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 (sas), 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 (sas), also briefly recorded in the Holy Qur’an. Before the Holy Prophet’s (sas) 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 (sas) arrival things gradually changed and instead of Abdullah, the Holy Prophet (sas) 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 (sas) to kill this man; he said that the insult on the person of the Holy Prophet (sas) was far too much for them to tolerate. But the Holy Prophet (sas) did not allow any retribution. It is reported that after this, Abdullah’s own son also approached the Holy Prophet (sas) and said: “Oh Messenger of God, perhaps you thought that if you had permitted someone else to kill my father, I being his son, may harbour a private sense of revenge. However my father deserves this punishment for the insult he has hurled against you, so please permit me to slay him.” The Holy Prophet (sas) smiled and said: “No, there is nothing to be done. Your father will not be punished by any one.”
They all returned to Medina and for many years this man lived in peace under the full protection of the Holy Founder (sas) of Islam, against whom he had blasphemed. When he died, the Holy Prophet (sas) decided to lead his funeral prayers. This was a bit too much for some of his companions. Umar (ra) reports that he blocked his passage and said: “Is he not the leader of the hypocrites? Is he not the one about whom God has said that even if you ask forgiveness for him seventy times, he would not be forgiven? Then why O Prophet of God, who is the recipient of all these revelations, have you decided to lead his funeral prayer?” The answer was: “Umar, get aside; if God has informed me that he would not forgive the hypocrites even if I prayed for them seventy times, I would pray much more than that in the hope that Allah will ultimately forgive them”. Such was the character of the Holy Founder (sas) of Islam. He was a man of extreme compassion, a man of principles, a man who lived a life of truth and nothing but the truth.
When he found that the days of return to his Holy Master, Allah were nigh, the Holy Prophet (sas) addressed a large gathering. It was the largest gathering that he had ever spoken to. The occasion was of the last pilgrimage, also called Hajja-tul-Widaa.
During that sermon, his message was to all mankind and for all times to come. He addressed them as “mankind” and not as “Muslims”. He said: “O mankind! All of you are equal. There is no preference to an Arab over a non-Arab, no preference to a white man over a black. All men, whatever nation or tribe they belong to, and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal. The only preference that can be conceived is one’s fear of God.” At the end he said: “Tell me if I have delivered the message.” They all said in one voice: “Yes, O Prophet of God, you have surely delivered the message.” He said: “Now promise me, you will go on spreading this message to the whole of mankind, to the corners of the earth. Whoever is present must go on delivering the message to those who are absent and this should go on till the end of time.”