ABUJA (Sundiata Post) The other day here on Facebook, I saw photos of a young Igbo man tearing up a Bible into shreds, with his face obviously in rage. He is a traditionalist and the reason he tore up the Bible was that their shrine was attacked and destroyed by Christians. The amount of curses he incurred from Christians on all the posts showing his picture was equally outrageous.
In India, slaughtering a cow might cost you your life and that of your family in the hands of Hindus. To them, and I emphasize, to them, slaughtering a cow is equivalent to what we Muslims might see as blasphemy. A cow is sacred and deeply respected in Hinduism. “Honoring the cow inspires in people the virtues of gentleness and connects them with nature. The cow gives milk and cream, yogurt and cheese, butter and ice cream, and ghee. The milk of a cow is believed to refine a person.”
What really is blasphemy in Islam and how does apply in a Democratic settings running a secular law like Nigeria? And does blasphemy vary from sect to sect in Islam?
Quran 33:57 told us that “Indeed, those who abuse Allah and His Messenger – Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment.”
There is a hadith that reported that woman made it a habit of always throwing garbage on the way whenever the Prophet passes by her house. Always. And a day came when the Prophet didn’t see her and made an enquiry about her and He was told that she was sick. The Prophet went in and offer prayers and other assistance that will aid her quick recovery. That experience changed her and all that she previously held about the person of the Prophet. Why are we not emulating this?
Quran told us again that “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.”
There is nowhere in the Quran where Allah explicitly told Muslims to kill whoever blasphemes against the Prophet or Allah. Allah said we should leave them to Him to handle in the hereafter.
We must always try as much as possible to not only educate others about some of our values and our beliefs but to equally respect others who hold different beliefs from us. We must stop making a mockery of the traditional and “idol” worshipers if we expect them to respect us. We must equally be extremely careful with how we view those who believe in the sacredness of a cow and how we slaughter and eat cows if we have them in our midst.
When you think it is Islamically cool to call others “kufar” and “dwellers of hellfire”, you should know that that person has a life and feel the same way as you. And except if you want to violently impose yourself and your religious stands against others who believe differently from you, you should equally be ready for rebuttal for calling them “kufar” and “eternal dwellers of hellfire.”
Think of Maguzawa people in Kano and Katsina who still adhere to pre-Islamic traditional religions. How do you see them? Do you respect them when they gather to carry out their rituals and traditions? What do you call them? Don’t you condemn them to hellfire except if they believe in what you believe? They are human beings, with lives and feelings and their environment freely gifted to them by God. Don’t you think you’ve been all along blaspheming against their own version and manifestation of God?
And please, you that want to blaspheme, think deeply about it before you plunge into that unworthy exercise with your life that may cost your life.
And you that want to kill blasphemers, please think deeply about the Prophet and His virtues before you carry out that resentful act. Think about what comes out from your mouth to non-Muslims (including traditionalists). Think of the damages your act will bring to Islam, you have not defended Islam or its Prophet, you have just added to the belief of non-Muslims that Islam is a religion of violence.
Educate instead. Instead of gathering to kill the blasphemers, gather to educate them, let’s gather to empower the Muslim ummah and entire human race, and let’s gather for peace, for peace is what our religion entails.
And don’t forget that you are all black Africans and blood brothers and religion should never tear your continent apart. You all were once Maguzawas or other shades of traditional religionists before going on to become Muslims, Christians and Hindus.
Peace!!!
Source: Facebook