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What is the ruling on (and the fate of) one who was treacherously killed after being sedated by a former friend, knowing that he neither prayed nor fasted?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Killing a soul that Allah has forbidden is one of the greatest crimes. The crime is amplified if the killing is by treachery (ghilah) — meaning, the perpetrator deceived the victim and then killed him. Scholars have differed on this type of killing: the majority hold that it is like any other intentional killing, while the Malikis believe there is no pardon for it, neither from the victim's guardians nor from the ruler, due to its corrupting nature and its disruption of security and stability, as it is a form of hirabah (unlawful warfare/banditry). If the killing was not by treachery, then the right belongs to the victim's guardians. The Muslim ruler can enable them to exact retribution (qisas), or to pardon the killer and take blood money (diyah), or to pardon both. The destiny of the slain is with Allah Almighty and subject to His will.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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