The Issue of Blasphemy

PUBLISHER’S NOTE recite abusive couplets directed against him. To counter such couplets or poems, the Prophet would ask one Hassan bin Thabit, whom Encyclopaedia Britannica calls ‘poetic defender,’ to counter literary attacks on him in the form of couplets. Hassan was Islam’s first religious poet. We find many such incidents in the life of the Prophet. The Prophet peacefully countered their arguments with arguments. He attempted to satisfy the other party at an intellectual level. With these examples of the Prophet and his Companions, can resorting to violence be justified? Muslims, therefore, must deal with such cases by reasoned arguments rather than seeking to mete out punishment. All Islamic teachings are based on reason and argument. As per this Islamic injunction, if a person commits ‘blasphemy,’ the responsibility of Muslims is to meet the concerned person and try to remove his misunderstanding by peaceful means. If they fail to understand, then according to the teachings of the Prophet, Muslims are left only with one option, that is, to pray for them in all sincerity. Publisher New Delhi Dated: May 10, 2024