sanctity and veneration; and because of the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “What if he fights me?” He said: “Fight him.” (1) Moreover, one’s life is inviolable and a trust placed in one’s care, for which one will be answerable before Allah. Therefore, one must defend it. A protected life is inviolable, whereas the life of an aggressor is that of one who has transgressed and has no inviolability. It is well known that a protected life must be ransomed by an aggressor’s life, and that the aggressor’s life may be taken in order to preserve the protected life. All this indicates that defending one’s life is obligatory.

In sum, a person must defend himself. But is anything exempted from this? The scholars differed concerning that. Some of them held that an exception is made in times of civil strife—may Allah protect us from civil strife—when people are thrown into turmoil and become embroiled in it, killing one another, such that the killer does not know why he killed, nor does the slain know why he was killed: a raging civil strife. In such a case, they said, he is not required to defend himself. They cited the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him: “There will be tribulations in which the one sitting is better than the one standing, and the one standing is better than the one walking.” It was said: “O Messenger of Allah, if he enters my house, should I kill him or not?” He said: “Do not kill him.” (2) The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: “If the gleam of the sword overwhelms you, then cast your cloak over your face.” (3) That is, surrender.