Sheikh Ahmad Al-Raissouni, president of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, said in an interview with TOLOnews that the ongoing war in Afghanistan has no Sharia (Islamic) justification.
Speaking exclusively to TOLOnews reporter Abdul Haq Omeri in Doha, Al-Raissouni said that the killing of Muslims is a "great sin" and that carrying out suicide attacks against Muslims is prohibited, from the Islamic perspective.
“I told some of my Taliban brothers that there is no justification and Sharia-based (Islamic) reason for the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Even the killing of a single person in the current war is against the Islamic law,” he said.
He called on the Afghan warring factions and the Taliban to continue negotiations and make peace.
“The war has no Islamic justification, even the killing of one person is prohibited. In the first stage, there is a need to end the war, and the negotiations should progress so a new government is formed that will reflect a vibrant and an Islamic Afghanistan, an Afghanistan which could play a role in international affairs,” said Al-Raissouni.
Asked about the 30 to 40 civilians being killed on a daily basis in Afghanistan, Al-Raissouni said: “Killing a single person is among the great sins before Allah--after infidelity--so taking a single life takes us into a very challenging situation before God.”
“The killing of Muslims is a major sin; I can say categorically that the killing of a person will send someone to the bottom of hell. Killing is a crime, the current murdering and killing is a crime,” he said.
When asked about the Taliban’s suicide attacks, he said: “As I said before, launching military operations against Muslims, including Afghans, has no legal justification--whether it is a suicide attack or martyrdom-seeking attack or face-to-face war, these are among the prohibited acts. Also, when someone kills himself, it's also a crime.”
Al-Raissouni called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to end the war and accelerate the Doha peace efforts.
“We are saddened by every single violent incident in Afghanistan. The start of peace negotiations in recent weeks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and other factions brought us good news; we feel the pain of Afghans and closely follow the developments in Afghanistan,” said Al-Raissouni.