Brief Comparison Between Judaism and Islam in Terms of Rules of War‼
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By: Sheikh Ilyas Ahmed
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✍ This may shed some contextual explanation to what has been going on in #palestine.
I chose 8 examples from each of the scriptures of the two religions.
Let the scriptures speak.
I will start with some verses from the old testament in which the Jews beleive (which they refer to as "Torah"):
(I chose the International Standard Version since it's widely spread and relatively easy to comprehend, even though the translation of the verses is almost identical to the other versions.)
1) “Now, go and attack Amalek. Completely destroy all that they have. Don’t spare them, but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, both ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”
[Book of 1 Samuel ch. 15:3]
2) “The LORD our God delivered him to us, so we attacked him, his son, and his whole army. We captured all his towns at that time. We utterly destroyed every town—the men, the women, and the children—leaving no survivors.”
[Deuteronomy ch. 2:33-34]
3) “You are not to leave even one person alive in the cities of these nations that the LORD, your God, is about to give you as an inheritance. You must completely destroy the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, just as the LORD your God commanded you.”
[Deuteronomy ch. 20: 16-17]
4) “They turned over everyone in the city for destruction and executed them, including both men and women, young and old, and oxen, sheep, and donkeys.”
[Book of Joshua ch. 6:21]
5) “The LORD told him, ‘Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of everyone who sighs and moans over all of the loathsome things that are happening in it.’ As I continued to listen, he also told the others, ‘Follow him through the city and start killing. Don’t spare anyone you see, and don’t show pity of any kind. You are to execute old men, young men, young women, little children, and women. But don’t touch anyone who has been marked.’”
[Ezekiel ch. 9:5-6]
6) “And they further agreed that whoever would refuse to seek the LORD God of Israel was to be executed, whether important or unimportant, man or woman.”
[Book of 2 Chronicles ch. 15:13]
7) "Daughter of Babylon! You devastator!
How blessed will be the one who pays you back for what you have done to us. How blessed will be the one who seizes your young children and pulverizes them against the cliff!”
[David ch. 137:8-9]
8) “Samaria will be held guilty, because she has rebelled against her God.
By the sword they will fall— with their infants dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women torn open.”
[Hosea ch. 13:16]
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Now Lets look into the Islamic rules to be followed during war through the Quran and authentic traditions of the Prophet Muhammed (Peace and blessings be upon him) with some scholarly quotes.
❶ Allah the Almighty says in the Quran
(translated as):
{Fight in the way of Allah those who fight Against you, but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.}
[ Sura Al-Baqarah 2:190]
-> When explaining what "don’t transgress" means in the above verse, the famous companion of the Messenger, Abdullah Ibn Abbas, said:
"It means: Do not kill women, children, old people, and whoever declares peace to you and abstains from fighting! If you do that, you have indeed transgressed out of bounds!”
[At-Tabari - "Jami'ul-Bayan.." ("Tafsiru'-Tabari") (3/563), Ibn Abi Hatim - "At-Tafsir" (1/325) No. 1721]
❷ Prophet Muhammed always advised his followers when sending them to battles:
"Do not Betray by breaking a covenant, do not distort a dead body, do not kill a child."
[Hadith narrated by Muslim and transmitted by Buraydah. Sahih Muslim - Number (1731)]
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