Arguments from the Quran

who, in the heat of the moment, uttered statements that were not endorsed or approved by the Prophet. In the case of Salman Rushdie, after it gained attention, those advocating for the death penalty published numerous articles and issued statements claiming that killing a blasphemer is supported by Quranic verses. However, all these arguments, similar to Ibn Taymiyyah’s, are baseless. In an article written by Pakistani scholar Maulana Qazi Mazhar Husain, it is stated that the killing of a “shatim” can be proven through many verses of the Quran (Haq Char Yar, Monthly, Lahore, June 1989). He refers to the Quranic verse: “God shall curse those who annoy God and His Messenger in this world and the Hereafter. God has prepared a humiliating punishment for them. Those who affront believing men and believing women without their having deserved it [done any wrong] shall bear the weight of slander and a flagrant sin.” (33:57-58) Indeed, these verses address those who cause harm to the Prophet. However, they do not directly or indirectly command the killing of the perpetrators. Nowhere is it stated that those who commit atrocities against the Prophet should be put to death. These verses focus on the punishment God will administer in the Hereafter; they do not mention any legal consequences or punishments in this world. The writer has taken the word ‘torment’ from the Quran and added the word ‘killing’ on his own. If this method is considered valid for extracting meanings from the