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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4vw1l8xvdo
Gaza's Top Islamic Scholar Issues Fatwa Criticizing Oct. 7 Attack
(BBC News) Rushdi Abualouf - Prof. Dr. Salman al-Dayah, former dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law at the Hamas-affiliated Islamic University of Gaza, has issued a fatwa condemning Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the devastating war. Dayah's fatwa criticizes Hamas for "violating Islamic principles governing jihad. If the pillars, causes, or conditions of jihad are not met, it must be avoided in order to avoid destroying people's lives. This is something that is easy to guess for our country's politicians, so the attack must have been avoided." He argues that the significant civilian casualties in Gaza, together with the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure that have followed the Oct. 7 attack, means that it was in direct contradiction to the teachings of Islam. Hamas, he says, failed in its obligations of "keeping fighters away from the homes of defenseless civilians...and saving enough supplies for them." Dayah points to Quranic verses that set strict conditions for the conduct of jihad, including the necessity of avoiding actions that provoke an excessive and disproportionate response by an opponent. He also stresses that Muslim leaders are obligated to ensure the safety and well-being of non-combatants, including by providing food, medicine, and refuge to those not involved in the fighting. "Human life is more precious to God than Mecca," he states.