The ruling on one who insults the religion or insults the Lord
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Honorable Shaykh! Does the excuse of ignorance apply to the matter of insulting the religion and insulting the Lord?
Is there anyone who is ignorant that the Lord must be magnified?Say: Yes,Or: No?The questioner: No.
The Shaykh: No one is ignorant that the Lord has a degree of magnification and reverence that no one can insult, and likewise the Shari'ah. This is a hypothetical matter in the mind that has no existence in reality.
In any case: Whoever insults Allah is a disbeliever and an apostate, even if he is joking. He must be killed, and his case must be referred to the one in authority. The conscience is not cleared except by doing so. Then, if he repents, turns back, his condition improves, and he begins to glorify Allah, magnify Him, and perform His worship,So some scholars said: his repentance is not accepted, and he is killed as a disbeliever,They said: due to the magnitude of his sin and his apostasy. He is killed. In the Hereafter, his matter is up to Allah, but in this world, we kill him as a disbeliever. We do not wash him, shroud him, pray over him, bury him with the Muslims, or supplicate for his mercy. This is the well-known position of the Hanbalis among the Hanbalis today, and the one that is acted upon.
And some of the scholars of knowledge said: If he repents, his condition improves, and we know that he has become upright and regrets his actions, then his repentance is accepted and the killing is lifted from him. If he dies, his case is like that of the Muslims, because this is a right of Allah, and Allah has clarified in His Book that He forgives all sins, saying: [Surah az-Zumar: 53] This is the stronger position: if we know the truth of his repentance and the goodness of his condition, he is a Muslim, and it is not permissible to kill him.
As for one who insults the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), he is killed in all cases as a disbeliever and apostate, and his repentance is not accepted either, according to the Hanbalis (may Allah have mercy on them), due to the magnitude of his sin. But if he repents, his condition improves, and we see from him the magnification of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the magnification of his Shari'ah, do we accept his repentance and lift the killing from him, or do we accept his repentance but not lift the killing from him? This second opinion is the correct one,that we accept his repentance and say: You are now a Muslim, but we must kill him.
If a person says: How can you say: we must kill him,And you mention that insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic): if a person repents, he is not killed? Is the right of the Messenger greater than the right of Allah?Answer: No, the right of Allah is greater without doubt. But Allah has informed us about Himself that He accepts the repentance of those who repent to Him, and the right belongs to Allah. If Allah accepts the repentance of this servant and pardons His right, the matter is His. But His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), if the one who insults him has insulted him, he has diminished him personally. Whose right is it? The right of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And we do not know now whether the Messenger pardoned or not, because he is dead. So we must take revenge and kill him.And if we know that he is truly repentant, we say: He is a Muslim; he is washed, shrouded, prayed over, and buried with the Muslims.
And this indicates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pardoned a group of people who insulted him after they became Muslims. He pardoned them, and the killing was dropped from them.
The questioner: And insulting the religion?The Shaykh: Insulting the religion is like insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic).
Is there anyone who is ignorant that the Lord must be magnified?Say: Yes,Or: No?The questioner: No.
The Shaykh: No one is ignorant that the Lord has a degree of magnification and reverence that no one can insult, and likewise the Shari'ah. This is a hypothetical matter in the mind that has no existence in reality.
In any case: Whoever insults Allah is a disbeliever and an apostate, even if he is joking. He must be killed, and his case must be referred to the one in authority. The conscience is not cleared except by doing so. Then, if he repents, turns back, his condition improves, and he begins to glorify Allah, magnify Him, and perform His worship,So some scholars said: his repentance is not accepted, and he is killed as a disbeliever,They said: due to the magnitude of his sin and his apostasy. He is killed. In the Hereafter, his matter is up to Allah, but in this world, we kill him as a disbeliever. We do not wash him, shroud him, pray over him, bury him with the Muslims, or supplicate for his mercy. This is the well-known position of the Hanbalis among the Hanbalis today, and the one that is acted upon.
And some of the scholars of knowledge said: If he repents, his condition improves, and we know that he has become upright and regrets his actions, then his repentance is accepted and the killing is lifted from him. If he dies, his case is like that of the Muslims, because this is a right of Allah, and Allah has clarified in His Book that He forgives all sins, saying:
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعاًAs for one who insults the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), he is killed in all cases as a disbeliever and apostate, and his repentance is not accepted either, according to the Hanbalis (may Allah have mercy on them), due to the magnitude of his sin. But if he repents, his condition improves, and we see from him the magnification of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the magnification of his Shari'ah, do we accept his repentance and lift the killing from him, or do we accept his repentance but not lift the killing from him? This second opinion is the correct one,that we accept his repentance and say: You are now a Muslim, but we must kill him.
If a person says: How can you say: we must kill him,And you mention that insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic): if a person repents, he is not killed? Is the right of the Messenger greater than the right of Allah?Answer: No, the right of Allah is greater without doubt. But Allah has informed us about Himself that He accepts the repentance of those who repent to Him, and the right belongs to Allah. If Allah accepts the repentance of this servant and pardons His right, the matter is His. But His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), if the one who insults him has insulted him, he has diminished him personally. Whose right is it? The right of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And we do not know now whether the Messenger pardoned or not, because he is dead. So we must take revenge and kill him.And if we know that he is truly repentant, we say: He is a Muslim; he is washed, shrouded, prayed over, and buried with the Muslims.
And this indicates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pardoned a group of people who insulted him after they became Muslims. He pardoned them, and the killing was dropped from them.
The questioner: And insulting the religion?The Shaykh: Insulting the religion is like insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic).