Answer
Asalamu Alaikum Hesham,
Thank you for contacting About Islam with your question.
Your question is very intelligent and you make some very good observations. It goes to the very heart of what Islam is in today’s world and how people understand it, especially those who are not Muslim.
For many people, the only knowledge they have of Islam is what they see on their television. And what they see is very often not a true reflection of Islam at all. Muslims, then, have a very grave duty to portray Islam properly in our world.
In light of this, it is very important that we should take Islam seriously and think carefully about its message and teachings, asking what this means for us in the 21st century. Islam is not for unthinking people. As Muslims, we need to find the essence of Islam, and then look for ways to tell others about it.
On Judgment Day, we will stand before Allah Almighty and give an account of how we lived our lives and the choices we made. On that Day, there will be no one to stand up and speak on our behalf.
It is all the more important, then, if we have the intelligence to do so, to ponder deeply on the things we believe. In doing so, we are not questioning our faith, but are learning more about it. Islam is not threatened by questions, but is well capable of withstanding the closest scrutiny.
In recent years, our world has become very polarized and people on all sides of religious and secular divisions are very quick to react and to offer their opinions and conclusions. Many people react first, and then think about what they have done.
One tragic example of this kind of knee-jerk reaction, is the case of a young woman in Pakistan who was accused of burning a Quran, allegedly, out of hatred for it. She was then attacked and killed by a mob of angry people. It was discovered, after she was murdered, that she was not in a fit mental state. And the angry mob had murdered her before the facts had been heard.
It is a fact that the Quran does not specify a punishment for blasphemy. In the earliest days of Islam, when the Muslim community was under attack and literally fighting for its very survival, those Muslims who went over to the enemy were breaking the oath of allegance they had taken, and; therefore, they were seen as enemies of the State. Disbelief and treason were tantamount to being the same thing during this time of extreme duress.
Over the years, though, people began to see disbelief and treason as the same thing in every situation, when clearly they are not.
In the Quran, speaking of those early days when the Muslim community was under threat, we read:
{Truly, if the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease, and those who stir up sedition in the city, desist not, We shall certainly stir thee up against them; then they will not be able to stay in it as your neighbours for any length of time: they will have a curse on them: wherever they are found, they shall be seized and slain.} (Quran 33:60-61)
In the light of this verse, it is of the utmost importance that Islamic judges be extremely well-versed in the Quran and Islamic Shariah, as well as knowledgeable about the modern world and its people.
These judges need to remember that the Quran was revealed to humankind in the seventh century as the final revelation of Allah Almighty for all time, but also that we now live in the 21st century, not the seventh. And they need to apply its meanings to the world in which we live.
Similarly, if that is the lofty challenge of those who have the knowledge to apply Islamic Shariah today, it is equally true that it is not for people without knowledge to act as judges of others or to apply the teachings of Islam when they are not qualified to do so.
Your question touches upon some very profound issues. At the end of the day, we must admit that evil does exist in our world and there are people who will deliberately insult Allah Almighty and His Prophet (PBUH). Since the Quran itself does not specify a punishment for blasphemy, we need to work out how to deal with such insults in a way that does not portray Islam as something it is not.
It is our duty as Muslims to make the sweet, gentle, merciful, and beautiful message of Islam known in our world. We can begin to do this by showing others the reverence and respect we have for our beloved Prophet (PBUH), and by showing his Sunnah of love in action.
The Quran tells us:
{Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.} (Quran 33:57)
By showing respect to Prophet Muhammad and all prophets (peace be upon them all) who showed so much mercy and did so much good in the world, perhaps our world will come to know something of what Islam is really like, inshallah.
I hope this answers your question. Please keep in touch.
Walaikum Asalam.
Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:
#WhoIsMuhammad Educates Against Hate
Prophet Muhammad: Exalted Example of Character
Why Should Blasphemy Be Punishable at All?