Qāʿidah fī Qitāl al-Kuffār - Ibn Taimiya - (204)

Killing a human being ranks among the gravest of the major sins after disbelief. Therefore, it is not permissible to take his life unless a preponderant public interest requires it—namely, that by killing him one averts a harm greater than his death. If no such overriding harm exists, it is unlawful to kill him. The Exalted says:

“For that reason We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul—without it being in retaliation for a soul or for corruption committed in the land—it is as though he has killed all mankind; and whoever gives it life, it is as though he has given life to all mankind” (Quran 5:32).

Thus, killing is permitted only as lawful retaliation (qawad), or to curb the corruption of armed rebels (bughāt) and their efforts to spread disorder in the land, such as driving a Muslim away from his faith or engaging in highway robbery. As for the sin whereby he

…and the insane person, for the pen of moral accountability has been lifted from both of them, so they incur no sin. This rationale is indisputable when it comes to forbidding the killing of the children of the combatant enemy. The reason they share with women is that—according to the sound view upheld by the majority—they are not among those who take part in fighting. … The verse therefore condemns the killing of anyone who bears no guilt, whether young or old, and the very question it poses is a rebuke to whoever killed her.

[قَتْلُ الآدَمِيِّ مِنْ أَكْبَرِ الكَبَائِرِ بَعْدَ الكُفْرِ] وَقَتْلُ الآدَمِيِّ مِنْ أَكْبَرِ الكَبَائِرِ بَعْدَ الكُفْر، فَلَا يُبَاحُ قَتْلُهُ إِلَّا لِمَصْلَحَةٍ رَاجِحَةٍ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يُدْفَعَ بِقَتْلِهِ شَرٌّ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ قَتْلِه، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي وُجُودِ هَذَا الشَّرِّ لَمْ يَجُزْ قَتْلُهُ، قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا﴾. فَلَمْ يُبِحْ القَتْلَ إِلَّا قَوَدًا، أَوْ لِفَسَادِ البُغَاةِ وَسَعْيِهمْ فِي الأَرْضِ بِالفَسَاد، مِثُل: فِتْنَةُ المُسْلِمِ عَنْ دِيْنِه، وَقَطْعِ الطَّرِيْقِ. وَأَمَّا ذَنْبُهُ الَّذِي

= والمجنون؛ لأن القلم مرفوع عنهما، فلا ذنب لهما، وهذه العلة لا ينبغي أن يشك فيها في النهي عن قتل صبيان أهل الحرب، وأما العلة المشتركة بينهم وبين النساء، فكونهم ليسوا من أهل القتال على الصحيح الذي هو قول الجمهور ... والآية تقتضي ذم قتل كل من لا ذنب له، من صغير وكبير، وسؤالها توبيخ قاتلها).