Fleeing from rioters

Question

Question: Is it permissible to flee when rioters attack, or is it haram? Is defence fard upon everyone — man, woman, slave — or not?

Answer

Although an attack by rioters in communal disturbances is not jihad in the proper sense, the honour of the Muslims does not allow them to shrink from confronting them. Rather, if the rioters are twice as many or fewer, and the Muslims also have weapons, then they must by no means flee but should fight; and if the rioters are more than twice as many, or the Muslims have no…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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