[The Fourth Proof for the Prohibition of Killing a Disbeliever Merely for His Disbelief]

Furthermore, had simple unbelief been enough to make killing lawful, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would not have turned Banu Qurayza over to the verdict of Saʿd ibn Muʿādh (1). Even if Saʿd had decided on a penalty other than execution, his ruling would still have been carried out. Were bare disbelief the warrant for death, the Prophet would have ordered their killing from the outset. Instead, when Saʿd passed the sentence of death he said to him, “You have ruled concerning them with Allah’s judgment” (2).

The execution of that specific band of unbelievers was, in reality, something Allah had commanded His Messenger to perform and was more pleasing to Allah and His Messenger; for had they been released, the harm they would have brought back upon Islam could never have been quelled—though this was not outwardly apparent.

They even had, among the Muslims who had been their pre-Islamic allies, men who favored clemency toward them. Yet when Saʿd ruled that they be killed, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—declared, “You have ruled concerning them with Allah’s judgment.” This shows that certain disbelievers must be killed, whereas