Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 41
Inter-Religious Peace 41 committed a grave blasphemy by declaring Mary as to be unchaste and alleging Jesus as , to be a child of questionable birth. The Arabic word Buht a nan ‘A zi m a (translated above as ‘a grievous calumny’) expresses condemnation of this folly on the part of the Jews in the strongest term. Yet, surprisingly, no physical punishment is prescribed. 4) It is interesting to note that while the Jews are condemned by the Quran for committing an act of blasphemy against Mary as and Jesus as , at the same time the Christians, in their turn, are censured for committing blasphemy against God by claiming that a son was born to God through a human wife. In the following verse, the Holy Quran declares it as an enormity. Yet no corporal punishment of any sort is advocated nor is the right delegated to any human authority to punish blasphemy against God. No knowledge have they thereof, nor had their fathers. Monstrous is the word that comes out of their mouths. They speak naught but a lie. 49 5) In the end, let me come to the most sensitive area—more sensitive in the sense that the Muslims of today are more sensitive to blasphemy against the Holy Founder sa of Islam than blasphemy against anything else—even God! Yet there is a case of blasphemy so serious that it is recorded in the Holy Quran itself, which speaks of ‘Abdull a h bin Ubayy bin Sal u l, known in the history of Islam as the Chief of Hypocrites. Once returning from an expedition, ‘Abdull a h bin Ubayy declared in the