Criminal acts done during the Somali civil war

7-7-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

In the last 13 years of the Somali civil war, some Somali people have committed crimes against their fellow Muslim brothers, including rape, robbery, useless killings and confiscation of other people's properties and regions.
Worst still, they haven't repented of their crimes nor ceased their criminal activities and still consider themselves as true believers of Islam!
So, what is the FATWA for people of this behavior?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

No doubt that killing, robbery, rape and confiscation of others' properties with no legal right are among the most serious atrocities and sins.  We ask Allah to protect us and all Muslims from them.  It is obvious also that the person who does the above things or any of them considering that lawful to him is a Kafir (disbeliever) as is the person who attributes such awful deeds to Islam and who considers that right and the truthful.

Anyway, anyone who happened to have committed any of the above should repent to Allaah from what he did and should return to people their rights.  Moreover, it is the duty of anybody who knows someone who indulges in such sins to advise them and exhort them to give up such abominations.  He should remind them of Allaah and the Last Day.  He should tell them to repent and return to people their rights before a Day comes when no Dinar nor dollar will count. The good and the bad deeds are the exclusive currencies on Judgment Day.

Allah knows best.