He—may Allah have mercy on him—was also asked:

Concerning the statement of Allah Most High,

“Whoever enters it shall be safe,”

is this referring to safety from disbelief at the time of death, when the religions are presented to a person? Or does it mean that if someone commits an offence, no retribution is exacted from him as long as he remains within the Sanctuary?

He replied:

The well-known interpretation is that Allah made the Sanctuary a place of safety, both by His decree and by His law. During the pre-Islamic era, people would shed one another’s blood outside the Sanctuary. Yet when they entered the Sanctuary, or a man encountered his father’s killer there, they would not violate its sanctity. In Islam, this sanctity likewise applies, and is even greater.

However, if a man commits an offence outside the Sanctuary that incurs a prescribed punishment, then seeks refuge within it, is he safe there, so that the punishment is not carried out upon him within its bounds, or not? There is disagreement concerning this. Most of the early generations held that he is safe, as reported from Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbās, and others. This is also the position of Abū Hanīfah, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and others. They cited this verse as evidence, along with the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Indeed, Allah