Saturday, April 22, 2017

Blasphemy Killings and their Islamic Roots


Anyone who listens to the world news attentively knows how uniquely intolerant Islamic world is on the topic of blasphemy or a perceived insult of Islam. The conviction that a person has committed blasphemy can turn a mob dedicated with all their anger and might towards publicly murdering a person. Let us take a moment to examine the straightforward connection between blasphemy killings and the Islamic doctrine and scripture.

The Quran contains a lot of hate speech and threat of violence against people who abuse the prophet or mock Islam. Let's take a look at a few of these verses:

Quran 33:57 to 33:61 - Indeed, those who abuse Allah and His Messenger - Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment. And those who harm believing men and believing women for [something] other than what they have earned have certainly born upon themselves a slander and manifest sin. O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease and those who spread rumors in al-Madinah do not cease, We will surely incite you against them; then they will not remain your neighbors therein except for a little. Accursed wherever they are found, [being] seized and massacred completely.

The Tafsirs show that the context applies to anyone who persistently mocks Allah and Muhammad.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (33:57-61) - (Verily, those who annoy Allah and His Messenger,) was revealed about those who slandered the Prophet over his marriage to Safiyyah bint Huyay bin Akhtab. The Ayah appears to be general in meaning and to apply to all those who annoy him in any way, because whoever annoys him annoys Allah, just as whoever obeys him obeys Allah. ... Then Allah issues a warning to the hypocrites, those who make an outward display of faith while concealing their disbelief.

Quran 9:61 to 9:66 - And among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, "He is an ear." Say, "[It is] an ear of goodness for you that believes in Allah and believes the believers and [is] a mercy to those who believe among you." And those who abuse the Messenger of Allah - for them is a painful punishment. They swear by Allah to you [Muslims] to satisfy you. But Allah and His Messenger are more worthy for them to satisfy, if they should be believers. Do they not know that whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger - that for him is the fire of Hell, wherein he will abide eternally? That is the great disgrace. They hypocrites are apprehensive lest a surah be revealed about them, informing them of what is in their hearts. Say, "Mock [as you wish]; indeed, Allah will expose that which you fear." And if you ask them, they will surely say, "We were only conversing and playing." Say, "Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?" Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals.

From the Tafsirs it appears that the verses were revealed in context of punishing a man with stoning for mocking Islam.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (9:65) - `Abdullah bin `Umar said, "During the battle of Tabuk, a man was sitting in a gathering and said, `I have never seen like these reciters of ours! They have the hungriest stomachs, the most lying tongues and are the most cowardice in battle.' A man in the Masjid said, `You lie. You are a hypocrite, and I will surely inform the Messenger of Allah. ' This statement was conveyed to the Messenger of Allah and also a part of the Qur'an was revealed about it.''' `Abdullah bin `Umar said, "I have seen that man afterwards holding onto the shoulders of the Messenger's camel while stones were falling on him, declaring, `O Allah's Messenger! We were only engaged in idle talk and jesting,' while the Messenger of Allah was reciting,

Let us see this concept in action from the hadiths. In the below story, a blind man stabs his wife to death for repeatedly slandering Muhammad. When Muhammad heard the news he ordered the man to turn himself in. When he did, Muhammad let him away with no punishment.

Sunan an-Nasai 4070 - Ibn 'Abbas narrated that: There was a blind man during the time of the Messenger of Allah [SAW] who had an Umm Walad by whom he had two sons. She used to slander and defame the Messenger of Allah [SAW] a great deal, and he would rebuke her, but she would not pay heed, and he would forbid her to do that, but she ignored him. (The blind man said) One night I mentioned the Prophet [SAW], and she slandered him. I could not bear it so I went and got a dagger which I thrust into her stomach and leaned upon it, and killed her. In the morning she was found slain. Mention of that was made to the Prophet [SAW] and he gathered the people and said: "I adjure by Allah; a man over whom I have the right, that he should obey me, and he did what he did, to stand up." The blind man started to tremble and said: "O Messenger of Allah [SAW], I am the one who killed her. She was my Umm Walad and she was kind and gentle toward me, and I have two sons like pearls from her, but she used to slander and defame you a great deal. I forbade her, but she did not stop, and I rebuked her, but she did not pay heed. Finally, I mentioned your name and she slandered you, so I went and got a dagger which I thrust into her stomach, and leaned on it until I killed her. The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "I bear witness that her blood is permissible."

While the above are more direct examples for blasphemy, there is a lot of hate speech in the Quran that is written against those who spread "corruption" in the land. If we examine within the Quran itself, we can see how easily it is possible to use the excuse of spreading corruption against blasphemers.

Quran 5:32 to 5:33 - Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely ... Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment.

Obviously Allah is invisible if he exists and Muhammad not alive today so any war that can be waged against Allah and his messenger today is a war of ideas. Besides, one big problem with this is that when the system itself is Islam, anything that challenges and tries to reform Islam can be classified as corruption. Quran in chapter 2 supports this notion.

Quran 2:8 to 2:12 - And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allah and the Last Day," but they are not believers. They [think to] deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not. In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie. And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but reformers." Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.

Reforms and innovations are absolutely scorned upon in Islam. Before concluding, let's look at another hadith:

Sahih Muslim 1852 - It has been narrated on the authority of 'Arfaja who said: I have heard the Messenger of Allah say: Different evils will make their appearance in the near future. Anyone who tries to disrupt the affairs of this Umma while they are united you should strike him with the sword whoever he be.

CONCLUSION: Although what I did is a scriptural analysis on blasphemy within Islam, these don't present a complete picture of the existing problem. Lots and lots of Muslims who barely know the scripture in detail still support blasphemy punishments. Considering a medieval warlord as the perfect example for mankind by itself is extremely troublesome. When pointed out troublesome facts about Muhammad in the Islamic scripture, this can make people extremely defensive and angry as there is some truth in the accusations. Another part of the problem is in the belief that Quran is perfectly preserved, to the letter. This leads to people being extremely allergic to change and being intolerant of reform. The result of all this is that Islam creates a cult centred around the Quran as a book and Muhammad as a person, resisting even small amounts of criticism or reform, leading to an extreme intolerance to blasphemy.