Does one who insults the religion or insults Allah have an excuse due to ignorance?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, Shaykh. Is the excuse of ignorance included in the issue of insulting the religion and insulting the Lord?
The Shaykh : What is the issue?
The questioner : The issue of insulting the religion and insulting the Lord.
The Shaykh : Insulting what?
The questioner : Insulting the religion and insulting the Lord.
The Shaykh : Insulting whom?
The questioner : Insulting the Lord.
The Shaykh : Yes, does anyone not know that the Lord must be magnified? I ask you, I ask you, say yes or no.
The questioner : No, it is not possible.
The Shaykh : No one is ignorant that the Lord has a degree of magnification and reverence such that no one can insult Him, and likewise the Shari'ah. So this is a hypothetical issue in the mind that does not exist 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 that. Then, if he repents, turns back, his condition improves, and he begins to glorify Allah, magnify Him, and perform His worship, some scholars said that his repentance is not accepted and that he is killed as a disbeliever. They said this is because of the magnitude of his sin and his apostasy, so he is killed. In the Hereafter, his case is up to Allah, but in this world, we kill him as a disbeliever. We do not wash him, we do not shroud him, we do not pray over him, we do not bury him with the Muslims, and we do not pray for his mercy. Did you understand? This is the well-known position of the Hanbalis among the Hanbalis now, and it is what is practiced.
And some scholars said that if he repents, his condition improves, and we know that he has become upright and has regretted, 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. He said:[Az-Zumar 39:53] 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. Did you understand?
Now, as for whoever 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), because of 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: we accept his repentance and say, "You are now a Muslim," but we must kill him. Did you understand? Good.
If a person says, "How do you say we must kill him, while you mention that if a person repents from insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), he is not killed? Is the right of the Messenger greater than the right of Allah?" The answer is: No, the right of Allah is greater without a doubt. But Allah has informed us about Himself that He accepts the repentance of whoever repents to Him. The right belongs to Allah. If Allah accepts the repentance of this servant and pardons His right, the matter is His. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), if the one who insults him has insulted him, he has belittled him personally, and the right belongs to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). We do not know now whether the Messenger forgave 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. This is indicated by the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forgave a group of people who insulted him after they became Muslims. He forgave them and the killing dropped from them. Yes, the question.
The questioner : Insulting the religion.
The Shaykh : Insulting the religion is like insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic); it is the same.
The Shaykh : What is the issue?
The questioner : The issue of insulting the religion and insulting the Lord.
The Shaykh : Insulting what?
The questioner : Insulting the religion and insulting the Lord.
The Shaykh : Insulting whom?
The questioner : Insulting the Lord.
The Shaykh : Yes, does anyone not know that the Lord must be magnified? I ask you, I ask you, say yes or no.
The questioner : No, it is not possible.
The Shaykh : No one is ignorant that the Lord has a degree of magnification and reverence such that no one can insult Him, and likewise the Shari'ah. So this is a hypothetical issue in the mind that does not exist 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 that. Then, if he repents, turns back, his condition improves, and he begins to glorify Allah, magnify Him, and perform His worship, some scholars said that his repentance is not accepted and that he is killed as a disbeliever. They said this is because of the magnitude of his sin and his apostasy, so he is killed. In the Hereafter, his case is up to Allah, but in this world, we kill him as a disbeliever. We do not wash him, we do not shroud him, we do not pray over him, we do not bury him with the Muslims, and we do not pray for his mercy. Did you understand? This is the well-known position of the Hanbalis among the Hanbalis now, and it is what is practiced.
And some scholars said that if he repents, his condition improves, and we know that he has become upright and has regretted, 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. He said:
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins
قل يا عبادي الذين أسرفوا على أنفسهم لا تقنطوا من رحمة الله إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعاNow, as for whoever 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), because of 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: we accept his repentance and say, "You are now a Muslim," but we must kill him. Did you understand? Good.
If a person says, "How do you say we must kill him, while you mention that if a person repents from insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), he is not killed? Is the right of the Messenger greater than the right of Allah?" The answer is: No, the right of Allah is greater without a doubt. But Allah has informed us about Himself that He accepts the repentance of whoever repents to Him. The right belongs to Allah. If Allah accepts the repentance of this servant and pardons His right, the matter is His. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), if the one who insults him has insulted him, he has belittled him personally, and the right belongs to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). We do not know now whether the Messenger forgave 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. This is indicated by the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forgave a group of people who insulted him after they became Muslims. He forgave them and the killing dropped from them. Yes, the question.
The questioner : Insulting the religion.
The Shaykh : Insulting the religion is like insulting the Lord (Mighty and Majestic); it is the same.