An Unsupported Argument
Al-Risala (English), November 1989, p. 9
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
An Unsupported Argument
1989 11 November 9 An Unsupported Argument (279) Although Abdullah ibn Ubayy had accepted Islam from the hand of the Prophet himself, and had prayed along with other Muslims, he still had the presumption to slander the Prophet and his family. Indeed, the Quran cites Abdullah ibn Ubayy as the main source of calumny against the Prophet (24:2). Yet, in spite of the Quran bearing witness to his misconduct, no punishment was meted out to him. On the contrary, he was allowed to go unpunished in view of the fact that he would, in any case, be judged by God on the Day of judgement. And so he continued to live amongst other Muslims, till he met a natural death.
It is related in the traditions of the Prophet that on one occasion, Umar Farooq asked the Prophet’s permission to decapitate this hypocrite, Abdullah ibn Ubayy. But the Prophet restrained him, saying” Leave him. Let it not be said that Muhammad executes his own men.”1 Another tradition has it that the Prophet added, “we will give him better and kinder treatment as long as he live with us.”2
We thus learn from the Prophet’s example that there can be times when a man guilty of the worst form of character assasination is not punishable by death sentence. All the Prophet did – although he was the ruler of Medina – was make Abdullah’s wrong doing public.
It must be conceded then that when Muslims clamour for the death penalty in cases of acts of insolence against the Prophet, they are taking a stand which is in no way supported either by the Quran or by the Hadith.
1 Ibn Kathir, Tafseer, vol. IV, p. 70.
2 Ibid., p. 72.
