Legalising the killing of a believer is equal to apostasy

Related from Sa'id al-Azraq, from Imam Saadiq (A) who said regarding a person who has killed a believer: 'He will be told : 'Die whatever death you wish to die. If you wish that of a Jew or if you wish that of a Nazarene.' 39

Related from Muhammad ibn Salim, from Muhammad al-Baq ir (A) who said in a hadith:

'When Allah gave permission to His Messenger (S) to leave Mecca for Medina, He revealed the statutory punishments (hudud) and the mandatory acts and informed him of the acts of disobedience which Allah has made the Hellfire incumbent upon those who do them. He revealed the following verse regarding the killer:

{ . . . and as for he who kills a believer deliberately, his reward will be Hell abiding therein forever, and Allah's anger and curse will be upon him, and He ha s prepared for him a great torment.} 40 And Allah, Exalted is He, does not curse the believer: { . . . surely Allah curses the Infidels and has prepared for them an inferno, abiding therein always, they will neither find a friend nor a helper.} 41

Related from Imam 'Ali ibn al-Hussein (A), who said: 'The Messenger of Allah (S) said: 'Slandering the believer is a foul act, killing him is unbelief, eating his flesh 42 is disobeying Allah, and the sanctity of his wealth is as the sanctity of his blood.'

Notes:

39. It is rep orted that in Hell th ere are separate quarters for the Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc. A Muslim murder would not even be allowed to carry the title of 'Muslim' there . . . he may chose another title.

40. The Holy Qur'an: Women (4): 93.

41. The Holy Qur'an: The Coalitions (33): 64-65.

42. Backbiting against someone is considered in the Qur'an and hadith as tantamount to eating that person's flesh.

Adapted from the book: "War, Peace & Non-Violence" by: "Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq Shirazi"