Explanation

A man came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him what he had the right to do if a man came to him wanting to take his money unjustly. The Messenger of Allah replied: "Do not give him your money." The man asked what he had the right to do if that aggressor fought with him (over the money). The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him to defend his money even if that led to fighting with that man, but first he had to try to ward him off by easier means, such as screaming for help or scaring him with a stick or shooting a bullet in the air. The man asked: What if he overpowered me and killed me; what would my fate be? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: You will have the reward of dying as a martyr. Then the man asked: What if I overpowered him and killed him while defending my property; what would my fate be? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: He will be in the Hellfire for an interval of time unless he believed that what he had done was lawful, for, if he did, then, in that case, he would remain in the Hellfire eternally, because he holds as lawful a deed that is unequivocally known to be unlawful in Islam.