A Review

In the case of Salman Rushdie’s book, Muslim writers and speakers, in general, have adopted a similar negative and emotional approach, as exemplified by the quote mentioned above. However, this approach is incorrect. While it is indeed profoundly hurtful to hear abusive words directed towards one’s mother, it does not mean that every time someone insults his mother, he should engage in a fight or seek to kill them. It is natural for a person to be affected by such verbal attacks, but it is unnatural and wrong to pray for that person to be condemned to Hell. Jesus, for instance, was born without a human father from the womb of a woman. Despite facing accusations of illegitimacy and his mother being accused of adultery by the Jews in Palestine, Jesus did not order the execution of those who insulted him or his mother. Even though Jesus possessed miraculous powers to resurrect the dead, he did not initiate a campaign to kill those who had insulted him. Likewise, in the early days of Islam, the hypocrites in Madinah falsely accused Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqua, the wife of the Prophet and the esteemed Umm Al-Muminin, of immorality. Despite having the authority to do so, Prophet Muhammad did not punish the criminals by severing their heads and displaying them on city walls for committing such a heinous crime. If the Prophet and his Companions did not resort to such actions, present-day Muslims have no right to engage in such behaviour. According to the Quran, the Prophet is meant to be an example or “uswa” (33:21) to follow. Therefore, if we