Is Blasphemy Punishable by Death in Islam?

There is nothing in the Quran or in the authentic teachings of Prophet Muhammad that justifies, sanctions or legitimizes the killing of people for opposing, criticizing, humiliating or showing irreverence toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs and beliefs of Islam.

The Quran says: 

"Revile not ye those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they out of spite revile Allah in their ignorance. Thus We have made alluring to each people its own doings. In the end will they return to their Lord, and We shall then tell them the truth of all that they did." [6:108

"O ye who believe! Let not some men among you ridicule others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women ridicule others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong". [49:11]

"Those who avoid the greater crimes and shameful deeds, and, when they are angry even then forgive;" [42:37]

If blasphemy was punishable by death in Islam, then the Prophet would have been the first one to order the killing of hundreds of his foes who later became his closest companions. In our religious books, references are made to six incidents where the Prophet allegedly asked his companions to silence his opponents forever. A careful examination of all such incidents reveals that they are either concocted or far from the truth. (A separate article on those incidents would be forthcoming) With the exception of a very few earlier Arabs who accepted the Prophet as the Messenger of Allah, the majority of people of Makkah opposed him, humiliated him, cursed or blasphemed him or even tried to kill him, yet he preferred to practice forgiveness seeking the divine mercy for them. Even after being wounded severely in Taif, he refused to seek revenge.

The old woman who used to throw garbage on the Prophet was visited by him when he did not see her throwing it anymore to learn that she was not well. When Suhail bin Amr, a poet who composed poetry blaspheming the Prophet was taken as a prisoner of war after the battle of Badr, the Prophet asked his companions to show kindness to him. There are examples after examples to prove that the Prophet  never resorted to violence against those who were showing utter disrespect to him or Allah.

Violence against anyone criticizing Islam, Allah or Prophet Muhammad is unacceptable as the divine teachings make it clear. Any punishment against the so-called blasphemy is a stab in the heart of Islam and a humiliation of the Prophet by those who claim to be his followers. Those who support the killing of people accused of blasphemy are the enemies of Islam because they neither understand Islam nor respects the Prophet. No matter who they are, they must be challenged on the basis of the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet.

Unfortunately, their argument is built on a position that is supported by a good number of Muslim religious scholars all over the world that demand death for acts of apostasy and blasphemy, two of the practices that were developed under the influence of corrupt despotic Muslim rulers who misused their power to twist religious scholarship to serve their political interests.

The idea of blasphemy is foreign to Islam. It was justified by many medieval Muslim scholars on the basis of their understanding of Christian and Jewish texts supporting laws against those who blaspheme and vilify their religions.

The word "blasphemy" came via Middle English blasfemen and Old French blasfemer and Later Latin blasphemer meaning "I injure." Based on this definition, rulers used laws to victimize non-members of and dissident members of the ruling sect or cult. Countries that had a state religion used it often to serve the interests of the rulers. In Judaism, the third book of Torah, Leviticus 24:16 states that those who speak blasphemy shall surely be put to death. The seven laws of Noah seen by Judaism as applicable to all of the humankind prohibits blasphemy In Christian theology, the Gospel of Mark 3:29, describes blaspheming the holy spirit as unforgivable eternal sin. Thomas Aquinas considered blasphemy a major unforgivable sin, more serious than murder. The Book of Concord describes it the greatest sin ever committed. The Baptist Confession of Faith calls it a disgusting and detesting act. Catholic Church has specific prayers and devotions as Acts of Reparation for blasphemy against God and the Church was a crime punishable by death in much of the Christian world. In England, last blasphemy execution was that of an 18-year-old Thomas Aikenhead who was executed for the crime in 1697. He was prosecuted for denying the accuracy of the Old Testament and the legitimacy of Christ's miracles.

The Quran and the authentic teachings of the Prophet describe the practice of showing irreverence to God and his messenger as acts of ignorance, deliberate provocation or hatred or rebellion. Yet the two sources of Islamic guidance never proposed punitive actions on the basis of theological dissent or religious differences or irreverence. Some Muslim jurists have, often misused the institution of ijtihad to serve the emotive interests of the people. The fatwa or religious decree issued by Khomeini proposing murder of Salman Rushdie was a personal opinion with no direct support from the book of divine guidance.

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan also has in its penal code laws that prohibit and punish blasphemy against Islam ranging from a fine to death. The Criminal courts often decide a case of blasphemy on the basis of public emotions and political interests rather than the divine writ. Pakistan's Criminal Code has its blasphemy laws. For instance, code 295 forbids damaging or defiling a place of worship or a sacred object, code 296A forbids outraging religious feelings, code 295 B forbids defiling the Quran, code 295 C forbids defaming Prophet Muhammad.

Defiling the Quran is punishable by imprisonment for life and defaming Prophet Muhammad by death with or without a fine. None of these codes have any basis in the Quran or the authentic teachings of the Prophet. It is a position that many scholars adopted under the influence of despotism that prevailed in the Muslim world for centuries and still prevails in many countries. This position has been challenged by many who had knowledge of the Quran and sunnah. But most of the time, their religious authority and opinions were suppressed by the rulers.

The tyranny of such religious scholars is so intense that those opposed to these laws are condemned as non-Muslims punishable by death. Some of the scholars even encourage their followers to unleash terror against such people. Their arrogance has reached a point that they do not want to listen to any an argument based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet. Many religious and educational institutions of the Muslim world suffer from the tyranny of these scholars who justify their ignorance and arrogance on the basis of a literature that emerged at a time when Muslims had lost connection with the Quran and by and large were at the mercy of despotic rulers and their hired religious scholars.

Islam is not the monopoly of self-imposed scholars. It is a faith given to people for their well being and guidance without any interference from any authority other than Allah, the almighty. Those who assume the divine role in condemning people and deciding their life and death on the basis of their religious identity must at least be questioned for their opinions on the basis of the Quran and sunnah.
If Muslim religious scholars are seriously concerned about the sensitivities of people with regards to their faith and its holy figures, then they should advocate common laws for every religion and religious community emphasizing that respect must be shown to all religions and freedom of speech must not be seen as a license to hurt and provoke others.
When some people make fun of Allah and His messengers including Prophet Muhammad, it hurts and causes pain. As acknowledged by the Quran: “We do indeed know how your heart is distressed at what they say.”  Al-Hijr [15:97]

But Allah clearly advises:      

“Repel evil with that which is best: We are well acquainted with the things they say.” Al-Mu'minun [23:96]

       

“Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!” Fussilat [41:34]

Is the world coming to an end in 2012?

The Theology of Apocalypse

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Since the beginning of recorded time, human beings have been waiting for the end of time.. As early as in the first Christian century, the end was predicted by the followers of Jesus. The Shakers thought the world would be over in 1792, while the Jehovah’s Witnesses pegged various years between 1914 and 1994 as an end date. Harold Camping, a Christian broadcaster predicted the end of the world several times. He was so frustrated with God, that in 2011, he finally confessed that God changed his plans without changing the Bible that provided him the code about the end of the world.

Recently, some people had focused on the year 2012. They believed that on December 21, 2012, the Earth would experience unprecedented, cataclysmic disasters ranging from massive earthquakes and tsunamis to nuclear reactor meltdowns.

Even though the end of the world is predicted in all religions, Judaism and Christianity strongly promote the idea of the coming of Messiah and the return of Jesus preceding the end of time. Several Muslims have also adopted Christian theology of apocalypse and even included the return of Jesus as part of their creed. (The Muslim position on the second coming of Jesus will be dealt in a separate article that will clearly demonstrate that the idea of Jesus returning to break the cross, kill the pig and abolishing jizya contradict the Quran and its teachings and such statements attributed to Prophet Muhammad are questionable.

There will definitely come a day when the world as we see it today would come to an end. Every day brings an end to things and people. So a day will also come when everything will perish. But the events that religions usually predict are not about the end of the world but the events leading to the end of the world. In this respect, each religion has predicted the annihilation of the other.

On May 21, 2011 many American Christians waited for an end of the world in one way or the other. A California-based radio evangelist group of Harold Camping claimed that Judgment day would take place on May 21, 2011 and the world would come to an end. The world survived the predictions.

Life has been going on as usual as it has gone for thousands of years amidst all the doom's day prophecies. Well-known Christian scholars have predicted the end of time at least 44 times in the last 2,000 years and each time God proved them wrong. It is interesting that a wrong that is proven wrong is never accepted as a fact. New dates are announced and a new theology is born. The confusion creates more confusion causing panic and fear among some people. Every time a dooms day prediction is made, the sale of books predicting the end of time increases, some people start selling their properties, and others start conserving food and other resources to meet the challenge of the time as if they would be the only ones who would survive the catastrophe.

How do they determine the end of time dates?

The group that predicted the end of time on May 21, 2012 claimed that the flood of Noah took place some 4990 years before the birth of Jesus and it was in the year 4990 BC that Noah was told there would be yet 7 days until the flood of waters would be upon the earth. Now, each day is counted equivalent to 1000 years, we get 7000 years. And when we project 7000 years into the future from 4990 BC, we find that it falls on the year 2011 AD. This is such an absurd logic that no sane mind would ever accept it. But the influence of religious magic is so intense, that everything that people would reject in the real world based on their rational thinking is accepted in the name of God.

The group claimed that the year 2011 AD will be the 7000th year from the flood of Noah's day. It will be the end of the length of time given to mankind.

Why is JUDGMENT DAY on MAY 21st, 2011?

The group claimed that on May 21st, 1988, God finished using the churches and congregations of the world for good work. The Spirit of God left all churches and Satan entered into the churches. Thus the group believed that churches all over the world are being ruled by Satan for the last 23 years.

In the view of the group the full 23-year tribulation period concluded on May 21st, 2011 as it was the exact day that the great tribulation comes to its end.

The group claimed that on May 21st God would raise up all the dead that have ever died from their graves. Earthquakes would ravage the whole world as the earth would no longer conceal its dead. People who died as saved individuals would experience the resurrection of their bodies and immediately leave this world forever to be with the Lord. Those who died unsaved would be raised up as well, but only to have their lifeless bodies scattered about the face of all the earth. Death would be everywhere and On October 21, the world would come to an end. 

May 21 and October 21 came and passed without any thing predicted by the Bible experts.
There are many Christian groups that believe that Jesus would return soon, some predict that by the end of this year, he would be back in this world to lead an armed struggle against Jews for allegedly torturing and killing him, a struggle that will cause more than two thirds of Jews to be killed by Jesus and his followers and one thirds of them to convert to Christianity. Interestingly, the current pope has recently absolved the Jews from plotting against Jesus.

Stories about the return of a dead person are nothing but a myth found in almost all religious literature.

In the doctrine of the end of the world, the coming of a Messiah plays a central role. With the exception of Buddhists, almost every religious group including Muslims has been waiting for the return of a Messiah who would rid the world of all evil.

In the apocalyptic theology, the Messiah's role would be to establish a peaceful world through the killing of all the trouble makers. The trouble makers are defined as those who do not believe the ideas accepted in the religion that is promoting the claim of the return of Messiah. Thus for Christians, all those who are non-Christians are trouble makers. For Muslims, all non-Muslims are deviants, for Hindus all non-Hindus are the transgressors and for Jews all non-Jewish people are rebels. Imagine if the so called Messiahs of all religious communities appear at the same, what would be the fate of the world? Everyone would be killing the other.

There are many Muslims who believe in the second coming of Jesus and the arrival of Mehdi. One can find an assortment of Muslim literature, old and new that outlines this type of apocalyptic predictions. However, no one has quoted a single verse from the Quran in justification of their position. Many quote from the books of ahadith (Saying of the Prophet) about the end of time without referring to the decisive Quranic words that refute the idea of a known date for this event. On he contrary the Quran says that end time is known only to God almighty.

Currently, there are some fifteen theories circulating in our world about the end time. A brief description is given here so that we can get a better understanding of this topic from various sources.

Nostradamus - While Nostradamus is very vague, he has predicted the end of the world through his past prophecy and drawings to be around the year 2000. The exact date is never given, but he indicates that the world would end through nuclear warfare or some other possible cause, by the means of "the heavens will catch on fire."

Web Bot - A computer program used to search through data and pull together important data that can predict future events. It was built for investors and since then has a built a record for the prediction of the future events.

The Bible - The Bible predicts that the world will come to an end when the Antichrist rises. Some believe the Antichrist is already among us and the countdown to the end of world has already begun.

The Antichrist - Nostradamus and the Bible predict the end of the world to occur when the Antichrist rises. A number of extreme Christian groups are claiming Obama to be the Antichrist. They hold that when his presidential term is just about done the world will come to an end.

The Mayan calendar ends on 12/21/2012, symbolizing the end of a cycle and into a new one as earth enters the "cosmic womb." Some believe that a transformation through other forms of life in our solar system will come to earth or earth will completely perish.

Polar Shift - Polar shift can cause increased weather patterns and potentially catastrophic climate change. The polar shift wouldn't cause earth itself to end, but rather an increased amount of damage dealt upon earth via earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes and so on.

Planet X - A new planet in our solar system that is suppose to collide with earth in 2012. The orbital pattern of the planet comes within very close proximity of earth and provides relatively strong evidence for the collision of earth. Though this evidence may seem conclusive, other calculations have been made to show that it will pass by earth.

Comets - Comets from Planet X as it approaches earth can enter earth's atmosphere and either reach earth or disintegrate upon entering the atmosphere.

Meteor - A large meteor can collide with earth causing everything on earth to become extinct. This is a very similar scenario to the extinction of Dinosaurs.

Nuclear Warfare - Everything will end through war and the destruction of atomic bombs. This theory is highly unlikely saying as someone needs to be alive to launch the last bomb thus proving at least some civilization will live.

The Alignment - Potentially earth can be lost in a black hole during the winter solstice in 2012. Since earth will be at the center of the Milky Way, where a black hole is located, some astrologers believe we will become lost within it. No one knows the actual outcome of this and it just seems to be another proposed theory of a 2012 predictions.

The I Ching - An ancient text used to predict random events. It was calculated out into a timeline and when doing so it mysteriously ends on the year 2012. Since it is based on sequence of events people are suspicious about how it could just end on that date.

Solar Storms - NASA has now confirmed that in the year 2012, the sun would have reached its peak of solar storms. It will be unlike anything earth has experienced.

Tibetan Monks - With the use of Remote Viewing, the monks are able to predict the future. The Tibetan Monks have declared doomsday to be in the year 2012 through nuclear warfare. They also declared that we will be saved by extraterrestrial life.

Depression - Some economists believe that a great depression is to occur in 2012.

In the case of Muslims, the best source about end time is the divine message preserved in the pages of the Quran. Only God knows about the end of time, says the Quran repeatedly. The Quran reminds people to be ready for their end every second of their life.

Life can lose its connection with the physical body any moment, the Quran asserts. Thus every second is an end time. This Quranic guidance empowers us to take control of our own lives and discipline ourselves on the basis of guidance from God rather than rely on someone else to change us.

The Quran says that Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change themselves. The Quran does not say that conditions will be changed only with the intervention of a Messiah or a Mehdi, whose arrival dates have never been known to anyone. The belief in the theology of Apocalypse, in reality, challenges the foundation of the fundamental Quranic message that says that those who believe in the divine guidance and act accordingly are the ones who succeed ultimately. The Quran also says that they would not be questioned for a future that they are not aware of; rather they would be questioned for the present in which they live. Based on this theology, Muslims have developed a world view that makes them no different than any other faith waiting for a Messiah to return to put things right.

Some people point to the increased number of disasters in our world to support the theology of Apocalypse. We must understand that the disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis, and cyclones have been taking place around us since time immemorial. For instance, the US Geological Survey estimates that several million earthquakes occur in the world each year. They occur on the basis of laws that God imbued in rocks at the time of their creation. If we learn those laws, we might be in a position to avoid human sufferings in those areas where they occur. Many go undetected because they hit remote areas or have very small magnitudes. We feel the impact of some of these events more on our lives because of two major factors. The information about these events now travels much faster than it used to. Secondly, the human population around disaster-prone areas have increased by many folds over since the last 500 years.

Let us not be consumed by issues that are only known to God. Come December 21 or January 31 we can be assured things that are supposed to occur based on the laws of God will happen. For now, let's make the best of today.

Apostasy - A Crime or an  Exercise in Free Will

Every now and then, when a court in a Muslim country issues a death sentence against someone who decided to switch her or his faith, the issue of apostasy is deliberated among Muslims for or against the decision. Critics of Islam describe this practice barbaric and many Muslims explain it in the context of laws developed by their scholars and jurists with full integrity, sincerity and honesty over the centuries.

Depriving a human being of the right to live and breath, a right every human being is granted by the divine as an act of mercy, is a very serious matter and if that right is taken away in the name of God in order to please him, then it becomes even more serious. Why a creation of God would be killed for exercising its divinely given inherent right to choose an idea and practice he or she thinks makes sense to them. They may make wrong choices or right choices but they are ones who would bear the consequences for them. Nevertheless, this is a choice that every human being is endowed with from his cradle to his grave.

Throughout human history, repeated examples are found in abundance to show that people were killed in the name of God for exercising their inalienable and inherent freedom to choose ideas that appealed to them most. It is really an irony that those who often strived for this divine right for all, sometimes, became a major obstacle in respecting the freedom of choice of others. Rarely people asked why would God want a person killed for his or her change of belief system if God himself had given this right to them? Why did He not mold human nature the way he molded other creations to follow the pattern they were created on? Why did he not create unity to the multitude that would differ with each other in their intellectual and rational capabilities to comprehend the reality? And above all why does He not execute His will directly, why does He rely on a human agency to kill those who have differences of opinions on how to relate with God and His attributes.

APOSTASY DEFINITION:

Apostasy is defined as a defection or revolt from a religious tradition. It is a formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a faith by a person. One who commits apostasy apostatizes and is called an apostate. Sociologists use this term to mean renunciation and criticism of, or opposition to, a person's former religious ideas or theology. The term is sometimes also used by extension to refer to renunciation of a non-religious belief or cause, such as a political party, brain trust, or, facetiously, a sports team. Sometimes it is used as a pejorative word. However, It is in the religious context that it is often used.

APOSTASY AND RELIGIONS:

Many religious groups consider apostasy a vice, a sin, a corruption of the piety and many religious establishments punish apostates. Apostates are usually ostracized by the members of their former religious group or subjected to formal or informal punishment. A Christian church or a Jewish synagogue may excommunicate the apostate in certain circumstances, while a Muslim government may impose death penalty for apostates. Do these groups really represent the divine will or is it their understanding of the divine will that they perceived in a specific political or cultural context?

In the context of Islam, the divine scripture, the Quran took a position that the world community had to wait for over a thousand of years to arrive at. The Quran described human dignity as the essence of human life and without the freedom to choose, the dignity is considered incomplete. The Quran clearly pronounces:

"If thy Lord had so willed, He could have made Humankind one people ..." (11:118)

"Let there be no compulsion in the way of life: .." (2:256)

In the above two verses God has given freedoms that the world recognized in the form of Human rights declaration only in 1948. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights observed that the freedom to 'have or to adopt' a religion or belief necessarily entails the freedom to choose a religion or belief, including the right to replace one's current religion or belief with another or to adopt atheistic views. This is a position that is evident in the Quranic verses mentioned above.

Article 18.2 of the human rights declaration bars coercion that would impair the right to have or adopt a religion or belief, including the use of threat of physical force or penal sanctions to compel believers or non-believers to adhere to their religious beliefs and congregations, to recant their religion or belief or to convert. Thus apostasy as a crime is foreign concept in the final divine testament.

However, a clear reference to apostasy as a crime punishable by death is found in one of the most widely read book, the Bible, a collection of Old and New Testament and other books. In Chapter 13 of Deuteronomy (KJV), a true believer is commanded to kill and stone an apostate. Additionally, the believers were commanded to destroy the city dwelt by the apostates including cattle, crops and all their goods. The Bible says:

1. If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,
2. And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto you, saying, Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them;
3. You shall not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proves you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4. You shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he has spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust you out of the way which the LORD your God commanded you to walk in. So shall you put the evil away from the midst of you.

6. If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend, which is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known, you, nor your fathers;
7. Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nearer unto you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
8. You shall not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him:
9. But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

10. And you shall stone him with stones, that he die; because he has sought to thrust you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
11. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.
12. If you shall hear say in one of your cities, which the LORD your God has given you to dwell there, saying,
13. Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known;
14. Then shall you inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
15. You shall surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
16. And you shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD your God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
17. And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
18. When you shall hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.

Thus in clear terms the Old Testament makes it obligatory upon its followers, mainly Christians and Jews to kill those who renounce Judaism and Christianity. There are no exceptions to the rule. Similar references can be found in other religious traditions where words attributed to God cast a gloomy future for apostates.

Islam and Apostasy

One may ask: Is apostasy a sin or a crime or an exercise in freedom of choice? Does a person lose his or her freedom to switch the faith once they accept Islam? Is death the price for exercising freedom in choosing a faith as found in the Biblical scriptures?
Even though, there is no such clear commandment in the Quran, the final divine testament, yet it is Islam's law that has come under severe scrutiny for laws of apostasy, mainly because of the practices of Muslim societies in the past and in present. How did this law come about? Who codified it and did the law reflect the real divine intent? How will the divine intent be determined? These are some of the questions that one may ask.

MEDIEVAL MUSLIM SCHOLARS ON APOSTASY:
Several Muslim scholars identify apostasy by a list of actions such as conversion to another religion, denying the existence of God, rejecting the apostles of God, blasphemous words and actions against God or Prophet, rejecting the Sharia or committing forbidden acts such as adultery.
Based on this definition many of them concluded that apostasy by a male Muslim is punishable by death. They differed on the time of execution. Some suggested immediate execution and others granted the apostates an initial opportunity to repent and avoid death penalty. They, however, made a distinction between major and minor apostasy for the purpose of seeking repentance.
There were scholars such as Ibrahim al-Nakha'i (d. 715) and Sufyan as Thawri ibn Said (d. 778) who rejected the idea of capital punishment (death penalty) and prescribed indefinite imprisonment until repentance or deathby natural causes. A famous jurist Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Abi Sahl Abu Bakr al-Sarakhsi (d. 1096) called for different punishments between the non-seditious religious apostasy and that of seditious and political nature or what can be called high treason.
Scholars also differed on punishing the female apostates. Imam Abu Hanifa (d.767) and his followers opposed death penalty for female apostates. However others have argued death penalty can only be applied in certain cases when apostasy is coupled with attempts to "physically harm" the citizens of a Muslim state.

ANALYSIS OF MAULANA MAUDUDI'S POSITION ON APOSTASY:
One of the contemporary Muslim scholars, Syed Abul ala Maududi (d.1979), a world renowned Muslim thinker, declared in his work on the Punishment of Apostate in Islamic Law, "this is not a secret for anyone who knows Islamic law that in Islam the punishment for the one who changes his/her faith after accepting Islam is death. The first doubt about the validity of this punishment emerged at the end of the 19th century. Prior to that in the 1200 history of Islam there were no two opinions among Muslims on the issue of the death penalty for apostate." Ironically, Syed Maududi ignored the opinion of Nakhai, Sarakhsi or Thawri and jumped to the conclusion without verification that scholarly opinions were available in Islamic literature contrary to what he called a consensus.
Syed Maududi relies on the following Quranic verse to justify the death penalty in addition to several statements attributed to the Prophet as well as the actions of some of the companions such as Ali Ibn Talib, the fourth Caliph.:
"But (even so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practice regular charity,- they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the Signs in detail, for those who understand. But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your Faith,- fight you the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them: that thus they may be restrained." (9:11-12)
Explaining the above verse Syed Maududi writes in his famous Tafhim ul Quran: "The following is the occasion for the revelation of this verse: During the pilgrimage (hajj) in A.H. 9 God Most High ordered a proclamation of an immunity. By virtue of this proclamation all those who, up to that time, were fighting against God and His Apostle and were attempting to obstruct the way of God's religion through all kinds of excesses and false covenants, were granted from that time a maximum respite of four months. During this period they were to ponder their own situation. If they wanted to accept Islam, they could accept it and they would be forgiven. If they wanted to leave the country, they could leave. Within this fixed period nothing would hinder them from leaving. Thereafter, those remaining, who would neither accept Islam nor leave the country, would be dealt with by the sword. In this connection it was said: "If they repent and uphold the practice of prayer and almsgiving, then they are your brothers in religion. If after this, however, they break their covenant, then war should be waged against the leaders of kufr (infidelity). Here "covenant breaking" in no way can be construed to mean "breaking of political covenants". Rather, the context clearly determines its meaning to be "confessing Islam and then renouncing it". Thereafter the meaning of "fight the heads of disbelief" (9:11-12) can only mean that war should be waged against the leaders instigating apostasy."

How did Syed Maududi arrive at this conclusion? Did any previous scholars offer this explanation? Did Islamic legal authorities use this verse for pronouncing death penalty to apostates?

Does this verse really provide an evidence for death penalty for an apostate? The aya (verse) was revealed at a time when the Islamic state was in the final stages of its formation in Medina. Hostile groups were after its destruction. Their opposition to Islam was not only on theological grounds but on social, political and cultural grounds. The argument of the opponents of Islamic state was that those who are born in higher class families are the ones who would determine political, social and economic priorities. Muslims and non-Muslims were opposed to this stratified political and social thinking. They were part of the Islamic state.

It is obvious that the Islamic state had both Muslim and non-Muslim citizens. With Muslims, the state had a different type of relation as it was not necessary to have treaties with them because they were the ones who had established the state. However, treaties were needed with non-Muslims to ensure peace and security for them and others in return to the allegiance to the state. It was in the context of betrayal of and defiance to this allegiance, the Quran declared that the violators should be challenged and confronted.
No where does the verse say that the confrontation would become obligatory if people change their faith. In fact the Quran uses the word covenant and not faith. The Quran also uses the word Qatalu, meaning the armed confrontation not killing as suggested by Syed Maududi.

QURAN AND APOSTASY:

In fact, no where does the Quran declare change of faith a crime punishable by death. The Quran on the contrary takes the position "there is no compulsion in matters of faith. (2:256). If there is compulsion in matters of faith before accepting Islam, why will this rule be overturned once a person become a Muslim? There is no verse in the Quran that challenges this clear command or overturns it. This aya is considered part of muhakamat (clear, well defined definite) ayas. In fact, there is no verse in the Quran that nullifies any of its verses. Mutashabihat (allegorical) cannot nullify muhakamat.
On the Contrary, the Quran challenges the idea of censorship and emphasizes time and time again that coercion is against the divine will. The Quran declares that all those coercive forces that had put shackles of their power and authority over the hearts and minds of people in terms of choosing a faith or a way of life should be challenged, confronted and stopped.
One gets a clear example of this Quranic commandment in the context of events involving Moses and Pharaoh. The divine charge sheet against Pharaoh was built around the coercive nature of the royal authority when the emperor declared: "Believe you in Him before I give you permission? Surely he is your leader, who has taught you sorcery! but soon shall ye know! Be sure I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will cause you all to die on the cross!" (26:49).
The same message was repeated by him again in another place in the Quran: (Pharaoh) said: "Believe ye in Him before I give you permission? Surely this must be your leader, who has taught you magic! be sure I will cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will have you crucified on trunks of palm-trees: so shall ye know for certain, which of us can give the more severe and the more lasting punishment!" (20:71)
A similar charge sheet was made against the leaders who opposed the message of Prophet Shuaib when the Quran referred to their attitude in the following verse: The leaders, the arrogant party among his people, said: "O Shu'aib! we shall certainly drive you out of our city - (thee) and those who believe with you; or else you (you and they) shall have to return to our ways and religion." He said: "What! even though we do detest (them)? (7:29) And the Unbelievers said to their apostles: "Be sure we shall drive you out of our land, or ye shall return to our religion." But their Lord inspired (this Message) to them: "Verily We shall cause the wrong-doers to perish! (14:13)
The Quranic position with regards to this coercion is clear. No one can dictate upon others his or her faith. The decision to relate to God and His message is a voluntary decision and it should come from the heart and mind of people.
"Those who, when they are admonished with the Signs of their Lord, droop not down at them as if they were deaf or blind." (25:73)
The Quran takes a strong stand against religious coercion declaring it a crime and a loathsome action. The Quran declared that each individual is responsible for his/her faith and action with full freedom to choose whatever way of life he/she chooses. The Quran says; "And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein." (2:217)
The Quran does not prescribe any death penalty for such people nor does it call for their imprisonment.
It further elaborates: "O you who believe! if any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him,- lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such as find fault. That is the grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleases. And Allah encompasses all, and He knows all things." (5:54)
If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah. but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude. (3:144 )
In other word, the Quran makes it clear that acts of apostasy do not cause any harm to God, they hurt the person who is indulgent in this behavior. Who can harm Allah? None. People harm them and others.
The Quran asks the believers that they should focus on their faith, action, behavior and attitude: "O you who believe! Guard your own souls: If you follow (right) guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who stray. The goal of you all is to Allah. it is He that will show you the truth of all that ye do." (5:105)
It further says that it is not a cause of concern to Allah if every one changes his/her faith: Allah does not need those who use faith as a stepping stone to serve their political or theological interests. Allah is pleased with those who are convinced with the absolute authority of God in every aspect of life.
"To Allah belong all things in the heavens and on earth. Verily we have directed the People of the Book before you, and you (o Muslims) to fear Allah. But if you deny Him, lo! unto Allah belong all things in the heavens and on earth, and Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise." (4:131)
"O Mankind! The Messenger has come to you in truth from Allah. Believe in him: It is best for you. But if you reject Faith, to Allah belong all things in the heavens and on earth: And Allah is All-knowing, All-wise." (4:170)
"And Moses said: "If ye show ingratitude, you and all on earth together, yet is Allah free of all wants, worthy of all praise." (14:8)
"If you reject (Allah), Truly Allah hath no need of you; but He likes not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful, He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end, to your Lord is your Return, when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life).for He knows well all that is in (men's) hearts." (39:7)
The Quran assures complete freedom to human beings in matters of faith and does not promote coercion in any form or shape. As explained in the Quran:

"If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!" (10:99)
If your Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one people: but they will not cease to dispute. (11:118)
The Quran lays down the following permanent principle when it states: "Say, "The truth is from your Lord": Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it): for the wrong-doers We have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames), like the walls and roof of a tent, will hem them in: if they implore relief they will be granted water like melted brass, that will scald their faces, how dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!" (18:29)
Some scholars have argued that apostasy is not declared a crime and if death is not prescribed for people who apostate, the gates of conversion to other faiths would open and Muslims would lose many of its adherents because of the propagation or coercion. Well this position is contrary to the Quran. People can be forced to retain a faith for fear of death. The commitment to Iman should come from one's belief. What good a person who is forced to follow a path is for the community, because when the situation would be ripe, he would be the first one to desert.
The stand of the Quran is very clear as it declares that matters pertaining to faith are personal matters and those who accept or reject it do it for their own good or harm. "Say: "O you men! Now Truth hath reached you from your Lord! those who receive guidance, do so for the good of their own souls; those who stray, do so to their own loss: and I am not (set) over you to arrange your affairs." (10:108)
The Quran describes coercion (fitna) or tumult, a crime that is worst than killing. "And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah. but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression." (2:193)
"And slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith." (12:191)
Fitna literally means heating silver or gold to purify them by removing impurities. In the Quranic context it is incumbent on Muslims to remove all forms of fitna (impurities) including oppression that prevents people from believing what they believe. This coercion is bigger than the killing. Thus the obligation upon Muslims is to remove this coercion rather than promoting it or performing actions that negate the Quran. The Quran's commandment is clear that when the freedom of religion is denied and people are forced to believe in the ideas of coercing authority or group, it becomes obligatory to defend the freedom. The Quran does not preach violence, rather explains how violence should be confronted.
It is clear that the Quran gives absolute freedom to people in matters pertaining to faith and does not prescribe any punishment for those who change of faith.

AHADITH ON APOSTASY:
It is unimaginable that the Prophet might have said anything that would contradict the Quran or would promote a system that would stifle the freedom given by the divine.
There are ahadith (statements attributed to the Prophet) in several books of Ahadith that refer to the issue of apostasy. Some of them are are general and still others are contextual and conditional. But none can be used as evidence against the Quranic call for freedom of faith. It is not the books of ahadith, such as Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maja, or Muwatta Malik, whose collections would restrict or edit the meanings of the Quran, rather the definitive words of the Quran would give the final verdict on the legitimacy and validity of the books of ahadith.
"Blessed is He who sent down the criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all creatures. (25:1)
Indeed the Quran declares: "Say: Allah's guidance is the (only) guidance, and we have been directed to submit ourselves to the Lord of the worlds." (6:71)
Obviously, the Sahih (authentic) ahadith have to be viewed in the context of this divine guidance. For instance, one such Hadith in Sahih Bukhari that is used to justify the death penalty of an apostate states: One who changes his faith, should be killed. This is a general statement; that we must assume the Prophet, who was very specific in identifying issues, would make such a statement in a broader context. However if it is accepted on its face value, then this could also mean that even a polytheist or Christian cannot change his faith as it would mean death penalty to him. Obviously, a general statement like this cannot be used as a foundation of a law pertaining to a very sensitive issue of death penalty.
In his last sermon, the prophet asked Muslims in very clear terms that they should not turn away from the faith by starting to kill each other. In other words, the Prophet explained that killing fellow Muslims is itself an act of denying the basis of faith and turning away from its tenants. Does this statement not mean that those who engage in violence against fellow Muslims are the ones who are turning away from faith? Does this Prophetic statement not say openly that those who actively engage in fighting the citizens of a Muslim state should be confronted and stopped from doing so?

CONCLUSION:
The Quran makes a distinction between apostasy and act of treachery or treason against state or established authority. When the first Caliph Abu Bakr fought against those who had refused to pay the zakat, it was this principle of the integrity of the institution of state that he wanted to preserve. It was an act in defense of the legitimacy of the authority established by the collective will of the majority of the people.
An apostate is the one who changes his religion by rejecting his previous faith. As long as he is not engaged in violence against the state and its citizens and accepts the legitimacy of the authority, his life and property must be protected under the divine guidance. The Quran gives this right to every individual and does not prescribe any penalty for that. In fact the Quran acknowledges the presence of those people in a Muslim society who show the tendency to change their faith at will till they die and does not prescribe any punishment for them.
Indeed, those who have believed then disbelieved, then believed, then disbelieved, and then increased in disbelief - never will God forgive them, nor will He guide them to a way. (4:137)
Never does the Quran exhort the believers or the authorities to impose death penalty upon them. However if a citizen is disturbing the peace of the society, challenging the central authority and subverting the institutions created to safeguard the interests of the people then it become obligatory for a state to confront such people regardless of their faith. What is punishable is not the action of changing one's faith, but indulgence in subversive actions against the collective will of people. Thus, in the words of the Quran, apostasy is not a crime punishable by death. Rather the freedom to choose is a divinely given right that every human being is born with. Is this not an irony that Muslims who were exhorted to defend the principle of religious freedom have themselves become an obstacle in the path of this freedom?

Is Man created in the Image of God? 

In a recently held interfaith discussion, the Christian and Jewish representatives explained that man is created in the image of God. They quoted from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Obviously, they were referring to the English Bible as only a few can refer to the original language of the Torah or Injîl.

There is not much difference in various translations of the Bible. With the exception of Young’s literal translation that reads “And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them,” all other translations, read  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

The Muslim representative concurred with them and said Islam also believes that man is created in the image of God. He quoted a hadith from Sahih Muslim that reads “When any one of you quarrels with his brother, he should avoid his face for Allah created Adam in his [or His own] image.” (Hadith 4731)

Even though the speaker did not mention this, but there is another hadith in Sahih Bukhari that gives slightly different information: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah created Adam in his (image) form and his height was sixty cubits….(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 5873)   

Do the three monotheistic religions have the same opinions on this issue of the image of a man or is there a difference. If the claim of the Muslim representative based on the hadith is accepted, then one has to come up with a newer understanding of several Quranic verses that inform the believers that there is nothing like him (42:11) or “He cannot be comprehended by vision but He comprehends everything. He is the All-Subtle and the All-Aware. (6:103) or “Moses prepared for receiving Directives which Allah revealed to him and said, “O my Rabb, show Yourself to me so that I may behold you.” Allah replied: “You shall not see Me, but look towards the mountain - if it remains firm in its place then you shall see Me. “When Allah disclosed His glory on the mountain and caused it to crumble into pieces Moses fell into a swoon. When he came to himself, he exclaimed:” You are much above our imagining. I turn to You in repentance and am the first of those who believe,” (7:143) or “And there is none co-equal or comparable to Him.”

So the idea of creating Adam or the first human being in His own image is a very questionable idea. It becomes more problematic when we look at the description of human beings in the Quran. In Sura (chapter) Nisa ayah (verse) 28 the Quran mentions that “man was created weak,” in sura Ibrahim, aya 34, it is said “verily, man is indeed an extreme wrongdoer, a disbeliever (an extreme ingrate who denies Allah’s Blessings by disbelief, and by worshipping others besides Allah, and by disobeying Allah and His Prophet Muhammad). In Sura A- Nahl aya 4, the Quran explains that “man becomes an open opponent.” In sura Isra, aya 11, the Quran explains “man is ever hasty” and in aya 100, man is ever miserly.” In Surah Kahaf, aya 54, Allah reminds humans, “human being is ever more quarrelsome than anything.” In aya 19 of chapter 70, the Quran further explains, “man was created impatient.” Surah 90, aya 4 reads, “We have created man in toil.” In Surah 97, aya 6, we are reminded that “man does transgress (in disbelief and evil deed).” Finally, in sura 103, aya 2, pronounces, “Verily, man is in a loss.”

In another set of explanation, the Quran elaborates, “And indeed, We created man from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.” (15:26), “We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth)” (23:12), or “Has there not been over man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning.” (76:1), “He has created man from a clot.” (96:2)

No where does the Creator mention that He created the first human being in His image. Moreover, none of the abovementioned descriptions about human beings can apply to God, Almighty.

By supporting the idea of man created in the image of God, some of our scholars have unnecessarily and unconsciously, defied the principles of monotheism explained in the Quran. Obviously, the Creator is different than the creation. The two are not alike. Rather than establishing the supremacy of the Quran on Sahih Muslim collection, some scholars have tried to provide justification for the narration mentioned above. In one of the authentic website, it is said that “Ibn Abbas narrated: Once as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him, turned his gaze to the Ka’ba, he said, “Blessed be you the House of Allah, How great are you! And how is great is your right but the in the sight of Allah the right of the believer is greater than your right.” (Shu’b al-Iman, Hadith 3853. Classified as Sahih by Albani in Sahiha 3420)

“If Holy Ka’ba can be called the “House of Allah,” just like “Bethel,” without bringing in any mental picture, why a similar expression cannot be used for something more respectable without any suggestion of anthropomorphism?” This, however, is like comparing apples with oranges.  One knows that the word bait is used in an allegorical sense. However, when one refers to the image of Adam like the image of Allah, one assumes that Allah can be recognized by an image. This is a very primitive understanding of God who in the early stages of human ignorance was always viewed as a deity represented in stones or in some visible objects.

Imam Al-Nawawi (d. 676 A.H.) also wrote a commentary to this Hadith. He said; “And scholars have differed on its meaning. One group [of scholars] said subject of ‘his image’ is person who is fought with, and this is the evident from the narration of Muslim. Another group said, the subject is Adam and this is a weak opinion. And (yet another) group (of scholars) said it refers to Allah Almighty. And (in that case) it is (only) to emphasize the esteem (of a human) and importance just like the Almighty says, “Camel of Allah”, and as it is said of the Holy Ka’ba, “House of Allah” and likewise. And Allah knows the best!” (Sharah al-Nawawi 8/440)
Other scholars explain that the meaning of the Hadith is that Allah gave Adam attributes that in a way resemble His own attributes. And these attributes are the [seven] attributes of meaning [e.g., life, power, knowledge, will over his actions, hearing, seeing, and speech]. Also He has made Adam a storehouse for many of His names... So some people have the name "al-Karim" (the Generous) become apparent on them [and thus they engage in acts of generosity]. Some people have the name "Al-Rahim" (the Merciful) become apparent on them [and thus they show mercy to the creation of Allah]....Ibn `Ajibah]
Some scholars of tasawwuf explain the relationship between the three aspects of the human (body, mind and soul) and the three aspects of Allah (actions, attributes and entity). And argue that tt is through the body of the human that he can experience Allah's actions, through the mind/heart that he can experience Allah's attributes and through the soul can experience Allah's entity. Thus, Allah has created the three aspects of the human as mirror image compliments of His three aspects (which He has told us about). And this is hinted at in the hadith "Indeed Allah has created Adam in His image]."

Many of these explanations are beyond the framework of the Quranic statements that clearly define human beings and their behavior and attitude in general. The dominant aspect of this behavior is man’s ability to constantly commit mistakes and constantly seek repentance, an attribute that can never be associated with God.

Based on the Quranic guidance, it is almost not appropriate to claim that man was created in the image of God. What is compiled in this aspect must be minutely and critically examined before passing a judgment on the dhat (Entity) of Allah.
Aslam Abdullah is the Editor of the English Weekly Muslim Observer, published from Detroit as well as thedirector of the Islamic Society of Nevada.

 AA

A Sense of Responsibility: 

Scott called once again. This time it was about the patient in intensive care unit who he found out was a Muslim. He was on the last leg of his journey and no one to look after him. So Scott called me to inform that the Muslim patient might be cremated after the death if no arrangement is made for his burial. Scott was concerned because he wanted a Muslim patient to be provided all the religious services that are needed at these moments.

Scott is a Christian chaplain in a local hospital and he always ensures that the needs of Muslim patients are always taken care of.  He keeps the copies of the Quran in his office and he always call to inform the kitchen about the special dietary and other needs of a Muslim patient.

What motivate Scott to do something out of his way to help Muslim patient? What inspires him to be so careful about the needs of Muslim patients? It is the sense of responsibility towards fellow human beings regardless of their religious or ethnic background that stirs many souls who go beyond the call of their duty to help others. In the words of God, these people are described ” Muhsineen”, i.e. people who are ready to rise above their ranks to identify with the rest of humanity.

Can we Muslims develop this spirit towards the other in this country and especially in countries where Muslims are in the majority? Can we at least take care of Muslims who are in situations similar to the one described by Scott? There are hundreds of philanthropist Muslims who are willing to help others at times of need especially when it comes to taking care of funeral rites. However, can we develop an institutional approach to ensure that anyone who is helpless and supports less is provided these services with no questions asked? Can we offer free services in these situations to those who have no one to take care of them regardless of their religious affiliations? Can we have that broader understanding of the divine message that the religious traditions of a person would not prevent us from showing our utmost respect to him or her?  Can we ensure that with our resources, a Christian or a Hindu is given the funeral that his religious traditions demand?

Perhaps this is a touchy subject because many in our ranks often ask why should we help a non-Muslims in moments of needs. They suggest that we should only be focused on Muslims. But is this what God Almighty wants from us and is this what our Prophet practiced?

Certainly, Allah described Himself the sustainer of the worlds, introduced his last messenger the mercy to worlds and identified His book as a reminder to worlds. Nowhere does the Quran tells us to neglect our responsibilities towards others.  On the contrary, it tells us to be the first one to rush to the help of others. What an irony that a people who are advised by their creator to dedicate them to the service of humanity are still struggling with the idea of helping their own folks in a systematic and organized manner.

AA

Necrophilia: Erotic Interest in a Corpse

 by Dr. Aslam Abdullah

The Egyptian parliament is reportedly set to introduce a law allowing husbands to have sex with their dead wives up to six hours after death.  Who is introducing this bill and with what purpose? It is not clear. One hopes that it is a hoax and those who stand for Islam would never indulge in this type of bizarre legislative process. It is alleged that those who proposed this bill come from groups that believe in Islam as their guiding principle. Unless we hear definite words from these Islamic parties, we would not refer to the legislation.

However, references have been made to a ruling by a Moroccan cleric Zamzami Abdul Bar who last year gave permission to husbands to have sex with their dead wives. His argument: since the two would meet in Heaven again anyway, death shouldn’t get in the way of one last post-mortem marital romp. It is this ruling that is the focus of this article.
Islam is very clear on the issue of matrimonial ties. With the death of a spouse, the contract of marriage comes to an end. There is no difference in this regard among the scholars of all schools of thoughts. Thus the ruling of the so-called Muslim cleric demonstrates the abuse of the authority in the name of God. It shows a total disregard to common sense or even the basics of the divine teachings. Furthermore, it shows how obsessed are some of the so called religious scholars with male sexuality. It is a shame that these people occupy positions of authority in the Muslim community and their views are accepted as a genuine interpretation of the divine teachings. What is even worse is that Muslim scholars, in general, have chosen to be quiet on this issue. The opposition to Zamzami has come from secularists as Muslim scholars, by and large, have preferred to ignore the issue.
What Zamzami decreed is a mockery of the divine teachings. The Sura (chapter) two of the Quran in Aya (verse) 79 described such people as those who frame the laws of the Sharia themselves and attribute them to God. The Quran describes them worse than animals. The Quran further explains “Worst of the creatures in the sight of Allah are those human beings who do not utilize the capabilities of hearing and speaking and refuse to understand (8:22).

The Quran goes even further consigning these people to a great torment while explaining “You will see many amongst both the Jinn (invisible beings) and Ins (humans) who are destined for Jahannam (hellfire) for they have been given the faculties of thinking, seeing and hearing but they do not utilize them (to grasp the truth). They are just like brutes - and indeed worse than them. They remain un-heedful of the laws of Allah.  (7:179)

Who in his or her right mind will think of having sex with a dead corpse? The only sick and perverted mind can think of these things when most people are concerned to ensure a swift and quick burial, as dictated by the faith. Imagine, the mourners are lining up at the house offering their condolences while the husband is busy in seeking his sexual gratification from the dead body of his wife in the name of fulfilling his obligation. It is blasphemy. It is animalistic and those who even think of these things deserve to be castrated rather than being given the legal and religious protection.  It is a shame that those who advocate such a practice and are willing to give it a legal shield claim to be Muslims representing Islam: the divine message that talks of human dignity, for dead or alive.

These perverted scholars are obsessed with male sexuality. To most of them, women serve the purpose of providing their male partners utmost sexual gratification. It does not matter to them what a woman thinks or feels. What is important for them is to ensure that male sexuality is taken care of. They have misused God and His messengers in justifying their lustful perverted thoughts. They talk of a divine curse on women who refuse to submit to the sexual desires of their husbands and they argue for a meek and submissive wife who must live in the shadow of her husband ever ready to serve him. They even justify marrying girls at a younger age because it serves the male sexual chauvinistic fantasies. The worst is that they concoct all their perversions in the name of God and His messengers especially Prophet Muhammad. They have even concocted stories attributing the practice of marrying younger girls to the Prophet and his companions against the Quranic commands, the common sense, and decency. To them what is more important is what has been explained by the previous scholars. The divine teachings or the actual character of the messenger hardly matters to them. They describe all those who refuse to accept their perversion as deviants, un-Godly, and worthy of denunciations. Some even go a step further by describing women who want to assert their independence as whores and a piece of worthless flesh. How abhorrent is their action and how despicable is their behavior. They do not deserve to be leading Muslims in prayers or teaching the believers their faith. They deserve to be sent in the institutions set up to cure mentally challenged people.. They need help in rediscovering their humanity.

Even if this bill is introduced in the parliament we hope that those standing for Islam would be the one fighting these perversions and manipulations. We have no reason to believe that they themselves are the ones who are supportive of these obsessions. Is this the priority of Islam to allow husbands to have sex with their dead wives? Is this the priority of Muslims to allow parents to marry their daughters at an early age when they are not ready to make big decisions in their lives?

We hope they are intelligent and would not turn a serious faith to ridicule by burlesquing and immaturity to imitate their perversions grotesquely and absurdly? We do not need these scholars who impose their ideas on divine ideas. We do not need these religious teachers who misuse religion to serve their egos. And that is why the Quran has empowered each and every individual to seek clarification and guidance directly from it. In the eyes of the Quran, those who manipulate the Quran are the culprits and they must be questioned and challenged

They should have known that even though legends with necrophilia themes are common throughout history and the concept of sexual interference with the dead has been known since the ancient Egyptians, it has been an abhorred practice as noted by Herodotus (428 BC)
"When the wife of a distinguished man dies, or any woman who happens to be beautiful or well known, her body is not given to the embalmers immediately, but only after the lapse of three or four days. This is a precautionary measure to prevent the embalmers from violating her corpse, a thing which is actually said to have happened in the case of a woman who had just died." (de Selincourt, translation, 1972, p.161)

"Necrophilia actions" or "Pseudo necrophilia" have happened in the recent past. Rosman and Resnick (1988) compiled 122 cases of necrophilia, both from the literature and previously unreported cases referred to investigators. The powerlessness and the lifeless condition of a corpse form the stimulus for the coward perverted individual who is consumed with the desire to satisfy an abnormal desire of seeking absolute subjugation, without the possibility of resistance.  The solution to such perversion is a treatment for necrophilia through cognitive therapy, use of sex-drive, reducing medications, and assistance with improving social and sexual relations as well as sexual discipline, etc. The solution is not a law in the name of God. 

In 2010 two cases of necrophilia were reported in newspapers. One was in The Philippines and the other in Pakistan.  In 2010, Police in Zamboanga, The Philippines started investigating into an alleged case of necrophilia after five graves were desecrated. Also in Karachi, a police offer at the Nazimabad police station reported that a detainee has admitted having sex with at least 48 dead women in the past few months.

Individuals who commit these anti-divine acts must be brought to justice rather than given protection in the name of God. 

In The United States, no federal law exists to prohibit this act. However, several states have their own legislation covering this abnormal behavior. In March, 2012, the State of Illinois voted unanimously to approve a bill that makes necrophilia a class 2 felony. It says: “A person commits an abuse of a corpse if he or she intentionally: (1) engages in sexual conduct with a corpse or involving a corpse; or (2) removes or carries away a corpse and is not authorized by law to do so.” The states that have laws are: Alabama - Class C felony;, Alaska - Class A misdemeanor; , Arkansas - Class D felony; California - Illegal, up to 8 years in prison; Colorado - Class 2 misdemeanor;, Delaware - Class A misdemeanor; Florida-- Second-degree felony; Georgia - Felony, up to 10 years in prison; Iowa - Class D Felony; Hawaii - Misdemeanor; Michigan - Class A felony, life in prison; Oregon - Felony for "Abuse of Corpse; "Texas - Class A Misdemeanor; Pennsylvania - Second-degree misdemeanor; Washington - Class C Felony for "Sexually violation human remains;" Minnesota and Nevada also have laws prohibiting necrophilia as well.  

One of the roles assigned to the Prophet, as explained in the Quran, was “to lift the burdens under which the humanity groans and free them from the shackles which bind them [7:157].  What a shame that the scholar speaking in the name of Islam wants to defy the A prophet in such a serious matter.

Islam and Contemporary Muslims: Salam Alaikum,

Peace and Greetings to you all.
With the help of friends and encouragements from readers, I have decided to blog on everything and everyone that matters. However, I would be blogging extensively on Islam and Muslim related issues, openly, candidly and honestly. It will be subjective. But my subjectivity will not be based on my anarchic scattered thoughts. Rather, I would attempt to write whatever I write under the guidance of divine principles of justice, fairness, objectivity and honesty. My motto will be "Speak the truth even if it is against your own self."
I am the director of an Islamic Center. I lead prayers there and I give lectures on Islamic issues. I have written books on prayers of the Prophet and morals and manners. I write in newspapers specially in the Muslim Observer as its editor in chief. I teach courses on Islam and I speak in interfaith forums. I have always tried to ensure that my personal views are not seen representing the institutions I am associated with. An institution is much bigger than an individual and the integrity of institutions must be secured. Blogging will give me freedom to say whatever I want to say without dragging, institutions that I belong to in my thought process. It will give me an opportunity to expose my real self without jeopardizing my institutions. I promise I will be bold, untamed, and fearless. If I am wrong in my analysis and facts, I will admit and correct myself instantly.
Some people will always ask who are you to give your opinions on these matters when there are hundreds of great scholars more educated and seasoned than you to comment on these issues. They will say you have no credibility to say what you are saying and you are not representing me. My response is simple. I am not seeking credibility. Nor I am speaking on behalf of anyone. I am responsible for my words and actions as the Quran, the divine book of guidance, tells me that no one would carry the burden of the other. I want to live my responsibility to my creator, myself and all others who are making a very serious and sincere attempt to understand the divine message and the world around them. I seek God's guidance in expressing my ideas.
I am grateful to Aiman Parvaiz, a very simple, talented, energetic, dedicated and honest young man whom I admire for his candidness, for creating the blog and encouraging me to share my ideas after several rounds of several discussions on almost every issue.
Looking forward to a serious dialogue and discussion.
A.A