In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Merciful.

Allah [The Exalted] said:

إِنَّ فِرۡعَوۡنَ عَلَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهۡلَهَا شِيَعً۬ا يَسۡتَضۡعِفُ طَآٮِٕفَةً۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ يُذَبِّحُ أَبۡنَآءَهُمۡ وَيَسۡتَحۡىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ

Verily, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and made its people (into different) groups, weakening (oppressing) a group among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidoon. [Surah Al-Qasas. Ayah 4]

[وَجَعَلَ أَهۡلَهَا شِيَعً۬ا – and made its people (into different) groups]- Meaning, different groups that were organised and distinguished, and he utilised each group in that which he desired in his kingdom. [1] He made them into different distinct groups, dealt with them based on his evil desires, and subjugated them as he wanted by means of his power and authority. [2] He divided them into different sects and they went along with him in everything he desired of evil and corruption, or he used some as a means to get others to obey him; or he made them into different distinct groups under his service and used every group in some type of work, such as construction, tillage, earthwork [drilling etc] and other burdensome work, and whoever did not work was beaten, so they served him by doing so; or he made them into sects and incited hatred and enmity between them, so that they do not come to an agreement [or become united in their stance against him]. [3] [ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ – Verily, he was of the Mufsidoon]- Meaning, those whose intention is neither to rectify the religious nor worldly affairs, [4] committing unlawful killing and being disobedient to Allah. [5]

Pharaoh murdered the Children of Israel and refrained from murdering their women, but Netanyahu spares no one in his so-called pursuit of self-defence and proportionate retaliation. This displays a behavioural pattern suggestive of an egocentric and conceited individual who is prone to impulsive actions to validate their views and puts his own aspirations above anything else – maiming and killing Palestinian children, bombing schools, hospitals, and refugee camps, and besieging nearly 2 million Palestinians while cutting them off from food, water, fuel, and electricity without guilt in the presence of millions of people throughout the world; steal Palestinian homes and land, and use religious rhetoric to justify war crimes. These are the actions sanctioned by someone who claims “moral superiority,” and to make matters worse, he utilises a distorted Scripture to justify his behaviour. Allah said: [وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوۡ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِهِۦۤ‌ۗ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَا يُفۡلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ – And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah or rejects His Ayat (proofs, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.)? Verily, the Zaalimoon shall never be successful]. [Surah Al-An’aam. Ayah 21]

This mentality is nothing but that of those who behave like the Muta’assibah (Fanatical Partisans) among the Jews and the Azaariqah among the Khawaarij. “The fanatical partisans among the Jews were a group whose thought was close to that of the Faareesiyyoon, but they were very aggressive and believed in assassinating anyone who disagreed with them. They were also called Saffaakoon [Those Eager to Commit Murder], and they committed pillage, plunder, and transgressed against everyone who accepted submission to others besides them. Hostility occurred between them and the Fareesiyyoon because the Faareesiyyoon submitted to the Romans. Some of the researchers consider them to be from the political or nationalistic sects, even though their movement started within a religious framework, but great were the crimes that they committed from one place to another”. [6]

As for the Azaariqah among the Khawaarij, Al-Baghdaadee [429 AH- may Allah have mercy upon him] stated about their Bidah: “From them is their declaration that it is permissible to kill the women and children of their opponents, and they claimed that the children of their opponents would dwell in the fire forever”. [7]

Likewise, as for Hamas, even though we have not come across the statement of any upright scholar that calls them Khawaarij, however, there is no doubt that their act of unlawful killing in the name of retaliation is forbidden. Senior student of knowledge [Shaikh Abu Iyaad (may Allah preserve him)] stated, “What is done by the likes of Ḥamas, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other groups—who are funded, aided and abetted by Western powers for their own objectives (see, for example, https://abuiyaad.com/w/hamas-israeli-right) —of killing of women and children, then all of that is criminal and opposed to our religion and we condemn it without hesitation”.

Also read: https://abuiyaad.com/a/justice-war-abu-bakr-advice

Finally, every person with a shred of decency – Muslim, Christian, Jew, and others – condemns this type of behaviour, whether undertaken in the guise of self-defence and retaliation.  Allah [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. Ayah 32]

Imaam As-Sadi [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “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 had 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 Allah he possesses stops him killing one who does not deserve to be killed”. [8]

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”. [9]

Imaam An-Nawawi [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “This hadith shows the severity (i.e. in sin) 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 Allah and the person, whereas the first hadeeth (i.e. judgment in matters related to bloodshed) is an affair between the people”. [10]

[1] An Excerpt from ‘Al-Misbaah Al-Muneer Fee Tahdheeb Tafseer Ibn Katheer’

[2] An Excerpt from ‘Tafseer Sadi’. Slightly paraphrased

[3] An Excerpt from ‘Roohul Ma’aanee’ 11/64-65. Slightly paraphrased

[4] An Excerpt from ‘Tafseer Sadi’. Slightly paraphrased

[5] An Excerpt from ‘Zaadul Maseer’. Slightly paraphrased

[6]Al-Faslu Fil Milal Wal-Ahwaa Wan-Nihal. 1/177-179 By Ibn Hazm. Publisher: Daar Al-Jeel 1405AH. Al-Milal Wan-Nihal 1/215-219. By Ash-Sharastaanee. Maktabah Al-Halabiy 1406AH. Maqaarinatul Ad’yaan Al-Yahoodiyyah 218-225. Maktabah An-Nahdah Al-Misriyyah

[7] Al-Farqu Baynal Firaq. page 82

[8] An Excerpt from Tafseer As-Sadi

[9] Saheeh Muslim. Hadeeth Number 1678a

[10] Sharh Saheeh Muslim. Vol 11. page 139]