Q.1. I have heard that a verse in the Qur’an gives an order to “kill unbelievers wherever we find them.” On the other hand, I know that Islam forbids the killing of innocent people regardless of their faith. Please explain.
Q.2. Is euthanasia acceptable?
Q.3. Is it compulsory for women to cover their hair because, as can be seen in most countries, many Muslim women do not cover their hair?
Sultan Mirza • Riyadh
A.1. The Qur’anic verse you refer to is quoted wrongly and out of context. It is Verse 191 of Surah 2, but if we read it in context, we realize that it is totally different from what you have quoted. Here is the translation of Verses 190-193: “Fight for the cause of God those who fight against you, but do not commit aggression. God does not love aggressors. Kill them wherever you may find them, and drive them away from wherever they drove you away; for oppression is even worse than killing. However, do not fight them near the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you first there. Should they fight you, then kill them. Thus shall the unbelievers be rewarded. But, if they desist, know that God is Much-Forgiving, Merciful. Fight them until there is no more oppression and submission is made to God. If they desist, let there be no hostility except against the wrongdoers.”
As you see, the verse is concerned only with those who are aggressors, fighting Muslims because they believe in Islam, and driving them away from their homes, or fighting us near the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. It is such people that we may kill wherever we find them. The verse is not concerned with all unbelievers, and certainly not with those who are willing to live with us in peace. It is as God says: “No hostility except against the wrongdoers.”
A.2. Euthanasia is certainly forbidden. No one may resort to it, neither a patient, nor a relative, nor a doctor. It is God who gives life, and it is He alone who decides when life is terminated. To claim such a decision is to claim equality with God, saying to Him, “You have given us life, and we decide when to end it.” This is an affront to God.
A.3. There is always a difference between religious requirements and people’s practice. Many Muslim women may not wear a head covering, but this does not mean that Islam does not require such covering. Indeed the requirement is clear, and Muslim women should cover their heads and bodies, revealing only their faces and hands. If a woman does not do that, then that is an act of disobedience to God.
Arab News Islam 11 August 2003
