The brutal murder in Udaipur of a Hindu man, allegedly for ‘blasphemy’, by two Muslims has brought the focus back on Islamist radicalism in India. There can be no doubt that blasphemy is not a capital crime in Islam. Indeed, neither the Koran nor the Prophet prescribed any earthly punishment for it although it is considered a great sin theologically.
On the contrary, the Koran encouraged the Prophet, and through him all Muslims, to “have patience with what they say, and leave them with noble (dignity)” (73:10). This is in keeping with two of the most fundamental teachings of the Koran: to “forgive and overlook, for God loves those who are kind” (5:13, 42:40-43) and, to “repel evil with goodness” so that “he between whom and you was hatred becomes your intimate friend” (41:34).
Prophet Muhammad followed these enjoinders to the letter. The Koran tells us that he was always kind to people and never “harsh-hearted” (3:159). And through the hadith literature we know that he asked Muslims to “eschew ghulu (extremism) because ghulu destroyed its practitioners in the past” (Ibn Maaja), and told them that peace can be achieved only by being lenient and presenting Islam in a manner that does not create aversion for it in the minds of people (Bukhari).
