . The council ruled unanimously that the bombing was strictly prohibited by scholarly consensus (ijma'), affirming that it violated protected lives and public utilities .
Legal Themes
The treatise articulates several core jurisprudential principles regarding public order and violence:
- Sanctity of Non-Muslim Residents: The work emphasizes the inviolability of individuals residing under treaties or safe-conduct (mu'ahadun and musta'manun), citing the hadith: من قتل معاهدا لم يرح رائحة الجنة ("Whoever kills a person under a covenant will not smell the fragrance of Paradise") .
- Disavowal of Deviant Ideologies: The texts declare that Islam bears no responsibility for acts of terrorism, attributing them instead to corrupt doctrine and intellectual deviance (fikr munharif) .
- Civic Cooperation in Security: The rulings stipulate a religious obligation upon individuals who possess knowledge of perpetrators of sabotage to report them to the relevant authorities, categorizing such reporting as mandatory cooperation in preventing sin and transgression .
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