SUICIDE BOMBING HAS NO THEOLOGICAL SUPPORT, Islam,Terrorism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad

SUICIDE BOMBING HAS NO THEOLOGICAL SUPPORT

By Ali Khan Mahmudabad

Suicide attacks have been used in history by various cultures and the motivation has not always been religious. The Germans, Japanese, Sri Lankans and Vietnamese have used suicide attacks as a weapon in war but, in popular imagination, suicide attacks are irrevocably and primarily associated with Islamist militancy. The death tolls of suicide attacks have been rising exponentially and recent times have perhaps been the bloodiest in Pakistan’s history. This has forced members of the ulema to address the problem of suicide attacks according to Islamic jurisprudence. Jurists have come out to unequivocally state that this form of fighting is absolutely impermissible.

Often comparisons are made between the Abrahamic religions showing how they narrate stories of the same prophets. However, it is significant that the story of the prophet Samson, who prayed to God to give him strength for the last time so that he could push the pillars he was chained to, kill as many Philistines and die with them, has been omitted in the Quran. Many people, including Milton and Handel have eulogised this act of ‘bravery’.

Two verses of the Quran are often quoted in order to show that suicide is forbidden: verse 195, The Cow, and verses 29-30, The Women. Yusuf Ali translates the former as “And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; But do good; for Allah loveth those who do good”. There is some debate about the second verse, as to whether the phrase “la taqtalu anfusakum” should be translated as ‘do not kill yourselves’ or ‘do not kill amongst yourselves’. However, most Shia and Sunni exegetes of the Quran write that this verse deems suicide unacceptable. In theological arguments, scholars have declared suicide attacks ‘haram’, forbidden, on two levels. First, they argue that committing suicide itself is a sin and, second, this sin is made greater if suicide is used to kill innocent people.

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