LAST WORD

LAST WORD In contrast, Khomeini reacted to the issue without properly examining Shariah laws, and prescribed capital punishment for a person who indulges in blasphemy, that is, using profane language against the Prophet of Islam. Other Shia and Sunni Muslim leaders either supported Khomeini or remained silent on the issue. According to my study, this kind of blasphemy law is completely alien to the original teachings of Islam. Before the coming of Islam in the period of ignorance (Jahiliya), difference of belief was a punishable act. People were prosecuted on account of their faith. Referring to this, the Quran states: “They ill-treated them for no other reason than that they believed in God, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy.” (85:8) This practice is called religious persecution. Islam abolished religious persecution in history when the Prophet of Islam declared that personal belief is a subject of discussion and persuasion rather than legal punishment. This can be seen in the life of Prophet Muhammad himself. During the life of the Prophet of Islam, Ka’b bin al-Ashraf (d. 624 A.D.), a poet and orator of Madinah, started defaming the Prophet and his followers, satirizing them in his poems and speeches. When he started doing this, the only action taken by the Prophet of Islam was to ask Hassan bin Thabit, one of the Companions who was a poet, to counter his false allegations. On the Prophet’s advice, Hassan bin Thabit, then composed verses in which he refuted the false propaganda directed against the Prophet