Desist from paying ransom to kidnappers - Islamic cleric to Muslims

An Islamic cleric has advised Muslims in the country to desist from paying ransom to kidnappers.

The cleric who is also the deputy chief Imam of the National Mosque, says paying ransom to criminals is not permitted in Islam .

The cleric, Professor Ibrahim Maqari, is one of the well respected Islamic scholars in Nigeria.

An Islamic cleric and deputy chief Imam of the National Mosque, Abuja, Professor Ibrahim Maqari has said that Islam does not permit Muslims to pay money as ransom to enemies they are at war with.

Professor Maqari made the comment at this year’s Ramadan tafsir monitored by Daily Nigerian on Monday, May 3 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“Since Allah has forbidden the payment of money to an enemy who is at war with you, in order not to empower them to continue to fight you, then contributing money as ransom for the release of kidnapped persons, is haram (prohibited).”

The cleric further said applying the Islamic provisions can effectively address the challenges of kidnapping currently affecting society.

He said: “But as long as people will continue to give a ransom to secure the release of their loved ones, the recipients of the money will continue to use it to acquire more arms that they will use to perpetrate their atrocity and promote it as a business.”

He added that another implication of submitting to kidnappers’ demands is that the vice will grow and be hard for security agents to handle. He posited: “So the best way of stopping it is for the criminal to know that if he kidnaps someone, he can choose to chop his body into pieces but he will not get what he wants.”

He, therefore, advised Muslims that getting killed by kidnappers is a sure way of going to paradise.