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Second: the view held by al-Shāfiʿī (1), and some of Ahmad’s disciples have occasionally argued on its basis as well (2).
Those who adopt this second opinion maintain that the import of the textual evidence is to execute every unbeliever—man or woman, combatant or non-combatant, whether at peace with us or at war. The death penalty, however, is conditioned on adulthood; therefore minors are not put to death for that reason.
As for women: the evidence, in principle, calls for killing them too, yet they are spared because, once seized, they automatically become captives and thus the property of the Muslims—just as houses are not demolished once they have been taken over.
As for women and children, the majority of scholars hold that no one may be put to death except those who actively assist the enemy in the fighting; otherwise, they are to be spared just like women and children. A minority, however, argue that mere unbelief itself makes killing licit, and that women and children were exempted only because they are regarded as property.
(1) Al-Shafi‘i, Al-Umm, vol. 4, p. 293.
(2) Ibn Taymiyya states in Minhaj al-Sunnah, vol. 8, p. 516: “The other view reported from al-Shafi‘i is cited by al-Khiraqi in his Mukhtasar, and a number of Ahmad’s disciples concurred with it.”
الثَّانِي: قَوْلُ الشَّافِعِيِّ (١)، وَرُبَّما عَلَّلَ بِهِ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ أَحْمَدَ (٢).
فَمَنْ قَالَ بِالثَّانِي، قَالَ: مُقْتَضَى الدَّلِيْلُ قَتْلُ كُلِّ كَافِرٍ، سَوَاءٌ كَانَ رَجُلًا أَوْ إِمْرَأَةً، وَسَوَاءٌ كَانَ قَادِرًا عَلَى القِتَالِ أَوْ عَاجِزًا عَنْهُ، وَسَوَاءٌ سَالَمَنا أَوْ حَارَبَنَا؛ لَكِنَّ شَرْطَ العُقُوْبَةِ بِالْقَتْل، أَنْ يَكُوْنَ بَالِغًا، فالصِّبيَانُ لا يُقْتَلُوْنَ لِذَلكَ.
وأَمَّا النِّسَاءُ: فَمقْتَضى الدَّليلُ قَتْلُهنُّ، لَكنْ يُقْتلْنَ لأَنَّهنَّ يَصِرْنَ سَبْيًا بِنَفْسِ الاسْتِيَلاءِ عَلَيْهِنَّ، فَلَمْ يُقْتلنْ لِكَونِهنَّ مَالًا للِمُسلمِينَ، كَمَا لا تُهْدمُ المَسَاكِنُ إِذَا مُلِكتْ.
= والصبيان، فالجمهور يقولون: لا يقتل إلا من كان من المعاونين لهم على القتال في الجملة، وإلا كان كالنساء والصبيان، ومنهم من يقول: بل مجرد الكفر هو المبيح للقتل، وإنما استثنى النساء والصبيان؛ لأنهم أموال).
(١) انظر: الأم (٤/ ٢٩٣).
(٢) قال شيخ الإسلام في منهاج السنة (٨/ ٥١٦): (والقول الآخر الذي قاله الشافعي ذكره الخرقي في مختصره، ووافقه عليه طائفة من أصحاب أحمد).