Pharaoh, The Muta’assibah, Netanyahu, The Azaariqah, Hamas, Graeme Wood, and Abu Qatadah
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Merciful.
Allah [The Exalted] says:
إِنَّ فِرۡعَوۡنَ عَلَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهۡلَهَا شِيَعً۬ا يَسۡتَضۡعِفُ طَآٮِٕفَةً۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ يُذَبِّحُ أَبۡنَآءَهُمۡ وَيَسۡتَحۡىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ
Verily, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and made its people (into different) groups, weakening (oppressing) a group among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidoon. [Surah Al-Qasas. Ayah 4]
Pharaoh murdered the Children of Israel and refrained from murdering their women, but Netanyahu spares no one in his so-called pursuit of self-defense and proportionate retaliation. This displays a behavioural pattern suggestive of an egocentric and conceited individual who is prone to impulsive actions to validate their views and puts his aspirations above anything else – maiming and killing Palestinian children, bombing schools, hospitals, and refugee camps, and besieged nearly 2 million Palestinians while cutting them off from food, water, fuel, and electricity without guilt in the presence of millions of people throughout the world; steal Palestinian homes and land, and use religious rhetoric to justify war crimes. These are the actions sanctioned by someone who claims “moral superiority,” and to make matters worse, he utilises a distorted Scripture to justify his behaviour. Allah says: [وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوۡ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِهِۦۤۗ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَا يُفۡلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ – And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah or rejects His Ayat (proofs, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.)? Verily, the Zaalimoon shall never be successful]. [Surah Al-An’aam. Ayah 21]
This mindset mirrors that of individuals resembling the Muta’assibah among the Jews and the Azaariqah (Khawarij) among the Muslims. The fanatical partisans among the Jews shared similarities with the Faareesiyyoon in their beliefs, yet they were notably aggressive and advocated for the assassination of those who opposed them. Referred to as Saffaakoon, they engaged in acts of pillage, plunder, and oppression towards anyone who did not align with their views. Conflict arose between them and the Faareesiyyoon due to the latter’s submission to the Romans. While some scholars classify them as part of political or nationalistic factions, their origins lie within a religious context, however, heinous were the crimes they committed across different regions. [1]
As for the Azaariqah among the Khawaarij, Al-Baghdaadee [429 AH- may Allah have mercy upon him] stated about their Bidah: “From it [i.e. their bidah] is the declaration that it is permissible to kill the women and children of their opponents, and they claimed that the children of their opponents would dwell in the fire forever”. [2]
Likewise, read here about Hamas by a senior student of knowledge Shaikh Abu Iyaad (may Allah preserve him]: “What is done by the likes of Ḥamas, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other groups—who are funded, aided and abetted by Western powers for their own objectives (see, for example, https://abuiyaad.com/w/hamas-israeli-right) —of killing of women and children, then all of that is criminal and opposed to our religion and we condemn it without hesitation”.
Graeme Wood and Abu Qatadah seek to rationalise and legitimise the killing of children during war
Every person with a shred of decency – Muslim, Christian, Jew, and others – condemns this type of behaviour, whether undertaken in the guise of self-defence and retaliation. Allah [The Exalted] says:
مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
If anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. [Surah Al-Maa’idah. Ayah 32]
Imaam As-Sadi [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “If a person is bold enough to kill someone who does not deserve to be killed, then this implies that he does make a distinction between the one He killed and other than him; rather he would commit this act whenever his evil calls him to that. Therefore, his bold attitude that led him to kill is as if he had killed all humankind. On the other hand, if a person saves a life and does not kill – whilst his soul calls him to do so – due to fear of Allah, then this is as if he has saved the lives of all humankind because the fear of Allah he possesses stops him killing one who does not deserve to be killed”. [3]
Abdullah Bin Mas’ood [may Allaah be pleased with him] said that Allah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “The first (thing) that will be decided among people on the Day of Judgment will pertain to bloodshed”. [4]
Imaam An-Nawawi [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “This hadith shows the severity (i.e. in sin) of bloodshed and that it will be the first thing that will be judged between people on the Day of Resurrection because of its greatness and extreme danger. This hadith does not contradict the well-known hadith in the Sunan that “The first thing a person will be questioned about is the prayer”, because this hadeeth is about an affair between Allah and the person, whereas the first hadeeth (i.e. judgment in matters related to bloodshed) is an affair between the people”. [5]
[1]Al-Faslu Fil Milal Wal-Ahwaa Wan-Nihal. 1/177-179 By Ibn Hazm. Publisher: Daar Al-Jeel 1405AH. Al-Milal Wan-Nihal 1/215-219. By Ash-Sharastaanee. Maktabah Al-Halabiy 1406AH. Maqaarinatul Ad’yaan Al-Yahoodiyyah 218-225. Maktabah An-Nahdah Al-Misriyyah
[2] Al-Farqu Baynal Firaq. page 82
[3] An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi
[4] Saheeh Muslim. Hadeeth Number 1678a
[5] Sharh Saheeh Muslim. Vol 11. page 139]