The Issue of Blasphemy

BASED ON AN ANALOGY Quran, then any interpretation can be derived by citing the Quran. Those who have attempted to prove the killing of blasphemers from the Quran have employed the same approach as the examples mentioned above. No verse in the Quran commands the killing of a blasphemer. The truth is that this notion is fabricated and holds no connection to the divine scripture. It is unrelated to the Quran and has no bearing on its teachings. Arguments from the Hadith There is no authentic narration in the entire collection of Hadith that commands the killing of a blasphemer. This ruling has been deduced from the Hadith and is not directly stated in the texts. The most common argument put forth in this regard is derived from a Hadith regarding apostasy that states that anyone who has abandoned their religion should be killed. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3027) People who support the killing of blasphemers believe that since blasphemy against the Prophet is viewed as a form of apostasy, engaging in it makes one an apostate and, thus, deserving of death. However, equating apostasy with blasphemy is an erroneous inference in itself. An apostate chooses to renounce and distance himself from his religion, whereas blasphemy is an act that influences others. Apostasy is an individual action, so the problem is seen to be resolved by executing the apostate, just as the issue of murder is resolved by executing the murderer. On the other hand, blasphemy impacts others through its