Syed Jawed Anwar

MUSLIMS have requested that blasphemy (ridiculing, insulting, disgracing) against Prophet Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and other Messengers of Godﷺ  be made a punishable crime, felony. UN should declare it a crime and ask every nation to make laws to control it. Muslims have been crying for this for a long time but are still unheard.

Imran Khan, the newly elected PM of Pakistan, in his speech in Senate on August 27, said that the West doesn’t realized how Muslims’ sentiments hurt on any blasphemous incidence. Mr. Khan pointed out the double standard of the West while giving the example of the Holocaust and how four European countries have jail sentences for "anyone who even reinterpret and even challenge the (Jewish given) figures of Holocaust. That is because they realized that this is something that hurts the sentiments of the Jewish community."

"We need a policy for this matter so that people do not repeatedly hurt our sentiments," Imran Khan said. The Senate unanimously adopted resolution condemning publication of blasphemous cartoons in Netherlands.

Next day, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Foreign contacted his Dutch counterpart and raised issue of sacrilegious caricatures. Shah told Dutch foreign minister sacrilegious caricatures have hurt the sentiments of Muslims across globe.

Following message is going viral in social media from Muslims around the globe:

“When you attack black people, they call it racism. When you attack country, they call it terrorism. When you attack homosexuality, they call it intolerance. When you attack women, they call it gender discrimination. When you attack Jews, they call it anti-Semitism. But when they attack Holy Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H), they call it freedom of speech.”

In order to protect not to be reviled by non-Muslims, Allah asked Muslims in Quran:

“Do not revile those whom they invoke other than Allah, because they will revile Allah in ignorance out of spite” (Al-Quran 6:108).

Muslims can tolerate anything, any kind of oppression on them on their family, on their children, deprivation of all the amenities of life, and this world. And they are tolerating everywhere. Their nations have been bombed, destroyed, occupied, and tens of millions were forced to leave their homes worldwide. But they never overreacted. But whenever someone insults Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him, the most beloved person of Muslims), they always reacted, they get revenge, and they will be ready for getting even. They can’t control their sentiments. The word “tolerance” doesn’t apply here. Enough will be enough. It has been proven in history again and again. Whenever someone dishonored and insulted Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Muslims always first tried to convince them not to do that. But if they didn’t abstain and ignored the collective demand of Muslims, some young blood came forward and scored. In the non-Muslim world, the courts convicted and hanged them, but in the eyes of Muslims, they were always veterans and martyrs.  

Reasons:

1. True Muslims love Prophet Muhammadﷺ  more than themselves and their family and parents. Their hearts are full of extreme intimacy for the Prophet ﷺ .
2. After Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Muslims are the torch bearers of Allah’s guidance till Qiyamah (the last day). And Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the source of guidance for all human beings. He is the only hope for mankind to get success hereafter. Therefore, Muslims feel obligation to protect and preserve the life and dignity of the last and final Prophet ﷺ.
3. Insulting Prophet Muhammad ﷺ means inflicting pain in the souls of Muslims. When souls react, the reactions are severe.
4. Muslims feel it is the obligation on them to get revenge and be part of the will of God.
5. Muslims fear that if the blasphemy will be allowed publicly, and if they (Muslims) will not do anything in defence, God’s wrath will engulf them and the whole world. So they feel obligation to protect all humanity by punishing the person involved in blasphemy.

“Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. Believers, invoke blessings and peace on him. Verily those who cause annoyance to Allah and His Messenger; Allah has cursed them in this world and in the Hereafter and has prepared for them a humiliating chastisement” (Al-Quran 33:56-57).

“A painful punishment lies in store for those who cause distress to the Messenger of Allah" (Al-Quran 9:61).

“Tell them, (O Prophet): "If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your wives and your tribe and the riches you have acquired and the commerce of which you fear a slackening, and the dwellings that you love, if they are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His decree. Allah does not guide the evil-doing folk" [Al-Quran, Surah At-Taubah 9: 24].

It is reported on the authority of Anas b. Malik (r.a.) that the Messenger of Allah said: “None of you is a believer till I am dearer to him than his child, his father and the whole of mankind.” ¹

Few examples of love:

1. Once, Abu Bakr R. A., the closest companion of Prophet Muhammad ﷺsaid with the sentiments of extreme love that he loved the beloved of God even more than God. He was the companion of Prophet Muhammadﷺ the most dangerous life threatening migration from Makkah to Madinah.²
2. In the night of migration from Makkah to Madinah, young Ali (R.A.) was ready to sleep on his bed knowing the danger of his life. There was a tight blockade of Prophet’s home by Quraish in the night of migration.³
3. Usman Ghani was not ready to do Tawaaf without Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .⁴
4. In the battle of Uhad, Prophet Muhammad’s one tooth was martyred. When a lover of Prophet Muhammad, Owais Qarni, heard the news, he broken all of his teeth in Prophet’s love because he didn’t know what exact tooth was broken. ⁵
5. A companion of Prophet Muhammad had been watching Prophet Muhammad ﷺ continuously without distracting his eyes even for a moment. Someone asked him why he was doing so. He responded that he felt cool and calm in the eyes and heart when he saw him.⁶
6. Ibn Ishaaq narrated about a woman from the tribe of Bani Dinar of Ansar whose husband, father, and brother were martyred in the battle of Uhad. When their deaths were announced, she said, “How is Allah’s Messenger ﷺ?” They said: “Well indeed. O mother of so-and-so. Thanks to Allah; he is well and as good as you desire.” She said: “Let me see him.” They pointed at him. Seeing him, she said, “All misfortunes are nothing so long as you are safe.”⁷
7. "On the Day of Uhud, The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Who will bring me news of Sad ibn al-Rabi al-Ansari?' A man said, 'Me, Messenger of Allah!' So the man went around among the slain, and Sad ibn al-Rabi said to him, 'What are you doing?' The man said to him, 'The Messenger of Allahﷺ , may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me to bring him news of you.' He said, 'Go to him, and give him my greetings, and tell him that I have been stabbed twelve times, and am mortally wounded. Tell your people that they will have no excuse with Allah if the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is slain while one of them is still alive.’”⁸

Examples of revenge:

At the moment of victory and conquer of Makkah, Prophet Muhammad          ﷺ , forgave all his arch enemies. His mercy and forgiveness showered on his foes. Every attempt was made to grant pardon to the people. However, those who ridiculed the Prophethood were not forgiven. “Shedding blood of nine of the worst criminals was declared lawful even under the curtains of Al-Ka’bah (some of them later pardoned). Abdul-Uzza bin Khatal was found holding on to the curtain of the Ka’bah and was killed.” ⁹

It is important to note that no one was killed inside Kaaba except the criminals of blasphemy.

Ibn Khattal had been used to listening to satirical poems against Prophet Muhammadﷺ  from his slave women. Once he pretended to accept Islam, living in Madinah, killed one innocent Muslim and joined pagans of Quraish again.¹⁰

In the light of Qur’an and Sunnah, it is Ijma (consensus) of Sahaba (Companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) and all the Islamic scholars from very beginning is that punishment of the crime of blasphemy is the death sentence. At the time of Prophet Muhmmad ﷺ , if someone was pardoned after blasphemy, due to the mercy and extreme kindness of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, that doesn’t applied to his Ummati (followers, believers).¹¹

When Abu Bakr (R.A., the first Khalifa of the state after Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ) received the news that a woman’s teeth were taken out by one of his chiefs of his ruling area in the crime of ridiculing Prophethood, he said that he would order for death sentence if she was not already punished.¹²

Umar (R. A. the second Khalifa after Prophet Muhammad ﷺ) punished an Imam who had been reciting Surah Abasa (80) of Al-Quran in every Salah (five times daily prayer). When Umar (r.a.) asked him why he always recited this Surah (verse of Quran). He said because Allah warned Prophet Muhammad in this Surah and he enjoyed to listen it. After listening his explanation, Umar (r.a.) punished him to death.¹³

All the Fuqhah (four Jurisprudence tradition of Islam) --Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi’i, Imam Malik, and Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal--  agree that punishment of blasphemy of the Prophet is the death sentence. Imam Ibn Taymiyyah ruled capital punishment for the crime.

In Islamic history and Muslims’ dominance of major part of the world, no one had the courage to do blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Every one (person and nation) knows that Muslim rulers will revenge if they insult Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Historians write that background of Crusaders war was also the same: Regnald Châtillon  (b.1125 – d. 1187) with his force tried to attack Arab Peninsula to occupy Madinah and Makkah. After humiliating defeat from Muslim forces, he didn’t stay silent. He had been constantly conspiring against Muslim states, looting and enslaving Muslim traders and passing derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . When Sultan Saladdin Ayyubi (b. 1137 – d. 1193) came to know about his activity, he swore to Allah to fight and kill him. Sultan fulfilled his pledge.  

It was not possible for anyone in the world to involve in this heinous act even in the last days of Khilafat e Osmania of Turkey that fell in 1924. His last ruler Sultan Abdul-Hamid warned France against a blasphemy incident in France. France took it seriously and stopped to make it happen. In the colonial period, when most of the Muslim countries were occupied, the incidents of blasphemy were increased in the backing and encouragement of the new occupying Western powers. Most of the incidents happened in British-occupied India. 

To be continued. 

Jawed Anwar can be reached ar jawed@seerahwest.com

1. Hadith; Sahih Muslim, 44b, Book 1, Hadith 76
2. Allah aur Rasool Ke Shaheed (Urdu)
3. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)
4. Allah aur Rasool Ke Shaheed (Urdu)
5. Allah aur Rasool Ke Shaheed (Urdu)
6. Allah aur Rasool Ke Shaheed (Urdu)
7. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)
8. Muwatta Malik, USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 21, Hadith 41 , Arabic reference : Book 21, Hadith 1001)
9. Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)
10. Allah aur Rasoolﷺ ke Shaheed, Urdu
11. Allah aur Rasoolﷺ ke Shaheed, Urdu
12. Allah aur Rasoolﷺ ke Shaheed, Urdu
13. Allah aur Rasoolﷺ ke Shaheed, Urdu