Quran 5:32, Allah prohibits killing?

A drawing depicting Muhammad’s beheading of more or less 800 Jews

When nonMuslims condemn the beheadings, the bombings, and other forms of killing done by Islamic groups and pointed Allah as the causer of these heinous crimes, the Muslims will quote to them Quran 5:32 as evidence that Islam is a peaceful religion. Are the Muslims lying or just ignorant of the meaning of this verse? 

Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.

Quran 5:32

ANSWER: 

First, this Quran 5:32 is part of the narration (verses 27 to 32) quoted from the story of Abel and Cain in the Bible where Cain killed his brother Abel, so it must be understood by its context rather than by a single verse. The author of Quran took this story and edited it by adding a commentary from Jewish Talmud (“if you killed one man as if you killed mankind”), and a crow which was sent by Allah suposedly to scratch the earth in order to demonstrate to Cain how he should hide the corpse of his brother in the ground. 

Second, Quran 5:32 was decreed only for the children of Israel in consequence of the killing of Abel, thus the Muslims or Arabs are not covered by this decree. To prove that Muslims are not covered by this decree, Muhammad beheaded 800 Jews [Sunan Abu Dawood, 38:4390 & Tabari, Volume 8, Victory of Islam, p. 35-36]. So this means that Muhammad had killed 800 mankinds? For Muhammad to kill hundreds of Jews indicates that he did not value a single life. 

Third, the succeeding verse 33 tells us the command of Allah for his prophet against the nonMuslims. That they should be killed, crucified, their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides, or they be exiled from the land.

To understand the context, let us read verses 27-33 of Quran chapter 5;

[Quran 5] Sahih International

27 And recite to them the story of Adam’s two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allah ], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], “I will surely kill you.” Said [the former], “Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].

28 If you should raise your hand against me to kill me – I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah , Lord of the worlds.

29 Indeed I want you to obtain [thereby] my sin and your sin so you will be among the companions of the Fire. And that is the recompense of wrongdoers.

30 And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers.

31 Then Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, “O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?” And he became of the regretful.

32 Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.

33 Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment 

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The Father and the Son glorified each other

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How the Father and the Son glorified each other? The Father glorified the Son by declaring him as His beloved son right from the heavens (Mark 1:11). Many had witnessed that event and heard the Father’s voice. He also called Jesus as God in the Holy Scripture (Psalm 45:6-7). While, the Son glorified the Father by telling to the people that the Father sent him, that the Father is greater than him (John 14:28). Jesus also prayed to the Father while the people watching him. 

OLD TESTAMENT 

1. [Isaiah 25:1] O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

2. [Isaiah 60:9] “Surely the coastlands will wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the LORD your God, And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

3. [Psalm 34:3] O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. 

4. [Psalm 45:6-7] Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you above your companions with the oil of joy.

5. [Psalm 50:15] And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

6. [Psalm 69:30] I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 

7. [Psalm 86:12] I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 

NEW TESTAMENT

1. [Matthew 3:16-17] As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’

2. [Luke 3:22] and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” 

3. [Mark 1:11] And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 

4. [John 7:18] He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.

5. [John 7:39] He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

6. [John 8:50] I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge

7. [John 8:54] Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.

8. [John 12:28] Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

9. [John 13:31-32] Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.

10. [John 15:7-8] “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples

11. [John 16:14] He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

12. [John 17:4-5] “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

13. [Acts 3:13] The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus.

14. [Hebrews 1:8-9] But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.” 

15. [2 Peter 1:16-19] For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 

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