The Quranic rule
وَقَٰتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ۞ وَإِن جَنَحُواْ لِلسَّلۡمِ فَٱجۡنَحۡ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُThe 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.