Why Do Jihadists Kill Innocent Civilians

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Question:

Why do jihadists kill innocent civilians when Islam means peace? - Exploring the contradiction between Islam’s message of peace and extremist groups killing civilians while shouting religious slogans. :::

Answer:

Those who kill innocents are not really jihadists rather they are the khawarijis about whom Prophet Muhammad saws has warned against.

Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam): Whoever kills a Muaa`hid (a non-Muslim promised safety) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise even though its scent can be smelled from forty years away.

Khawaarij (Kharijites): The first sect that broke away from mainstream Islaam by choosing their own interpretation of religious text over that of the Companions of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

[The Khawaarij] called everyone who committed a major sin (kabeerah) a disbeliever (kaafir) and held it to be incumbent (wajib) upon every Muslim to fight against him. They waged war against the Prophet’s companions after the death of the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), and were eventually defeated by an army led by ‘Alee ibn Abi Talib (radiallaahu ‘anhu) at the Battle of An-Nahrawaan.

However, their ideas still remained with some people and they developed other deviant theological and political views that always set them at war with the rest of the Muslim Ummah. Most of their sub-sects have now vanished; however some remnants of them are still found in South-Eastern parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

Their ideas also have been revived in teachings of Hasan al-Banna [the deviant founder of this group; not be confused with the righteous scholar by the same name who is still alive, hafidhahullaah], Sayyid Qutb, and those groups that embrace their teachings such as Al-Ikhwaan ul-Muslimeen (“the Muslim Brotherhood”).

All the terror groups in the name of islam are having this khawariji ideology. The Khawariji ideology and the characteristic of these khwarijees is described in many narrations as mentioned below:

Many authentic hadeeth from the prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) condemning them have come in ten different forms of narration like what al-Khalal narrated from Imam Ahmad that he said: “The Khawaarij are wicked people, and I don’t know of any people on earth more evil than they.”

From their attributes is their outward portrayal of righteousness and piety while concealing corruptiv beliefs inside. [The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:] One of you would belittle his own prayer when compared to their prayer and his fasting compared to their fasting. They will recite the Qur`an, but it will not go beyond their throats. They will pass through the religion as an arrow passes through a target.

Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: They read the Qur`an, thinking it is in support of them while it is actually against them.

Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) described them: Young in age, having reckless and deficient intellects.

Imam Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim recorded a Ḥadith from Ibn Abi Awfa, and Ahmad and al-Hakim also recorded it from Abu Umamah that the Prophet (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “The Khawaarij are the dogs of Hell.”

Ibn ‘Umar (radiallaahu ‘anhumma) said, “I heard Allah’s Messenger (salallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) say:Every time a new generation of them rises, they will then disappear, more than twenty times and then said: Until the Dajjaal (Anti-Christ) finally appears among them.

Recognize the Khawaarij and their Characteristics when you see them, so that you are not deceived by them