CRITICIZING ACTIONS AND HATING PEOPLE: ISLAM AND THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE

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One of the most unfortunate realities of our time is that many people speak about Islam without truly understanding what it teaches. They hear the actions of criminals, extremists, bandits or terrorists and immediately associate those actions with an entire faith practiced by over a billion people.


Yet, if many people took time to study Islam sincerely, they would discover that Islam places such a high value on human life that even when a life is taken by mistake, there are serious consequences attached to it.


This is a reality that surprises many people. In today's world, some individuals commit crimes and attempt to justify them using religion. Others see those crimes and conclude that Islam promotes violence. But the question that is rarely asked is: What does Islam itself say about taking a life?


The Qur'an makes the sanctity of life very clear:


"Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land, it is as if he had slain mankind entirely; and whoever saves one, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely." (Qur'an 5:32)


This verse alone should make anyone pause before accepting the narrative that Islam encourages the taking of innocent lives.


What is even more remarkable is that Islam does not only punish intentional murder. It also addresses situations where a person takes a life accidentally.


In Surah An-Nisa (4:92), Allah explains that if a believer kills another believer unintentionally, there are obligations that must be fulfilled. These include the payment of Diyah (blood compensation of around N850million) to the family of the deceased and acts of expiation before Allah. Think about that for a moment.


The death was not intentional. There was no hatred. There was no desire to kill. It was a mistake.


Yet Islam still recognizes the value of the life that was lost and requires accountability.


This tells us something profound, Islam is not a religion that treats human life casually. It is a religion that teaches responsibility, even when harm occurs unintentionally.


Now compare this principle to the actions of terrorists, kidnappers and bandits who deliberately target innocent people, destroy communities and spread fear.


Can such actions honestly be said to represent Islamic teachings? How can a religion that imposes consequences for an accidental death be the same religion that encourages the deliberate killing of innocent people?

The answer is simple: it cannot.


The actions of criminals should not be confused with the teachings of Islam.


Throughout history, every religious, political and ethnic group has had individuals who committed terrible crimes. Yet we are often careful not to judge entire communities by the actions of a few. Recently in San Diego, two people went to an Islamic centre and killed three innocent lives and yet, even when all evidence pointed at them as the perpetrators, the Media and community called them "suspects". Imagine the same situation but different suspects in this case, especially when they are Muslims, would the narrative be the same? If those ones were called Suspects until their death, then the same fairness should apply to Muslims.


When a criminal claims Islam while violating the very principles of Islam, the crime belongs to the criminal, not to the religion. This is why knowledge is so important.


Many prejudices survive because people hear accusations but never investigate the facts. They hear headlines but never read the teachings. They hear stereotypes but never study the religion itself.


The concept of Diyah reminds us that Islam values justice, accountability, mercy and the protection of human life. It reminds us that life is sacred and that even mistakes have consequences because every human being possesses dignity bestowed by Allah.


Perhaps the conversation we should be having is not whether Islam promotes violence, but why so many people continue to judge a faith by the actions of those who violate its teachings.


At Al-Ikram Islamic Institute, we believe that true understanding begins with knowledge, not assumptions and we encourage critical thinking, learning and honest reflection.


The more people learn, the more they discover that Islam's teachings on life, justice and accountability stand in direct opposition to the actions of those who spread terror and oppression.


A religion that requires accountability for an accidental death cannot reasonably be blamed for the deliberate crimes of those who choose to ignore its teachings.


Al-Ikram Islamic Institute

Faith. Discipline. Wisdom.

+2349063870 to527

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