Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (14/56)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

the offender should be killed by the same means with which he killed, due to the general import of Allah’s saying: “O you who believe, prescribed for you is legal retribution for those who have been killed” [al-Baqarah 2:178]. Complete retaliation consists in doing to the offender what he did, for the word derives from following a trace. This is also indicated by Allah’s saying: “So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you” [al-Baqarah 2:194]; His saying: “And if you punish, then punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed” [al-Nahl 16:126]; and His saying: “The recompense of an evil is an evil like it” [al-Shura 42:40], as well as other similar verses.

Moreover, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had the head of the Jewish man crushed between two stones because he had killed the Ansari girl by crushing her head between two stones (1). This is specific evidence, whereas the verses we have cited are general evidence. Thus, these are proofs from the Quran and the sunnah. Reason also supports this: how can this offender mutilate the victim, kill him in the most horrific manner, and tear him to pieces, yet we then say to him, “We will strike you with a sword”?! This is not justice. Allah, Most High, says: “Indeed, Allah commands justice and excellence” [al-Nahl 16:90].

The exception is when he killed him by an unlawful means, in which case we do not kill him by that means—for example, if he killed him through sodomy, may Allah protect us, or through sorcery, or by making him drink wine until he dies. The same is not done to him.

Some have said: Rather, the same should be done to him even if it is unlawful. Yet we do not commit what is unlawful. Thus, for example, if he killed him through sodomy or the like, we would insert a piece of wood into his anus until he dies. In any case, such rare cases may be excluded. But if he crushed his head between two stones, slaughtered him with a dull knife, killed him by electric shock, or burned him with fire, then the correct view—without doubt—is that the same should be done to him as he did.

(1) Its source reference has previously been provided on p. 41.

يقتل الجاني بمثل ما قتل به؛ لعموم قوله تعالى: ﴿يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى﴾ [البقرة: ١٧٨]، وتمام القصاص أن يفعل بالجاني كما فعل؛ لأنه من القص وهو تتبع الأثر، ولقوله تعالى: ﴿فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ [البقرة: ١٩٤]، ولقوله تعالى: ﴿وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ﴾ [النحل: ١٢٦]، ولقوله تعالى: ﴿وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا﴾ [الشورى: ٤٠]، وما أشبه ذلك من الآيات، ولأن النبي ﷺ رضَّ رأس الرجل اليهودي بين حجرين؛ لأنه قتل الجارية الأنصارية برض رأسها بين حجرين (١)، وهذا دليل خاص، والآيات التي سقناها أدلة عامة، فهذه أدلة من الكتاب والسنة، ومن النظر أيضاً نقول: كيف يمثل هذا الجاني بالمقتول، ويقتله بأبشع قتلة ويمزقه تمزيقاً، ثم نقول له: سنضربك بالسيف؟! فهذا ليس بعدل، والله تعالى يقول: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ﴾ [النحل: ٩٠]، إلاّ إذا قتله بوسيلة محرّمة فإننا لا نقتله بها، مثل أن يقتله باللواط والعياذ بالله، أو بالسحر، أو أن يقتله بإسقاء الخمر حتى يموت فإنه لا يفعل به كذلك. وقال بعضهم: بل يفعل به ولو كان محرماً، لكننا لا نفعل المحرَّم، فمثلاً لو قتله باللواط وما أشبه ذلك فإننا ندخل في دبره خشبة حتى يموت، وعلى كل حال هذه الصور النادرة يمكن أن تستثنى، أما إذا رض رأسه بين حجرين، أو ذبحه بسكين كالَّة، أو بالصعق الكهربائي، أو أحرقه بالنار، فإن الصواب ـ ولا شك ـ أن يفعل به كما فعل.

(١) سبق تخريجه في ص (٤١).