Why Are the Laws On Insulting the Prophet So Stern?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

My question is why was the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, so violent?

I read a hadith that when a person insulted Abu Bakr a man offered to kill the person who did so, but Abu Bakr replied that this ruling is only for Muhammed, Allah bless him and give him peace. How is this mercy to the worlds? 

How could people come into Islam, if they would be killed for the remarks they make about the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace?

If the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was really merciful then why would Abu Bakr say such a thing? And the way Abu Bakr said it implies that it is mandatory to put a person to death, not optional. 

But Abu Bakr’s statement contradicts the Quran: “forgive them” (Qur’an, 43:89) and Aisha’s and Ibn Amr Ibn al As’s description of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, which was that he never repay evil with evil but would pardon and forgive and Aisha had also said that the Prophet(S) never took revenge for anything done wrong to him. 

This idea just seems so barbaric and backwards, while I heard Jesus say to love your enemy, Abu Bakr said something that contradicts basically a huge part of the Prophet(S). So is the hadith of Abu Bakr sahib, as it contradicts the Quran, ‘A’isha, and ‘Amr Ibn al ‘As? 

Answer

Thank you for your question. I pray you are well. 

In summary, we can say that the actions of Abu Bakr must be understood in a particular context. Every society has a set of values which are seen as inviolable, and strict penalties are placed on those who cross the limits set by those societies regarding them.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, was far from being a violent individual. He is a very important figure in Islam, and insults directed to him can be seen as being akin to a violation of what another religion and society deems sacred or worthy of absolute defence.

Laws Built on Sanctity

One of the central principles of any religion is the recognition of sanctity (Waqar). For Muslims, this is focused towards Allah and anyone and anything Allah commands us to venerate. It is not worship, but rather, a recognition of something being revered or valued for a particular reason.

In Islam, we worship Allah, and along with this comes a reverence for Him and the things which are connected to Him. This has been the way of all religions. The Prophet Nuh, Allah bless him and give him peace, even criticised his people for their lack of such reverence, when he said, “What is wrong with you? You do not have reverence in Allah that you could place your hopes in?” (Qur’an, 71:13).

Although it may be lost in the modern world, a relationship with God is unlike any other: it entails, worship, honouring, veneration, love, gratitude, and other forms off attachment. All of the above also implies loving and revering – not worshipping – those things which are connected to God, and the things He has commanded us to love and respect. 

Loving and Respecting the Messenger of Allah

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, holds a very unique and special place in the hearts of Muslims. This position is something only a Muslim truly grasps, as it is not worship, but it is full of love for the sake of God, for the favours he did for us, the guidance he brought from God, his own perfections, and many other matters.

Allah Himself commanded the believers to love, venerate, and support His Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace. “[O Messenger,] Indeed We have sent you as a witness, a giver of good news, and a warner, so that you – [O Believers], believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you support and venerate him.” (Qur’an, 48:8-9) There are a number of other verses to this effect.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, “None off you has [perfect] faith until I am more beloved to Him than his parents, his children, and the rest of humanity.” (Bukhari) This shows the reverence of him is directly connected to the quality of faith. This is also something that cannot be compared to other religions. We do not worship him as the Christians worship Jesus, and we do not ascribe any element off divinity to him.

All Cultures Are Built on Values

Every group and nation shares some common element which they treasure and revere. In a family, it’s the parents. There are places in the world where an inappropriate comment about someone’s parents could get you shot.

For some, criticising someone’s sexual orientation would stir up anger and resentment. Others still, would feel the same if their political ideology and civil liberties were criticised or questions. It’s simply the way people and societies work.

Take free speech, for example. Some people would lay down their lives to defend it. Others would argue that absolute free speech is untenable, as it would give some the right to offend others, causing them such pain that it would lead to conflict.

Therefore, free speech, when restricted to what does not incite conflict and anger in others due to of their religious beliefs, for example, is a viable option. Anything else would undermine the social contract which is in place to provide a stable and secure society.

What If Your Values Are Criticised Unfairly?

The above point on free speech leads us smoothly to the discussion at hand. Does criticising something, or even breaking a particular law deserve a stern  punishment? This is a something for a particular society with its own legal system to decide.

I believe that one can still be put to death in England for treason in times of war. Why? Because it would undermine the stability of society, and this stability is valued – revered, even. The last execution  in the UK was  in 1964 for murder. Should execution be revived to protect what people value?

There have been calls to do so for cases of armed robbery, rape, crimes related to pedophilia, terrorism, adult murder, child murder, child rape, treason, child abuse or kidnapping. Those who support this have a core set of values which they feel need to be upheld, and they feel the death sentence is justified in these cases to uphold it. 

If a society was to introduce it then it would be part of the social contract to stay within the parameters of this set of laws. Just as we implicitly agree to follow the traffic laws when drive, agreeing to these laws would be understood by those who wish to live there. Anyone who did not wish to do so would be faced with a choice: comply or leave.

Islam Recognises the Sanctity of Religious Symbols and Figures

These values may be secular, but religious values are just as valid. In Islam, disrespect and insults directed towards God, His Book, the symbols of the religion, such as the Ka’ba, and the Messengers God sent, Allah bless them and grant them peace, is seen as a grave offence. Just as the above crimes are seen as grave by those who feel the notions and laws contravened by those crimes to be.

Therefore, there are a certain set of laws pertaining to Allah, His Messengers, the Qur’an, and a few other select matters, which have a penalty of death should they be insulted. This penalty, according to the Hanafi school – which has been the foundation of many governments and laws, historically – only applies to Muslims in a land where the rules of the Shari’a are enforced by the government. This does not apply to non-Muslims living in a Muslim land as citizens, nor would it apply anywhere else in the world.

Those who choose to live there do so willingly. They are free to leave if they do not feel comfortable with such laws. These laws can only be implemented through the legal system, which is evidence based. Vigilante acts which undermine the judicial system would not be permitted.

Insulting the Messenger of Allah

This is a crime which has a legislated punishment. We have seen its basis above, and can see that it is akin to many other laws and values found anywhere in the world.

Did the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, forgive and pardon those who insulted him?

There are many narrations which state that he did, and on many occasions too. Without going into this much further, we can safely state that this was his own prerogative. He was free to pardon those who were harsh and abusive, and there were many occasions when he did. This lines up with the narrations you mentioned.

After his passing, judges and rulers were dealing with an issue wider than when he personally was insulted. It was more than the person of the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. 

It was about the religion, its sanctity, and his status as a symbol of God’s religion. Therefore, they had to implement the penalty. This explains the incident of Abu Bakr, who did not apply this penalty to the man who insulted him when he was the caliph, and said that this ruling was reserved for the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace. (Abu Dawud)

In fact, some scholars have deduced that the Prophet himself, Allah bless him and give him peace, was free to forgive acts of offence to his person, but not to his position as the Messenger of God.

So yes, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, was extremely forgiving and kind. There are innumerable examples of this. His pardoning and forgiving nature was known to friend and foe alike. Clearly, he was not violent, and the rulings you came across are understandable and such that anyone from any society can relate to when properly contextualised.

The narration itself has a basis, and is found in a reliable hadith work. It must be understood in the proper context, however, as mentioned above.

(Subki, al Sayf al Maslul; Jassus, Sharh al Shama’il; Ibn Abidin, Tanbih al wulat wa al hukkam)

I pray this helps. Always assume the best of the Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace. Do so, and you’ll always find that what is best is always in line with Allah and His Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, when it is properly understood in its own context. Imposing foreign paradigms onto such matters always leads to an incorrect image of what is otherwise beautiful.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital. He was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.