Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, we are greatly pleased to receive your question which shows the confidence you place in us. May Allah reward you abundantly for your interest in knowing the teachings of Islam!
First of all, we would like to stress that Islam forbids targeting non-combatants by killing or by kidnapping or taking them as hostages, or inflicting any kind of harm on them. There are other rules on how to deal with combatants.
Stressing this point, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti, Director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas, states the following:
One of the rules of conduct of jihad in Islam that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) highly stressed is "Do not kill a woman, a child, an old man, or a monk in his monastery; do not cut down trees." In another version of the hadith he is reported to have said, “…do not kill traders or farmers.”
All of these hadiths mean that it is strictly forbidden to target non-combatants by killing or kidnapping or taking them as hostages, or inflicting any kind of harm on them.
On the other hand, there are other rules on how to deal with combatants and warring people. If a Muslim is defending himself or his homeland, he is supposed to be a noble fighter, and that includes fighting with courage and mercy at the same time, and preserving the rights of prisoners of war.
It stands without doubt that these rules of conduct have been recorded in history as noble characteristics of Muslims. In his book Arab Civilization, the French scholar Gustav Lebon said that history never witnessed merciful conquerors but Muslims.
Today, the image of Islam and Muslims has been tarnished especially with the globalization of media. Every Muslim should be responsible for every action, and he has to realize the consequences of his action on the image of Islam and the Muslims before the whole world.
You can also read:
War Ethics in Islam
Human rights in Islam
Detention of Foreigners by the Resistance!
Taking Hostages: Permissible?
If you are still in need of more information, don't hesitate to contact us. Do keep in touch. May Allah guide us all to the straight path!
