Divine Genocide

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

اللهم صلى على محمد وعلى آل محمد

In the aftermath of Badr, when the Believers scored an incredible victory over the Pagans and took many of the latter captive the most holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم sought counsel from his Companions رضى الله عنهم on how to deal with them. While sayyidina Abi Bakr رضى الله عنه and some others advised the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to hold them for ransom, sayyidina Umar al-Faruq رضى الله عنه said:

يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ اضْرِبْ أَعْنَاقَهُمْ

“O Messenger of Allah, strike their necks [kill them]” (Musnad Ahmad; v.21, p.180, #13553)

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was personally inclined to that which was less harsh, as the Pagan captives were his kin. He صلى الله عليه وسلم therefore acted upon sayyidina Abu Bakr’s counsel and not that of sayyidina Umar رضى الله عنهما. However, this was an instance in the Sîrah which demonstrates the superiority of ilhâm (divine inspiration) over shûrâ (consultation). The counsel of sayyidina Umar al-Faruq رضى الله عنه was based upon divine inspiration. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم turned away from sayyidina Umar’s counsel, Allahعزّ وجلّ revealed the Ayah:

مَا کَانَ لِنَبِیٍّ اَنۡ یَّکُوۡنَ لَہٗۤ اَسۡرٰی حَتّٰی یُثۡخِنَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ تُرِیۡدُوۡنَ عَرَضَ الدُّنۡیَا ٭ۖ وَاللّٰہُ یُرِیۡدُ الۡاٰخِرَۃَ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ عَزِیۡزٌ حَکِیۡمٌ

It is not for a Prophet to have captives until he inflicts a massacre in the land. You want the goods of [this] world but Allah wants [for you] the Hereafter. And Allah is mighty, wise

(Surah 8:67)

The Ayah confirmed the divine inspiration to the heart of the Fârûq (may Allah be happy with him).

Allah عزّ وجلّ appointed Talut [Saul] King over Israel through the agency of the Prophet Samuel على نبينا وعليه السلام. According to the Book of Samuel, He delivered the following instructions:

עַתָּה֩ לֵ֨ךְ וְהִכִּֽיתָ֜ה אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֗ק וְהַֽחֲרַמְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לֹ֔ו וְלֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ל עָלָ֑יו וְהֵמַתָּ֞ה מֵאִ֣ישׁ עַד־אִשָּׁ֗ה מֵֽעֹלֵל֙ וְעַד־יֹונֵ֔ק מִשֹּׁ֣ור וְעַד־שֶׂ֔ה מִגָּמָ֖ל וְעַד־חֲמֹֽור׃ ס

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass (1 Samuel 15:3)

However, King Saul did not completely adhere to these divine commands relayed to him through the Prophet Samuel على نبينا وعليه السلام. His soldiers took the best of the sheep and oxen with the excuse that they wished to sacrifice them to the Lord. Likewise, instead of utterly exterminating the nation of Amalek he spared their king Agag, taking him captive instead. This failure to act precisely upon the divine command of Allah is what turned Allah away from King Saul and had him replaced by King David على نبينا وعليه السلام.

Many people, especially the so-called secular humanists, strongly object to the idea of a merciful God ordering the eradication of an entire people and so much bloodshed. They question the morality of, for example, the divine commandment to utterly exterminate the Pagan nation of Amalek, which can only be described as genocide. They fail to comprehend that the Creator of all things is the One Who gives and takes life routinely, but that this is done through the medium of various agencies, natural and human. Therefore, the question of morality does not arise in a situation where God Himself commands and authorizes an apparent genocide in which those who are otherwise considered non-combatants, i.e., women and children, may also be put to the edge of the sword. This understanding is further boosted when we explain that the divine order for a genocide is, as per the routine of Allah, always instituted against a nation for a great collective wrongdoing of theirs, like idolatry and other wickedness. But after the formal cessation of the institution of Prophesy and the perfection of the Shari’ah or divine Law the possibility of a divinely-ordained genocide no longer remains.