Answer
Short Answer: No, we’re not taking that verse out of context. Killing one innocent person really is as if one killed an entire people because it is the death of any hope of that person’s progeny.
Asalamu Alaikum,
Thank you for contacting About Islam with your question.
Dr. Shabir Ally from Let the Quran Speak addresses this question in the video below.
Transcript:
Aisha Khaja: So, Dr. Shabir, today’s question, someone is asking: critics always say that Muslims quote the verse 5:32 out of context. Can you explain a little bit?
Dr. Shabir Ally: Yeah, the verse itself is quoted by Muslims often… well the verse says if you killed one soul that’s like if you kill a whole people.
So, that shows the value of life in Islam.
And now the critics are saying: well don’t you see that it actually says that this was prescribed for the people of Israel?
But our response to that is that if something is given in the Quran of a basic moral nature as opposed to ceremonial or legal prescriptions, then this applies to us as well.
So, what do you mean by ceremonial prescriptions or legal prescriptions? Let’s say, for example, the prescription to observe the Sabbath.
This comes either under ceremonial law or the legal laws of the state that will govern the people at the time.
Aisha Khaja: And therefore, it doesn’t apply to us.
Dr. Shabir Ally: It doesn’t apply to us because we have new laws.
But the laws [that] are based on ethical and moral principles, so those principles themselves we believe to be unchangeable.
So, it is wrong to kill a person without justifiable cause.
And a “justifiable cause” in the Quran would be like a murder is a capital offense. So, the murderer might be given a capital punishment.
So, that’s justifiable and the Quran is making the exception for that.
But on the whole, it still applies that if you kill one person, that’s like if you’re killing all people because you’re not only killing the individual, but you are killing all of the potential progeny from this individual.
And so, the answer to that is that no, we’re not taking the verse out of context.
We understand it within the context in which it is given in the Quran.
I hope this helps answer your question. Please keep in touch.
Walaikum Asalam.
(From AboutIslam’s archives)
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