In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allaah [The Exalted] said:

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا * يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا * إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا

And those who invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Surah Al-Furqaan. Aayaat 68-70]

Allaah [The Most High] said: [وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا – And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him]. [Surah An-Nisaa. Aayah 93]

Ibn Abbaas [may Allaah be pleased with him and his father] reported that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “The one who was murdered will come with the scalp and head of his killer in his hand on the Day of Resurrection, his jugular vein flowing with blood and saying, ‘O Lord! This one killed me!’ And he will draw near to the Throne.” They (i.e. the people) mentioned repentance to Ibn Abbaas, so he recited the Aayah, [وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ – Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell]; then he said, “This Aayah has not been abrogated or replaced, so where is his repentance?” [Saheeh Sunan At-Tirmidhee 3029]

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “And that which is established with fact regarding this matter is that murder is attached to (violation) of three rights: the right of Allaah, the right of the victim and the right of the heir. If the muderer voluntarily hands over himself to the heir, shows remorse for what he has done out of fear of Allaah and repents sincerely, then Allaah’s right is waivered through repentance. And heir’s right is that he can seek retaliation (i.e. via the Islamic sharee’ah), reconciliation or he (or she) can pardon. Then what remains is the victim’s right, (which) Allaah will recompense for him on the Day of Judgement from His servant who is a repentant person and a good-doer, and rectify affairs between them, so neither the right of the victim nor the repentance of the murderer is nullified”. [Jawaab Al-Kaafee. page 102]

Allaah [The Exalted] said:

مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا

If anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. [Surah Al-Maa’idah. Aayah 32]

Imaam As-Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: This means that the killer has no justification to kill, and none should kill another person unless he has a justified reason (i.e. based on the law of the land) to do so. If a person is bold enough to kill someone who does not deserve to be killed, then this implies that he does make a distinction between the one He killed and other than him; rather he would commit this act whenever his evil calls him to that. Therefore, his bold attitude that led him to kill is as if he has killed all humankind. On the other hand, if a person saves a life and does not kill – whilst his soul calls him to do so – due to fear of Allaah, then this is as if he has saved the lives of all humankind, because the fear of Allaah he possesses stops him killing one who does not deserve to be killed.

Allaah [The Exalted] said:

وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ مِنْ إِمْلَاقٍ نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

kill not your children because of poverty – We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not near to Al-Fawahish (shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, and kill not anyone whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause (according to Islamic law). This He has commanded you that you may understand. [Surah Al-An’aam. Aayah 151]

Abdullah Bin Mas’ood [may Allaah be pleased with him] said that Allah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “The first (thing) that will be decided among people on the Day of Judgment will pertain to bloodshed”. [Saheeh Muslim. Hadeeth Number 1678a]

Imaam An-Nawawi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “This hadith shows the severeness of bloodshed and that it will be the first thing that will be judged between people on the Day of Resurrection because of its greatness and extreme danger. This hadith does not contradict the well-known hadith in the Sunan that “The first thing a person will be questioned about is the prayer”, because this hadeeth is about an affair between Allaah and the person, whereas the first hadeeth (i.e. judgement in matters related to bloodshed) is an affair between the people”. [Sharh Saheeh Muslim. Vol 11. page 139]

The Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “The termination of the world means less to Allah than the killing of a Muslim (i.e. without right)”. [Saheeh Al-Jaami 9208]

Amr Ibn Al-Hamiq [may Allaah be pleased with him] reported that Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “Whenever a man promises safety for another man’s life and then kills him, I disavow myself from him even if the victim was an unbeliever”. [Saheeh Al-Jaami 6103]

Uqbah Ibn Aamir [may Allaah be pleased with him] reported that Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “Whoever meets Allah whilst neither associating anything with Him nor spilling sacred blood will enter Paradise”. [Silsilah As-Saheehah 2923]

The people said to Jundub [may Allaah be pleased with him], “Advise us”. He said, “The first thing of the human body to putrefy is the abdomen, so he who can eat nothing but good food [halaal and earned lawfully] should do so, and he who does as much as he can that nothing intervenes between him and paradise by not shedding even a handful of blood [i.e. unlawful killing], should do so”. [Saheeh Al-Bukhaari 7152]

A man wrote to Ibn Umar [may Allaah be pleased with him and his father] and asked him to write down all knowledge for him; so he replied to him, saying, “Indeed, knowledge is plentiful, but if you are able to meet Allaah whilst not shedding people’s blood, not taking their wealth (unlawfully) and violating their honour, then do so”. [Siyar A’laam An-Nubulaa 3/222]