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What is the ruling on killing a Muslim who intended to kill me and seize my property by force?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible for a person to defend their property themselves using the easiest possible means, even if it leads to the death of the aggressor, provided that the killing was not initially intended. This is indicated by the Hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): "What do you think if a man comes intending to take my property?" He said, "Do not give him your property." He said, "What do you think if he fights me?" He said, "Fight him." He said, "What do you think if he kills me?" He said, "Then you are a martyr." He said, "What do you think if I kill him?" He said, "He is in the Hellfire." The jurists stipulated that the defense should be with the easiest means, then the next easiest. So, if the aggressor can be deterred by words, it is not permissible to strike them. And if they can be deterred by something other than killing, it is not permissible to kill them, unless the person being assaulted fears that the assailant will kill them first, in which case they may kill them. The harm resulting from the defense should also be considered, as sometimes giving up the property might be the lesser of two evils.

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

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