seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Quran 4:92. Never should a believer kill another believer, unless by error. Anyone who kills a believer by error must set free a believing slave, and pay compensation to the victim’s family, unless they remit it as charity. If the victim belonged to a people who are hostile to you, but is a believer, then the compensation is to free a believing slave. If he belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty, then compensation should be handed over to his family, and a believing slave set free. Anyone who lacks the means must fast for two consecutive months, by way of repentance to God. God is All-Knowing, Most Wise.
93. Whoever kills a believer deliberately, the penalty for him is Hell, where he will remain forever. And God will be angry with him, and will curse him, and will prepare for him a terrible punishment.
94. O you who believe! When you journey in the way of God, investigate, and do not say to him who offers you peace, “You are not a believer,” aspiring for the goods of this world. With God are abundant riches. You yourselves were like this before, and God bestowed favor on you; so investigate. God is well aware of what you do.
95. Not equal are the inactive among the believers—except the disabled—and the strivers in the cause of God with their possessions and their persons. God prefers the strivers with their possessions and their persons above the inactive, by a degree. But God has promised goodness to both. Yet God favors the strivers, over the inactive, with a great reward.
96. Degrees from Him, and forgiveness, and mercy. God is Forgiving and Merciful.
97. While the angels are removing the souls of those who have wronged themselves, they will say, “What was the matter with you?” They will say, “We were oppressed in the land.” They will say, “Was God’s earth not vast enough for you to emigrate in it?” These—their refuge is Hell. What a wretched retreat!
98. Except for the weak among men, and women, and children who have no means to act, and no means to find a way out.
99. These—God may well pardon them. God is Pardoning and Forgiving.
100. Anyone who emigrates for the sake of God will find on earth many places of refuge, and plentitude. Anyone who leaves his home, emigrating to God and His Messenger, and then is overtaken by death, his compensation falls on God. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
The commentary is clear this morning. It starts with murdering a believer intentionally.
This verse and the one following it show that the man who killed a believer intentionally could not be a believer. In the state of warfare which then existed in Arabia, disbelievers often made use of ruses, professing a firm belief in Islåm and thus tempting the Muslims to go over to them as religious teachers, and afterwards murdering them.
The original word for salutation is s a l å m (meaning p e a c e). The first word of the Muslim salutation stands therefore for the Muslim salutation. The Muslims were surrounded by enemies on all sides, yet they were told not to presume that every Arab tribe belonged to the enemy camp but were to make an investigation first, whether the tribe was really hostile to Islåm. Even when a man belonging to an enemy tribe offered the Muslim salutation, to show that he was a Muslim, he was to be taken as a brother Muslim and could not be dealt with as an enemy. I‘Ab relates a case in which the Muslims while searching for the enemy came upon a man who was tending his goats. The man offered them the Muslim salutation but was killed as he gave no other indication of being a Muslim (B. 65: iv, 18). It was to stop such cases that the revelation came. Incidentally, it lays down the principle that no Muslim can be called a k å fi r; not even the man whose claim to Islåm is borne out only by offering the Muslim salutation. The general tendency among the Muslims to declare each other k å fi r is, however, so strong that even the plain injunction of this verse is set at naught under the pretext that no Jew or Christian or Hindu can be called a Muslim simply because he offers the Muslim salutation. What the verse lays down is not when a person known to us as a Jew or a Christian or a Hindu can be declared to have become a Muslim, but that a Muslim cannot be called a k å fi r if he gives indication of his being a Muslim simply by offering the Muslim salutation.
The Muslims were forbidden to kill a man merely because he was a disbeliever. This is made clear in Section 12, where it is laid down that only those disbelievers could be killed who fought against the Muslims. But even when a people fought against the Muslims, a man from among them was not to be killed if he gave the slightest indication that he was a Muslim.
By those who were unjust to themselves are meant persons who were convinced of the truth of Islåm, but chose to remain among the disbelievers, who did not allow them to give expression to their beliefs, notwithstanding that they had the means to join the Muslims and avow Islåm openly.
Back when Cain murdered Abel.... back in the Old Testament.... Abel was afraid that everyone was going to try to do away with him because God labeled him murderer. God said He wouldn't let that happen.
Genesis 4:13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Murder has to be a passionate response to something huge. The strength it takes to plunge a knife through human skin, muscle, tendon and bone to get to a vital organ is more than people think. A doctor doesn't take just one swipe to open the ribcage.... it takes a lot of strokes with that ridiculously sharp instrument. So murder has to be a passionate response to something huge.
No one murders by accident. Murder requires desire.
Muslims were outnumbered constantly. As far as I know... they still are.
There was a time when no one would have considered walking into a church, joining the prayer group, then pulling out a gun and murdering the people in the prayer group. A disbeliever did that. No one can just do that.... they have to consider what the church means before walking into it. They have to make a decision to take a weapon into church.
What would I do if armed men walked into my meeting place. Would I greet them as a Muslim to save my own skin? Would I tell them that I believe in the same God as they? Would I remind them that I have the same Heavenly Father as they?
The last time I went into a church, I was out in Arizona.... an open carry state. There were side arms everywhere. People wear their guns to church!
So I doubt I would greet them with a Muslim salutation .... because I'm afraid even hinting at being a Muslim in this society in the United States today..... might get me murdered. Besides.... I think I am a Christian.... so I would be lying to them if I presented with a Muslim greeting to save my own skin.
They were outnumbered..... and there were a lot of liars among the disbelievers.
Muslims are charged not to murder other Muslims.
