An Urgent Call Regarding the Plight of Shaykh Salman al-Ouda, Shaykh Awad al-Qarni, and Dr. Ali al-Omari

All praise belongs to Allah, and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad and His family.

Peace and mercy be upon you:

It is with great concern and perturbation that we have received unconfirmed reports regarding the imminent execution of Shaykh Salman al-Ouda, Shaykh Awad al-Qarni, and Dr. Ali al-Omari.

Islam teaches us that life is a blessing from Allah. Those who seek to deprive someone of this blessing without a clearly sanctioned religious basis have committed an act that God deems atrocious and a mighty sin: “If anyone kills a believer deliberately, the punishment for him is Hell, and there he will remain: Allah is angry with him, and rejects him, and has prepared a tremendous torment for him.” (Qur’an, 4:93)

The Inviolability of the Believer

The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions viewed the life, wealth, and honor of all who uttered the testimony of faith (shahada) as inviolable. They took immense care not to impede on these basic rights even in the context of enacting punishments.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Avoid applying punishments as long as you are able to find an excuse to avert them,” (Sunan Ibn Majah) and Ibn Masʿud stated, “Avoid flogging and applying the death penalty upon people as much as you can.” (Sunan al-Kubra)

Indeed, the sanctity of the believer was so great in the eyes of the Prophet ﷺ that he deemed the destruction of the world as a lighter affair than the killing of even a single Muslim. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi)

Similarly, the early Muslims (salaf) would remark when gazing upon the Kaʿba, “The inviolability of a believer is greater with Allah than your inviolability.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi) There are few statements one can imagine as emphatic as these in affirmation of the rank of the believer.

A Call for Clemency

In light of the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ and the gravity of depriving a Muslim of the fundamental rights granted to him or her by Islam, we urge the authorities in question to immediately cease any plans to execute Shaykh Salman al-Ouda, Shaykh Awad al-Qarni, and Dr. Ali al-Omari in the immediate or distant future.

We urge those in the leadership to grant them clemency in this blessed month of Ramadan.

It is our firm belief that the actions of these scholars do not in any way justify the appalling treatment they have been subjected to over the past year and more. We make this call in the spirit of providing sincere counsel, realizing our role as scholars duty-bound to the expression of truth, and recognizing that each of us will be held accountable for our actions in the next life where oppression will be nothing but darkness leading to perdition.

And Allah is in the aid of His oppressed servants. May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon His Prophet.

Ramadan 17th, 1440

May 22nd, 2019

Drafted by (Shaykh) Salman Younas

Signatories

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, SeekersGuidance

Dr. Yasir Qadhi, Dean of the Islamic Seminary of America

Dr. Ingrid Mattson

Shaykh Mustapha Elturk, Amir of Islamic Organization of North America

Shaykh Omar Suleiman

Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, Director of Darul Iftaa Leicester

Mufti Abdur Rahman Mangera, London

Shaykh Azhar Nasser, Tasneem Institute

Shaykh Rami Nsour, Tayba Foundation

Dr. Omar Qureshi

Dr. Abdullah Hamid Ali

Dr. Jonathan Brown, Georgetown University

Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick

Mohammad Fadel, Professor of Law, University of Toronto

Dr. Shadee Elmasry, Safina Society

Professor Hatem Bazian, Director of IRDP

Shaykh Bilal Ali Ansari, Khalil Center

Mahin Islam, The Mad Mamluks Podcast

Mufti Taha Karaan, South Africa

Imam Suhaib Webb, Scholar in Residence ICNYU

Dr. Ovamir Anjum, University of Toledo

Shaykh Abdul Wahab Saleem

Dr. Hamid Slimi

Shaykh Dr. Asim Yusuf

Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, UCLA School of Law

Dalia Mogahed, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Imam Dawud Walid, Member of Michigan Imams Council

Dr. Ihsan Bagby, University of Kentucky

Dr. Shabbir Ally, Toronto

Ustadha Zaynab Ansari, Tayseer Seminary

Omer M. Mozaffar, Loyola University Chicago

Imam Yasin Dwyer, Muslim Chaplaincy of Toronto

Dr. Rafaqat Rashid, Al Balagh Academy

Shaykh Hani Saleem, Islamic Center of Detroit

Shaykh Mohammed Faqih, Islamic Institute of Orange County

Shaykh Furhan Zubairi, Dean of IOK Seminary

Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan, DePaul University

Imam John Ederer, Muslim Community Center of Charlotte

Ismail Royer

Shaykh Sadullah Khan, South Africa

Shaykh Abdur Rahim Reasat, SeekersGuidance

Ustadh Samir Hussain, ISNA High School

Shaykh Sulaiman Gani, London

Prof. Jasser Auda, President of Maqasid Institute Global

Dr. Basma Abdelgafar, Vice President of Maqasid Institute Global

Imam Ibrahim Hindy, Dar al-Tawheed Islamic Center

Dr. Osman Latiff, Jamia Masjid and Islamic Center

Shaykh Amer Jamil, Scotland

Dr. Edward Moad, USA

Shaykh Muhammad Mustaqeem Shah, Walsall

Professor Suleman Dangor, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Dr. Bekim Hasani, Imam and Activist from Melbourne

Shaykh Bilal Ismail, Imam Development Project

Professor S. Sayyid, University of Leeds

Shaykh Shahin-ur Rahman, al-Rahma, England

Dr. Mustapha Sheikh, University of Leeds

Dr. Tajul Islam, University of Leeds

Dr. David H. Warren, University of Edinburgh

Dr Syed Mustafa Ali, The Open University, UK

Dr. Ahmed Soboh, Religious Director of Chino Valley Islamic Center

Buthaina Hawas-Neveln, Iraqi Journalist

Shaykh Salmaan Parkar, Australian Islamic College

Imam Imran Salha, ICA

Dr. Asif Hirani, Imam and Resident Scholar of Worcester Islamic Center

Faheem Sidi

Zaid alBarzinji, Maqasid Institute

Shaykh Ahmad Kutty, Resident Scholar of Islamic Institute of Toronto

Imam Shafi Chowdhury, Leicester

Shaykh Abdur Rahman Khan, Co-Chair of National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue

Dr. Mohammad Ilyas, University of Florida

Shaykh Mohammad Aman Haque, Norway

Shaykh Tariq Ata

Imam Mazhar Mahmood, Director of Islamic Foundation of Peoria

Ishraq Ali, Organizing Director of MPower Change

Professor James Dickins, University of Leeds

Mohammad Elshinawy, Yaqeen Institute

Naseera Hoorzook

Usman Qamar, Muslim Chaplaincy of Waterloo

Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi

Mawlana Zakariyah Harneker

Imam Salim Astewani, Cheadle, Cheshire, UK

Dr. John Esposito, Georgetown University

Dr. Yvonne Haddad, Georgetown University

Shaykh Muhammad Abuelezz, RCIC Imam, Muslim Association of Canada

Omar Usman, Executive Director, MuslimMatters

Sanam Zaidi

Mufti Ismail Y Syed, London

Mostafa Elhoushi

Dr. Ildus Rafikov, ISTAC

Hamza Andreas Tzortzis, UK

Ustadha Umm Jamaal ud-Din, Islamic College of Australia

Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Chairman Fiqh Council of North America

Abdo Binmelik, MGIET Ethiopia

Zahra Summayah, Founder/CEO Manifesting Muslimah Coaching

Moulana Safwaan Navlakhi, Al-Ma’aly Institute South Africa

Salim Astewani, Cheshire

Dr. Sharif El-Tobgui, Brandeis University

Iyad Hilal

Riffat Hussain, UK

Shahzad Hussain, UK

Imam Suleiman Hani, ICD

Turgut Ibrahim

Aamir Ansari, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)

Mufti Sufyan, UK

Saira AbuBakr

Dr. Munir Elkassem, President of Islamic Institute for Interfaith Dialogue

Taha Abdul-Basser

Laila Mehar, Former President of UConn SJP Hartford

Amina Muhannaia, Turkey

Ashraf Gomma Ali

Raheem Bilal

Arbazz Mohammed

Ustadha Umme Umar, UK

Waqas Syed, ICNA Council for Social Justice

Safwan Ahmed Patel, UK

Muhammad Ibn Yusuf, UK

Faruq Abdul Jabbar

Quratulain Musaddique

Rukhsana Ghouse

Mohammed Toshriful Haque, USA

Dr Susan Kennedy Nour al Deen

Aiman Arif

Aiysha Khalid

Imam Bilal Elsakka

Professor Jasmin Zine, Wilfrid Laurier University

Ahmed Sameer, India

Amara Jawaid

Janet Watson

Andrew Stroebel

Mumtaz Ahmed Khan

Dawud Khan

This list of signatories is being actively updated. To join as a signatory please email [email protected] or [email protected]