The Quranic rule
وَقَٰتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَFight in the way of Allāh those who fight against you but do not transgress. Indeed, Allāh does not like transgressors.
۞ وَإِن جَنَحُواْ لِلسَّلۡمِ فَٱجۡنَحۡ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُAnd if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allāh. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.
The Prophet’s instructions
نَهَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَنْ قَتْلِ النِّسَاءِ وَالصِّبْيَانِThe Prophet ﷺ forbade the killing of women and children.
Among the instructions of Abu Bakr to the Muslim army were not to kill a child, an old man or a woman, not to cut down fruit-bearing trees, not to slaughter a sheep except for food, and to leave the monks to what they had devoted themselves to. Reported by Malik in al-Muwatta.
Frequently asked questions
Is jihad a war against non-Muslims?
Jihad is broader than fighting, and lawful fighting is bound by the rules above; see the page on the meaning of jihad.
Quran text and translations: QuranEnc. Hadith translations: HadeethEnc. Sources are shown on each item. Found a mistake? Tell us.