The Issue of Blasphemy

BASED ON AN ANALOGY People commonly hold the belief that anyone engaging in blasphemy against the Prophet is subject to punishment under Shariah law, as repentance alone cannot undo the offence. However, this assumption lacks any basis in Shariah. Regardless of the widespread belief in this theory, it remains unsubstantiated. Therefore, in the following pages, we will carefully examine this issue from the perspectives of the Quran, Hadith, and Fiqh (jurisprudence). As mentioned earlier, the most comprehensive book on this subject is authored by Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728 AH). During his time, there was an incident of blasphemy when Assaf Nasrani uttered derogatory words against the Prophet of Islam. This incident sparked a heated debate in Syria and Egypt regarding the appropriate punishment in Islamic law for those who insult the Prophet. Provoked by this event, Ibn Taymiyyah wrote a substantial book comprising 600 pages, which was later published under the title ‘As-Sarim al-Maslul ‘ala Shatim ar-Rasul,’ meaning ‘The Open Sword for the One Who Insulted the Prophet.’ Arguments from the Quran In one section of his book, Ibn Taymiyyah argues that numerous verses in the Quran support the killing of blasphemers. However, the verses he quotes in this context are unrelated to his position or opinion on killing blasphemers. Thus, let us translate some of the verses he has referred to in this discussion.