[Thread: Ahmadiyya omits the exception clause in Surah 5:33?]

@alislamtribune alledges that Huzoor (aba) omits the exception clause in his speeches to appeal to the Western masses. https://twitter.com/alislamtribune/status/1292073853745860610

Although not directly said in his thread, this point of "appealing to Western masses" is argued in threads on unrelated topics. Thus, with his citation of a speech of Huzoor (aba), the above allegation is implied.

A simple answer to this is that Huzoor (aba) was referring exclusively to murder alone in his speech. This is something that we often use in our tabligh to those who ask about murder. Murder by its definition is unlawful killing.

The key point of the verse is that if one saves a life, they save all of mankind whereas if you murder someone, you kill all of mankind. Some allege, this is a later interpretation by "moderates" as mentioned by Irshad Manji. However, this is not true.

Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (ra) according to both the commentator, Ibn Kathir, and the hadith collector, Bukhari, have both cited a narration by Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (ra) stating that if a Muslim saves a life, he saves all of humanity.

Continuing on, the word, قتل in this verse refers to both unlawful (murder), and lawful killing (death penalty) for offenders as the next verse mentions.

Moreover, the Quran argues that the exception clause mentioned in the verse strengthens the fact that saving lives is like saving all of mankind. For instance, the law of retaliation by Surah al-Baqarah 2:179-180 state that the death penalty saves lives. Note the last screenshot

Thus, the death penalty according to Islam saves lives. Fun fact: I was taught this fact by my good friend @Islam4Americans while I was still a non-Muslim when first attending the tabligh programs to non-Muslims by the True Islam initiative almost 4 years ago.

So no, nobody dishonestly omits the exception clause in the verse because the context in the speech was referring to murder alone, and exclusively to murder. No need to cite the exception clause.

Academically there is no disagreement between @alislamtribune and Ahmadiyya on the fact there is an exception clause. However, what he fails to understand is that the death penalty saves lives as the above verses demonstrate.

Thus, murder is completely unjustified in Islam, and warrants the death penalty unless if one repents and sincerely reforms themselves after paying blood money to the family if they have forgiven them as well.

May Allah guide us all. Ameen.