Fatwa of Sheikh Salih bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan

Question: May Allah be good to you! Are the assassinations and bombings done in the government buildings of some non-Muslim countries a necessity and a work of Jihad (strife for the sake of Allah)?

Answer:" Assassination and acts of sabotage are forbidden because they make the Muslims face evil, killing and displacement. The legal thing, which should be done with the non-Muslims, is to perform Jihad (strife for the sake of Allah) and meet them in the battlefield. This could happen provided that the Muslims can equip their armies to conquer and fight the disbelievers as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did when he migrated from Makkah to Madinah and had helpers and supporters. As for acts of sabotage and assassination, it brings evil to Muslims.

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in Makkah before the Hijrah (Immigration), he was ordered to desist from fighting. Allah the Exalted said:
"Have you not seen those who were told to hold back their hands (from fighting) and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and give Zakât" (Surah Al-Nisaa', 4: 77).

He (peace be upon him) was ordered not to fight the disbelievers because Muslims were unable to do so. If they killed one of the disbelievers at that time, all the Muslims could then be eradicated because the disbelievers were stronger and Muslims were under their control. Assassination will result in killing the Muslims in the country where they live like you now see and hear. This is neither an act of Da‘wah (calling to Allah) nor is it a Jihad (strife for the sake of Allah). Sabotage acts and bombings do not bring anything to Muslims but evil as we see. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated, he had an army and helpers, and at that point he was ordered to fight the disbelievers.

Neither the Prophet (peace be upon him) nor the Companions did any act of sabotage when they were in Makkah, on the contrary they were forbidden to do so.

Did they do any illegal action concerning the property of the disbelievers? No, it was forbidden to do so. They were only ordered to call to Allah; fighting was prescribed after they moved to Madinah because they then had a state. (An excerpt from: Fatawa Al-A'immah fi An-Nawazil Al-Mudlahimah, pp. 41-42). See also Al Fatwa Al Shar‘iyyah fi Al Qadaya Al ‘Asriyyah, 2nd ed. pp. 55- 56. The sheikh also issued another fatwa that you can check in Al Fatwa Al Shar‘iyyah fi Al Qadaya Al ‘Asriyyah, pp. 53-55. The compiler of the book referred to the audio tapes titled "Dealing with the Disbelievers" and "Fatawa of the Scholars Regarding the Current Events That Took Place in Eastern Riyadh City, 1424 AH".

His eminence Sheikh Al-Fawzan (may Allah protect him) said: Those who assault security men are dissidents, muggers or wrongdoers. These three types should be strictly punished to prevent them from hurting Muslims and non-Muslims who have a covenant of security (Dhimmis). Those who do bombings anywhere and kill people, destroy their property, widow women and orphan the children Allah said about them:

"And of mankind there is he whose speech may please you (O Muhammad peace be upon him), in this worldly life, and he calls Allâh to witness as to that which is in his heart, yet he is the most quarrelsome of the opponents. And when he turns away (from you “O Muhammad peace be upon him”), his effort in the land is to make mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle, and Allâh likes not mischief. And when it is said to him, “Fear Allâh”, he is led by arrogance to (more) crime. So enough for him is Hell, and worst indeed is that place to rest!"

Sheikh Al-Fawzan added: the strange thing is that those aggressor renegades call these acts Jihad (strife for the sake of Allah)!!

This is a great lie against Allâh. Allah calls such acts corruption and not Jihad. Adopted from "Al-Fatawa Al Shar‘iyyah fi Al-Qadaya A-l ‘Asriyyah" (p.126).