and if the one under assault is killed, he is a martyr. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever is attacked over his property and fights, and is then killed, is a martyr.” Muslim and others relate from Abu Hurayrah that a man came and asked, “Messenger of Allah, what if someone comes to seize my wealth?” He answered, “Do not give it to him.” The man asked, “What if he fights me?” He said, “Then fight him.” He asked, “What if he kills me?” He replied, “Then you are a martyr.” He asked, “What if I kill him?” He said, “He is in the Fire.”

Defending one’s own life and honour is therefore incumbent, provided it does not lead to turmoil, for the Almighty says: “Do not cast yourselves into destruction with your own hands” (Q 2:195).

He is likewise obliged to defend another person’s life and inviolability, for the Prophet ﷺ said: “Support your brother, whether he is the oppressor or the oppressed.” Supporting him when he is the oppressor means restraining him from wrongdoing.

If a thief breaks into someone’s home, he is treated like any armed intruder: he is to be repelled with the least force that will suffice.

Should a person peep into someone’s house through a crack in the door, a window, or from the roof, the occupant may drive him away. If, while doing so, he strikes the intruder’s eye and blinds him, there is no liability; likewise, if he thrusts at him with a stick and destroys his eye, there is no liability, because of the hadith: “Whoever peers into a house…”