Question 1302: Is it permissible to save others from a fire or drowning, despite the possibility of danger to oneself?

243 28 Sep 2021
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✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنِ الْفُضَیْلِ بْنِ یَسَارٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِی جَعْفَرٍ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ فِی کِتَابِهِ وَ مَنْ أَحْیاها فَکَأَنَّما أَحْیَا النَّاسَ جَمِیعاً قَالَ مِنْ حَرَقٍ أَوْ غَرَقٍ قُلْتُ فَمَنْ أَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ ضَلَالٍ إِلَی هُدًی قَالَ ذَاکَ تَأْوِیلُهَا الْأَعْظَمُ.

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 210

Fudayl said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): The saying of Allah, the Exalted and Glorified, in His Book (in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 32) that says: '...and whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of humanity.' (What is the meaning)? He said: From a fire and from drowning!

I said: Then what about a person who guides him from misguidance to guidance? He said: This is its greater interpretation!

2 عَنْ حُمْرَانَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِاللَّه سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَجْلِ ذلِكَ كَتَبْنا عَلى بَنِي إِسْرائِيلَ الْآيَةَ إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ قُلْتُ فَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا قَالَ نَجَّاهَا مِنْ غَرَقٍ أَوْ حَرَقٍ أَوْ سَبُعٍ أَوْ عَدُوٍّ...

📚Tafsir al-Ayyashi, Vol. 1, p. 312

Humran said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): What is the saying of Allah, the Exalted (in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 32) that says: 'For this reason, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul without [a case of] murder or corruption on the earth - it is as if he had killed all of mankind. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved all of mankind.' Until I said: 'Whoever saves one' - what does it mean? He said: He saves him from drowning, a fire, a wild animal, or an enemy!

3 عَنْ حُذَیْفَةَ بْنِ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْداللَّه قَالَ: لَا تَدْخُلْ لِأَخِیکَ فِی أَمْرٍ مَضَرَّتُهُ عَلَیْکَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ مَنْفَعَتِهِ لَهُ

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 4, p. 32

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Do not get involved in a matter for your brother where the harm to you is greater than the benefit to your brother.

4 عَنْ إِبْرَاهِیمَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْأَشْعَرِیِّ عَمَّنْ سَمِعَ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مُوسَی یَقُولُ لَا تَبْذُلْ لِإِخْوَانِکَ مِنْ نَفْسِکَ مَا ضَرُّهُ عَلَیْکَ أَکْثَرُ مِنْ مَنْفَعَتِهِ لَهُمْ.

📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 4, p. 33

Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) said: Do not give away from yourself to your brothers something whose harm to you is greater than its benefit to them!

5 کِتَابُ زَیْدٍ النَّرْسِیِّ، عَنْ أَبِی عَبْداللَّهِ علیه السلام فی حدیث قَالَ: فَأَمَّا النَّاصِبَ فَلَا یَرِقَّنَّ قَلْبُکَ عَلَیْهِ وَ لَا تُطْعِمْهُ وَ لَا تَسْقِهِ وَ إِنْ مَاتَ جُوعاً أَوْ عَطَشاً وَ لَا تُغِثْهُ وَ إِنْ کَانَ غَرِقاً أَوْ حَرِقاً فَاسْتَغَاثَ فَغَطِّسْهُ وَ لَا تُغِثْهُ فَإِنَّ أَبِی نِعْمَ الْمُحَمَّدِیُّ کَانَ یَقُولُ مَنْ أَشْبَعَ نَاصِباً مَلَأَ اللَّهُ جَوْفَهُ نَاراً یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَةِ مُعَذَّباً کَانَ أَوْ مَغْفُوراً لَهُ.

📚Asl Zayd al-Narsi, p. 51

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said in a hadith: As for a Nasibi (enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt), never have pity on him and do not feed him, do not give him anything to drink, and do not help him. And if he is drowning or burning in a fire and calls for help, push him down and do not save him, for my father, who was the best of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), used to say: Whoever feeds a Nasibi, Allah will fill his stomach with fire on the Day of Resurrection, whether he is punished or forgiven!

✅Based on the above narrations and others, saving a person from drowning or a fire and the like is very valuable, and if a person saves one person from fire or drowning or a wild animal or an enemy or... it is as if he has saved all of humanity. And this important matter can be done as long as the benefit that the person gains is greater than the harm that comes to us in this regard, even if there is a possibility of certain danger and harm. And in a situation where the conditions are such that the harm that comes to us is greater than the benefit that he gains, there is no obligation to get involved in this act. For example, a person who does not know how to swim and knows that he will drown in the water should not jump into the water to save a drowning person, which would result in him losing his life and would not benefit that person either.

But, for example, in a situation where a person can save someone from drowning with a quick action, but his mobile phone burns and valuable items in his pocket are lost, it is a situation for acting to save him.

The Nawasib (enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt) are an exception to this and no action should be taken to save them.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْر

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