The Seal of Prophets - His Personality and Character — Page 34
34 The Seal of Prophets Chapter 7 The Controversy over B lasphemy Now I turn to the most hotly debated question of today, that of blasphemy. Wherever I visit in the world, this question pursues me. I am asked about Khomeini’s edict of death against Salman Rushdie. I tell them the Islam I learned from the Holy Prophet sa , speaks of no punishment whatsoever against blasphemy. No question of death or anything else for that matter. Among other things, I quote this particular incident in the life of the Holy Prophet sa , also briefly recorded in the Holy Qur’an. Before the Holy Prophet’s sa arrival in Medina, there was a prominent leader who by the consensus of Medinite, was rising to be their joint leader. His name was Abdullah Bin Obey Bin Salul. After the Prophet’s sa arrival things gradually changed and instead of Abdullah, the Holy Prophet sa was accepted by the common consensus of people as their new leader. This made Abdullah Bin Obey Bin Salul extremely jealous. He went on giving voice to his injured feelings in one way or another. His behaviour was such that the other Muslims referred to him as the chief monaafiq, meaning the chief of hypocrites. Once, when returning from an expedition which was overall a failure, and all participants were extremely tired and disappointed, this man Abdullah, thought it a fit time to take his revenge. In the presence of a few people, he declared that upon returning to Medina, the noblest among them would turn out in disgrace the meanest of them. The message was clear and everyone knew what he meant. Umar ra , upon hearing this, asked permission of the Holy Prophet sa to kill this man; he said that the insult on the