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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Critique of the Use of Suicide Bombings in Islamic Jihad 2.2. The Islamic Position on Suicide Bombing A suicide attack is an attack in which the attacker or attackers expect to die.

The usual method employed in modern times involves the use of bombs either strapped upon the body of the attacker or in a vehicle which he is driving or anywhere else close to his person which, upon detonation or impact, kills the attacker and any person or persons around him/her. This a method used to cause maximum damage to the enemy with minimal loss to the instigators of the suicide attack.

This is because the targets for suicide attacks are usually either heavily populated areas or important military bases. Suicide bombings or attacks are considered as a form of tactic in warfare. Though it first emerged during World War II and became a favorite of terrorist groups and guerillas such as the Tamil Tigers.

It has now, since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11 2001, become largely recognized as a strategy used by Islamic militants such as AI-Qaeda, Hamas, and Muslims involved in the Iraqi insurgency.

In support of the use of suicide bombing as a tactic by Muslims fighting an oppressive situation, despite the outright prohibition of suicide by both the Qur’an and the hadiths of the SAW, several scholars — such as Yusuf al Qardawi, Sheikh Ahmad Qubeisi of Iraq, Sayyed Moahmmed Musawi[^26] - have equated suicide bombing with martyrdom operations.

In their view, a martyr who goes into a fight with a view to destroying the enemy not knowing whether he would live or die is no different from a suicide bomber who also fights with the intention of destroying the enemy and does not care whether he lives or dies. To legitimize suicide bombings, verses of the Qur’an and hadiths of the Prophet are used as evidences in issue.

One of the foremost verses of the Quran referred to is that in Suratul Tauba where Allah SWT says; “Verily, Allah has purchased from the believers their selves and their wealth, in return for Heaven being theirs. They fight in the path of Allah and they kill and are killed” [Quran, 9:111] Reliance is placed also, on a hadith of the Prophet SAW narrated by Muslim. The Prophet narrated the story of a young boy who was sought to be killed by his king because of his faith in the religion of Islam.