Actually, it wasn't very silly at all. This from a recent article made available through WNC:
On 11 October, a forum participant posted a message to a jihadist website recounting a discussion on "sacrifice operations “with a "Salafi" who could not be convinced of the legitimacy of suicide attacks. Other forum members are asked to provide "the rule” regarding suicide attacks, as well as the "names of the shaykhs" who approved and those who did not. The message elicits a number of responses providing the author of the message with an array of material to refer to in future debates. This includes books, Koranic verses, stories, and the names of individuals condoning suicide under certain circumstances.
A translation of the message follows:
"May the peace, blessings, and mercy of God be upon you.
"Brothers in God, a discussion took place between a Salafi and myself (may God guide him and us) about sacrifice operations. He stated that it is suicide because it is killing oneself. I tried to convince him, but I could not. Therefore, I wish the honorable brothers will post the rule (about suicide operations) and the names of the shaykhs of the past who permitted them, as well as those who did not.
"God Bless you. God bless whoever helps me, bestow upon him martyrdom for the sake of God, and grant him entry into the high heavens. Amen."
A translation of the responses follows:
A respondent wrote: "May God reward you well for your devotion to legal justifications. To be brief, because I am in a hurry, I will mention to you some justifications:
"1. The Exalted states: 'Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods, for theirs (in return) is the garden(of Paradise). They fight in His cause, and slay and are slain' (Koranic verse; Al-Tawbah 9:111). And the readings of Al-Duri, which is one of the seven readings:
'They fight in His cause, and slay and are slain' (Koranic verse; Al-Tawbah 9:111) by putting dammah on the first (word) and fatha on the second word. Then how can a person kill himself and then kill others?' This image is found only in martyrdom operations.
"2. The account of the boy warlock narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim that contains two justifications for the permissibility of martyrdom attacks:
"A. The King gave up on killing the boy and he (the boy) could not kill himself, but the boy showed the king how to kill him, and the king did so. Did the boy commit suicide? The rule states: whoever shows the way to be killed is as if that person killed himself. But, if Zaid wanted to kill himself and said to Amr 'here is a weapon and kill me,' would Zaid be considered to have committed suicide or not? Yes, he did commit suicide even though he did not kill himself by his own hands, because he showed (Amr) how to kill him. Then, why is the boy not considered to have committed suicide
ike Zaid? Because he did that to please God, unlike Zaid.
"B. The action of a woman at the end of that account. Her toddler told her: 'Oh steadfast mother, you are righteous,' so she threw herself. Contemplate: she threw herself and no one else threw her.
"3. The act of Mashtah, daughter of the Pharaoh: they sought to seduce her from her religion, so she threw herself into the boiling pot. The masnad of Imam Ahmad relates that the prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) in the events of Isra and Mi'raje, smelled a good smell in the fifth heaven. He asked Gabriel about this smell, who answered: 'That is the smell of Mashtah, daughter of the Pharaoh.'
"4. I consider this the strongest justification, which is the definition of suicide. Ask an Al-Murji (from the sect Al-Murji'ah):What is the definition of suicide? If he tells you it is a person who kills himself, then ask him: If there were people in a ship about to sink, and one of them threw himself into the sea in sacrifice to save other Muslims, would he be considered to have committed suicide? Because, the definition of suicide is one who kills himself! If he replies that he did commit suicide, then tell him the story where the prophet of God Jonah threw himself from the ship into the sea. This evidence was relayed by Al-Shaykh Muhammad Ibn-Ibrahim (the previous Mufti of the Land of the Two Sanctuaries (Saudi Arabia)), who gave permission to those who fear giving away the secrets of the Muslims and mujahidin enduring torture and things of this sort to commit suicide. If he tells you that he did not commit suicide, then tell him that your definition of suicide was not accurate, because it is conclusively prohibited among the conditions of the definition. We say what our scholars say in defining suicide: a person kills himself because he gave up on God's mercy, or something like that (look at the Al-Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Al-Jarbou letter entitled: 'Is it permissible to commit suicide out of fear of giving away secrets?').
"The justifications are many in permitting the martyrdom attacks. Here is a quick mentioning of some. I know those who claim to be Salafis are false: the Al-Murji (from the sect Al-Murji'ah) of the era. They do not pick up their heads (to see) the legal evidence and they discuss general texts regarding the impermissibility of one killing himself! This matter has its exceptions, but this is among their customs. Therefore, I advise you,(name of poster) (may God protect you) to bring to them the fatwas of scholars they accept, like Al-Albani, and refer to the book Mawarid al-Dam'an IllaSahih Ibn Habban by Al-Albani (second volume, page 119). Refer to the words of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari in the famous tale at the gates of Constantine, where Al-Albani stated: 'In that place martyrdom operations are permissible.' With God is success."
Another respondent wrote: "God bless you beloved brother (name of poster) for your devotion to know the truth. May God reward well my beloved brother Al-Wahabi al-Irhabi who summarized the legitimate proofs for this blessed operation. It is a pleasure for me to present to you, Oh Brother (name of poster), this link to a book of jurisprudence on martyrdom operations, in the hope that you will make use of it (new for the shaykh, may God the Exalted protect him)." (Link provided here)
A respondent wrote: "Get: the book Jurisprudence of the Blood by Al-Shaykh Abu Abdallah al-Muhajir, the fifth matter (it was recommended by Al-Shaykh Abu Mus'ab, God bless his soul, as well as by Maysarahal-Gharib, God bless his soul); the book by Al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Ayyiri entitled Did Eve Commit Suicide or Was She Martyr; and the fatwas of Shaykhs Al-Khadair, Al-Maqdisi, Al-Shu'aybi, Abu Hafs al-Jaza'iri, Al-Mani; and the audio of Al-Shaykh Al-Albani. I believe, as was mentioned by Al-Shaykh Al-Shu'aybi, that it is a matter of judgment. God knows best."
Another respondent wrote: "Click on the link that contains lots of goodness (Link provided here) and concentrate on 'the makers of the pit (of fire)' (part of Koranic verse; Al-Buruj 85:4), and on the words of Al-Bara Ibn Malik in your discussion, along with the sayings of the good predecessors. May God grant you success."
A translation of the message follows:
"May the peace, blessings, and mercy of God be upon you.
"Brothers in God, a discussion took place between a Salafi and myself (may God guide him and us) about sacrifice operations. He stated that it is suicide because it is killing oneself. I tried to convince him, but I could not. Therefore, I wish the honorable brothers will post the rule (about suicide operations) and the names of the shaykhs of the past who permitted them, as well as those who did not.
"God Bless you. God bless whoever helps me, bestow upon him martyrdom for the sake of God, and grant him entry into the high heavens. Amen."
A translation of the responses follows:
A respondent wrote: "May God reward you well for your devotion to legal justifications. To be brief, because I am in a hurry, I will mention to you some justifications:
"1. The Exalted states: 'Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods, for theirs (in return) is the garden(of Paradise). They fight in His cause, and slay and are slain' (Koranic verse; Al-Tawbah 9:111). And the readings of Al-Duri, which is one of the seven readings:
'They fight in His cause, and slay and are slain' (Koranic verse; Al-Tawbah 9:111) by putting dammah on the first (word) and fatha on the second word. Then how can a person kill himself and then kill others?' This image is found only in martyrdom operations.
"2. The account of the boy warlock narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim that contains two justifications for the permissibility of martyrdom attacks:
"A. The King gave up on killing the boy and he (the boy) could not kill himself, but the boy showed the king how to kill him, and the king did so. Did the boy commit suicide? The rule states: whoever shows the way to be killed is as if that person killed himself. But, if Zaid wanted to kill himself and said to Amr 'here is a weapon and kill me,' would Zaid be considered to have committed suicide or not? Yes, he did commit suicide even though he did not kill himself by his own hands, because he showed (Amr) how to kill him. Then, why is the boy not considered to have committed suicide
ike Zaid? Because he did that to please God, unlike Zaid.
"B. The action of a woman at the end of that account. Her toddler told her: 'Oh steadfast mother, you are righteous,' so she threw herself. Contemplate: she threw herself and no one else threw her.
"3. The act of Mashtah, daughter of the Pharaoh: they sought to seduce her from her religion, so she threw herself into the boiling pot. The masnad of Imam Ahmad relates that the prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) in the events of Isra and Mi'raje, smelled a good smell in the fifth heaven. He asked Gabriel about this smell, who answered: 'That is the smell of Mashtah, daughter of the Pharaoh.'
"4. I consider this the strongest justification, which is the definition of suicide. Ask an Al-Murji (from the sect Al-Murji'ah):What is the definition of suicide? If he tells you it is a person who kills himself, then ask him: If there were people in a ship about to sink, and one of them threw himself into the sea in sacrifice to save other Muslims, would he be considered to have committed suicide? Because, the definition of suicide is one who kills himself! If he replies that he did commit suicide, then tell him the story where the prophet of God Jonah threw himself from the ship into the sea. This evidence was relayed by Al-Shaykh Muhammad Ibn-Ibrahim (the previous Mufti of the Land of the Two Sanctuaries (Saudi Arabia)), who gave permission to those who fear giving away the secrets of the Muslims and mujahidin enduring torture and things of this sort to commit suicide. If he tells you that he did not commit suicide, then tell him that your definition of suicide was not accurate, because it is conclusively prohibited among the conditions of the definition. We say what our scholars say in defining suicide: a person kills himself because he gave up on God's mercy, or something like that (look at the Al-Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Al-Jarbou letter entitled: 'Is it permissible to commit suicide out of fear of giving away secrets?').
"The justifications are many in permitting the martyrdom attacks. Here is a quick mentioning of some. I know those who claim to be Salafis are false: the Al-Murji (from the sect Al-Murji'ah) of the era. They do not pick up their heads (to see) the legal evidence and they discuss general texts regarding the impermissibility of one killing himself! This matter has its exceptions, but this is among their customs. Therefore, I advise you,(name of poster) (may God protect you) to bring to them the fatwas of scholars they accept, like Al-Albani, and refer to the book Mawarid al-Dam'an IllaSahih Ibn Habban by Al-Albani (second volume, page 119). Refer to the words of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari in the famous tale at the gates of Constantine, where Al-Albani stated: 'In that place martyrdom operations are permissible.' With God is success."
Another respondent wrote: "God bless you beloved brother (name of poster) for your devotion to know the truth. May God reward well my beloved brother Al-Wahabi al-Irhabi who summarized the legitimate proofs for this blessed operation. It is a pleasure for me to present to you, Oh Brother (name of poster), this link to a book of jurisprudence on martyrdom operations, in the hope that you will make use of it (new for the shaykh, may God the Exalted protect him)." (Link provided here)
A respondent wrote: "Get: the book Jurisprudence of the Blood by Al-Shaykh Abu Abdallah al-Muhajir, the fifth matter (it was recommended by Al-Shaykh Abu Mus'ab, God bless his soul, as well as by Maysarahal-Gharib, God bless his soul); the book by Al-Shaykh Yusuf al-Ayyiri entitled Did Eve Commit Suicide or Was She Martyr; and the fatwas of Shaykhs Al-Khadair, Al-Maqdisi, Al-Shu'aybi, Abu Hafs al-Jaza'iri, Al-Mani; and the audio of Al-Shaykh Al-Albani. I believe, as was mentioned by Al-Shaykh Al-Shu'aybi, that it is a matter of judgment. God knows best."
Another respondent wrote: "Click on the link that contains lots of goodness (Link provided here) and concentrate on 'the makers of the pit (of fire)' (part of Koranic verse; Al-Buruj 85:4), and on the words of Al-Bara Ibn Malik in your discussion, along with the sayings of the good predecessors. May God grant you success."
