May 8th 2023 Imam Assim al-Hakeem Uploaded a YouTube. It is titled “Accidentally drew the cross sign instead of the plus sign on my book, am I a kafir?” Muslim Kafir Blasphemy Anxiety. Muslim Kafir Blasphemy Anxiety
Drawing a what could be seen to be a cross without intention is not blasphemy. You are not a Kufar. You have not committed Kufar
We learn that being labeled a Karir can lead to execution
When non‐Muslims are seen in such terrible light, a Muslim who joins them is seen as an unforgivable traitor. That is why such murtads, (apostates) are given the death penalty in classical Islamic law — although it has no basis in the Quran. Meanwhile, terrorist groups like IS or Al Qaeda target fellow Muslims by using these labels. LINK
The six Libyans have been charged under article 207 of the penal code. This code punishes any attempt to circulate views that aim to “alter fundamental constitutional principles, or the fundamental structures of the social order”, or overthrow the state, and anyone who possess books, leaflets, drawings, slogans “or any other items” that promote their cause
Last year, seven activists were arrested by the ISA for alleged atheism. Two of them were released but the rest of the group are still behind bars
Shabir Ally explains death penalty for “criticizing” leads to Muslim Blasphemy Anxiety
There are classical books written that explained the religion of Islam. And these classical interpretations of Islam make it so objectionable to criticize God or the prophet or the scriptures of Islam to the extent that they prescribe the death penalty for the critic.
Toronto Imam Shabbir Ally is a Canadian Muslim preacher, scholar and imam. As of 2020 he is the President of the Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International in Toronto. Imam Ally was interviewed in 2014 and he agreed that the death penalty for apostasy or blasphemy no longer applies.
After the killing of three (one beheaded) French Catholics in Niece and the beheading of the French teacher Samuel Paty, several influential North American Muslim leaders, such as Omar Suliman, Yasir Qadhi, Karim AbuZaid, Tariq Ramadon, Jawed Anwar, Yunous Kathrada, gave interviews expressing their opinion that beheading of Non-Muslims could have detrimental consequences for the Muslim community, as well as hinder political advancement. However, no Muslim leader expressed that execution for blasphemy or apostacy was in and of itself wrong. Furthermore, Islamic literature, distributed at Toronto Dundas Sq. as well as on a prominent Saudi website, strongly supports execution for apostasy or blasphemy. Below is a partial transcript of Imam Shabbir Ally’s interview.
Safiyyah Ally: Islamic history did State a worldly punishment for blasphemy. And that punishment was the death penalty. So he’s wondering if you clarify that or you know explain how that applies now.
Shabbir Ally: They had reached that verdict because there is a statement in a Hadith that says that the Prophet PBUH said ‘if anyone changes his religion and abandons his community then you should kill him’. So they took that to mean that if one leaves Islam and that person should be killed. What I’m doing is I’m going back to the Quran and saying okay you have a Hadith reported that the Prophet PBUH said this. But it may or may not be authentic. What is more authentic is what the Quran says that is the word of God that found and forms the foundation of Islam. And this shows that there is to be no compulsion in religion. Naturally, if you’re killing people because they are leaving Islam then you are forcing them to remain Muslims. You are practicing compulsion. And curiously enough some of the classical commentators who think that you should kill the blasphemer or the apostate say that when they come to the verse about no compulsion they say well okay we have an exception. But of course the verse itself is very general and does not seem to admit of any exceptions. Surah 2 verse 256 says in a very blanket way ‘there’s to be no compulsion in religion’. Now if we apply that is the basis and we go back to this Hadith to see where to place it. We can say that either this Hadith is not authentic or, perhaps, the Prophet PHUH did not say it or did not say it quite that way, somebody made a mistake. Or it could be that it applied to somebody who posts some danger at the time to the Muslim community. Now at the time of the profit Mohamed PBUH.
Safiyyah Ally: Who dealt with a particular circumstance
Shabbir Ally: A circumstance that does not really apply today. In the time of the Prophet PBUH there was no dedicated Muslim Army. Every able bodied Muslim might be called upon to defend the Muslim frontiers against the attacks of others. So because every Muslim was a potential soldier he knew the weaknesses and the movements of the Muslim military and he could reveal those secrets to a foreign entity that could come to attack the Muslims at their point of weakness. And so it was necessary for Muslims to recognize this and if anyone left the ranks he was treated like a soldier today who might abandon the ranks.
Safiyyah Ally: So that situation does not apply now
Shabbir Ally: That does not apply now. So the strict way of dealing with soldiers – the soldiers does apply. But every Muslim today is not a soldier. It’s hardly a situation where every Muslim would be called upon to to fight to defend his or her country… Notice that it says if he abandons his religion and abandons – he changes his religion and abandons the community. It’s not for changing the religion alone but also for abandoning the community at a time when communities were such that is clear who’s abandoning what.
Safiyyah Ally: So in other words the punishment for blasphemy should not apply now is what you are saying
Shabbir Ally: So yes we go back to the Quran which is the bases which says there is no compulsion in religion so we can’t compel a person to remain a Muslim or become a Muslim and naturally we can’t apply alaw which says you kill the blasphemer because then you are compelling the person to remain within the orthodoxy of the Muslim faith.
Sheharyar Shaikh Imam Islamic Society of Kingston, ON
I especially want to look at one aspect – the punishment for apostasy… Let Allah be a witness that I am telling the truth, the punishment for apostasy is death… If you turn your back from Islam, according to the law it is death… You commit treason against Allah, the creator, there is punishment… Retributive justice in effect. Video clip
Response to the killings and beheading crisis in France Muslim leaders, did condemnIslamophobia, colonization and American foreignpolicy. Imam Yasir Qadhi did say that now is not the opportune time, for individual Muslims to take such action as it is likely to harm the Muslim community on several fronts, one of which is the political gains, “It is important to weigh the pros & cons. Muslim leaders also advised that while in a minority situation keeping a low profile is of great benefit. LearningIslam.caFrance Muslim beheading controversyOmar Suliman president Yaqeen Institute, Texas ImamYasir Qadhi,Famous scholarTariq Ramadan,Colorado ImamAbuZaid, Canadian ImamYounus Kathrada, Toronto ImamShabbir Ally, Founder Islamic Ontario PartyJawed Anwar
Islam Q&A is an academic, educational, da‘wah website which aims to offer advice and academic answers based on evidence from religious texts in an adequate and easy-to-understand manner. These answers are supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid who personally answered the following question.
QUESTION: As a non Muslim, I find myself Intrigued and attracted to your faith. However, I find it difficult to comprehend how a man can be sentenced to death for speaking (Salman Rushdie). I would have thought that we as humans do not have that right to make those decisions, only god can?
ANSWER:
Riddah (apostasy) refers to when a Muslim becomes a disbeliever by saying a clear statement to that effect, or by uttering words which imply that (i.e., which imply kufr or disbelief), or he does something that implies that (i.e., an action which implies kufr or disbelief).
The evidence that the apostate is to be executed is the words of the Prophet PBUH: “Whoever changes his religion, execute him.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2794). What is meant by religion here is Islam (i.e., whoever changes from Islam to another religion).
Matters which constitute apostasy are divided into four categories:
(a)Apostasy in beliefs, such as associating others with Allaah, denying Him, or denying an attribute which is proven to be one of His attributes, or by affirming that Allaah has a son. Whoever believes that is an apostate and a disbeliever.
(b)Apostasy in words, such as insulting Allaah or the Messenger PBUH.
(c)Apostasy in actions, such as throwing the Qur’an into a filthy place, because doing that shows disrespect towards the words of Allaah, so it is a sign that one does not believe. Other such actions include prostrating to an idol or to the sun or moon.
(d)Apostasy by omission, such as not doing any of the rituals of Islam, or turning away from following it altogether.
Moreover, such strong rulings as this are only applied to such a person whose life is no longer considered to be useful, because he knew the truth and followed the religion, then he left it and forsook it. What soul can be more evil than the soul of such a person?
Aims:
To spread Islam and call people to it.
To spread Islamic knowledge and dispel ignorance among Muslims.
To respond to people’s needs by offering advice and answers based on evidence from religious texts.
To refute the specious arguments of doubters about Islam.
To advise people concerning day-to-day issues, by giving educational, academic advice about social and other matters.
Execution of such an apostate is, in reality, a salvation for the rest of the society members from the maliciousness and violence he would spread if left to propagate his disbelief and blasphemy among the other members of the society… “Islam does not treat rejection of the faith as a personal matter but rather a rejection that harms the entire system. This rejection is a seed of internal revolution and instigation towards rebellion in the society… Islam only punishes the apostate himself with the simple, direct and very effective deterrent…
To read more of this and other books distributed at Dundas Sq. Go to www.Islamicbooth.ca
The beheading crisis of French teacher Samuel Paty is addressed in a lecture by Texas born Imam, & PhD scholar Yasir Qadhi. Below is an excerpt of the lecture dealing with Islamic jurisprudence. Premiered Nov 4, 2020
To make a point to be sacrilegious to the faith of Islam this is something that the books of fique [Jurisprudence] would not accept, allow. Now after this comes the issue of punishment. What is the punishment for the one who would do this? There is a differentiation if it comes from a Muslim or from a non-Muslim. Also there is some discussion whether the person has the opportunity to repent or not to repent. The details of this are much longer than this topic deserves. The majority position though, and some have claimed ijma [consensus] if there was clear intent, then the majority position is that indeed the penalty for public blasphemy is indeed execution. This is the reality of what our books of fique [jurisprudence] state. Some scholars say that he [blasphemer] should be allowed the opportunity to repent. And others said that a public provocation requires a public punishment and that repentance will be private between him and Allah MHNBE. Some other scholars differentiated between somebody who blasphemes against Allah versus somebody who blasphemes against the Messenger PBUH. A lot of discussion that again is beyond the scope of this. Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah [13th century Islamic scholar of the Hanbali school] by the way has a very thorough book on in this regard which is titled as-Sarim al-Maslul ‘ala Shatim ar-Rasul [The Drawn Sword against those who insult the Messenger], which is basically a very detailed explanation, as well it is over 500 pages about the ruling of the one who makes fun of the messenger and of course he took the position which is the majority position that this person should be executed. Some have claimed that there is ijma on this issue and they quote Ibn al-Mundhir, one of the early scholars of Islam. who wrote a book about ijma – unanimous consensus. Ibn al-Mundhir that there is ijma, that whoever curses the Prophet MHNBE, that he is to be executed. Video
The following is from Islam Q&A , an academic, educational and da‘wah website, supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid.
Question; Is it permissible to execute a married adulterer by some method other than stoning, such as killing him with a sword or by shooting him?
Based on this, it is not permissible to replace stoning with killing by the sword or shooting, because stoning is a more severe punishment and a more effective deterrent to the sin of zina.
It is essential to stone the married adulterer until he dies, following the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as it is proven that he said that, did it and enjoined it. The Messenger of Allaah PBUH stoned Maa’iz, the Juhani woman, the Ghaamidi woman, and the two Jews.
Is it permissible to execute a married adulterer by some method other than stoning, such as killing him with a sword or by shooting him?
Shaykh Yasir Qadhi is a Pakistani-American Islamic scholar, theologian and preacher. Since 2001, he has served as Dean of Academic Affairs at the Al-Maghrib Institute, an international Islamic educational institution with a center in Houston, Texas. He also taught in the Religious Studies department at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He is currently the resident scholar of the East Plano Islamic Center in Plano, Texas.
Qadhi has written numerous books and lectured widely on Islam and contemporary Muslim issues. A 2011 New York Times Magazine essay by Andea Elliott described Qadhi as “one of the most influential conservative clerics in American Islam”.
Qadhi was previously affiliated with the Salafi movement but has since left this movement and now identifies as a Sunni.
France in the last several days, prior to Nov 4, 2020, was struck with two jihadist attacks. First the French teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded for showing cartoons in a discussion about free speech, second three people in a church were killed, including an elderly woman who was decapitated.
Imam & Yale PhD scholar, Yasir Qadhi gave a lecture; The Islamic Ruling on Blasphemy (And Its Application In the Modern World). This lecture was uploaded on Nov 4, 2020. In this lecture he explains that wanton killing or rampaging is detrimental to the overall well-being of the Muslim community, even though it can be justified in Islamic doctrine. Imam Qadhi further explains that a minority Muslim community must not react as though it were in a majority.
The key point here he did not stand up and kill these people. He did not stand up and spit in their face. He did not take the sword out and do anything even though they are saying things about the Prophet PBUH…. There are another number of instances he becomes murtard [apostate] in Abyssinia. Nobody does anything to him. Obviously he says things that are un-Islamic. Nobody did anything to him because they’re in a minority situation. So from a technical perspective it is very clear. From an overall maslih and mafasid, you weigh the pros and the cons, the cost benefit analysis. It is self-evident, dear Muslims. If a Muslim goes and does this thing – goes on a rampage – what do you expect if this continues over and over and over again? There are millions, tens of millions, of Muslims living in these Western lands. What do you expect the governments are going to do? What is going to be the reaction? Would you blame them if they kept on making our lives more difficult?… Have you ever thought to – rather than kill someone, to teach somebody about the Prophet PBUH? Rather than enact something that might be found in the books of fique[Jurisprudence]. I’m not denying that they are there… Who are you to do something that will bring about a greater harm to the ummah? Is your love for the Prophet PBUH only manifest in your hating everybody else? Yes, sometimes punishment needs to be shown… This type of wanton bloodshed, this type of perverted vigilante justice, it does far more damage to the honor of Prophet PBUH then those cartoons could possibly do. Video
Shaykh Yasir Qadhi is a Pakistani-American Islamic scholar, theologian and preacher. Since 2001, he has served as Dean of Academic Affairs at the Al-Maghrib Institute, an international Islamic educational institution with a center in Houston, Texas. He also taught in the Religious Studies department at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He is currently the resident scholar of the East Plano Islamic Center in Plano, Texas.
Qadhi has written numerous books and lectured widely on Islam and contemporary Muslim issues. A 2011 New York Times Magazine essay by Andea Elliott described Qadhi as “one of the most influential conservative clerics in American Islam”. Qadhi was previously affiliated with the Salafi movement but has since left this movement and now identifies as a Sunni.
Islam Q&A is an academic, educational, da‘wah website which aims to offer advice and academic answers based on evidence from religious texts in an adequate and easy-to-understand manner. These answers are supervised by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid (may Allah preserve him)
Quraan: The Quraan says (interpretation of the meaning): The recompense of those who wage war against Allaah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and feet be cut off on the opposite sides.
This punishment is part of the Islamic shareeah which Allaah has prescribed for every time and place, not just for one particular country or period. Further reading
Capital punishment applies in the case of a person who meets any of the following conditions:
1 – The apostate. The apostate is one who disbelieves after being a Muslim, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever changes his religion, execute him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6524.
2 – The married adulterer. The punishment in this case is to be stoned to death.
