Blasphemy finds no mention in the dictionary of Islam. It is only an innovated term. The Arabic equivalent of blasphemy is shatm. According to a saying of the Prophet of Islam, any innovation in the religion of Islam is liable to be rejected. The authentic sources of Islam are only two: the Quran and the Hadith. No Mufti or legislature has the right to add any law to the Islamic Shariah (Jurisprudence).
The Prophet of Islam started his mission in 610 CE in Makkah and he died in 632 CE in Madinah. During these twenty-two years, there were some people both in Makkah and Madinah who used abusive language against the Prophet of Islam. But the Prophet never said they should be killed. He opted only for two kinds of response: either he avoided the issue or he asked some of his Companions to meet them and remove their misunderstanding.
The Quran does not ask others to refrain from using abusive language against Islam; it enjoins Muslims not to use abusive language against other religions.
Looking at the early history of Islam, one can say that present-day Muslims must adopt this prophetic model. Muslims must either ignore such events or they must respond to them in a peaceful manner, that is, statement for a statement, a book for a book. There is no other option for Muslims.
According to the Creation Plan of God, everyone is free. Freedom is everyone’s birthright, so no one can abolish anyone’s freedom. People are free to use their freedom as they please, if you disagree with the point of view of your fellow beings, you can express your views in a rational manner; you must try to address their minds. Guns and bombs are no options for Muslims.
Killing in the name of blasphemy is the Islamisation of something that has nothing to do with Islam. It is strange that no Muslim of repute speaks against this un-Islamic act. Almost all Muslims are silent on this issue. This silence is highly objectionable as there is a Hadith, that if one sees an evil and fails to speak out against it, such a person is as a dumb Satan.
If one takes the act of blasphemy as a difference of opinion, then it will be to one’s advantage. Difference of opinion invites discussion, which gives a good opportunity to remove misconceptions. Moreover, according to the Quran, differences create an opportunity to turn an enemy into a friend.
Islam emphasizes a rational approach. The Quran does not ask others to refrain from using abusive language against Islam; it enjoins Muslims not to use abusive language against other religions. Islam tries to root out the cause of blasphemy rather than command people to kill those who commit blasphemy. Save others from your evil, to be saved from the evil of others.
Source: Spirit of Islam April 2017
