A popular Nigerian Islamic cleric and chairman of the Council of Ulama, Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo, has made it clear that the Quran and Hadith both support the killing of Muslim apostates (anyone that renounces his faith).
Dr. Jalingo said this in a video posted on his social media handle while responding to critics who argue that the Hadith contradicts the Quran, where the Hadith declares the death penalty for those who renounce the religion, whereas the Quran does not.
According to Jalingo, while the Quran summarizes a matter briefly, the Hadith, which is a documented account of the sayings, actions, or approvals of the Prophet Muhammad, elaborates on that matter. That the Hadith in no way contradicts the Quran.
He went on to explain and list what the Hadith says about apostasy and polytheism (those who worship many gods), comparing it with scriptures from the Quran, while calling the critic, one Issiyaku Abdulkadir a “compound ignoramus.”
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His statement reads: “Today, I came across the first Hadith among the supposed ‘100 Hadiths’ which the fabricators claim contradict the Qur’an.
“They assert that Muslims who believe in both the divine revelation of the Hadith and the Qur’an cannot respond to them! The Hadith in question is: ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’ The person who presented this statement by the fabricators to me is someone named Issiyaku Abdulkadir.
“Here is what I wrote in response to the claims of these fabricators: First, I thank you for starting to bring me what this compound ignoramus refers to as ‘100 Hadiths that contradict the verses of the Qur’an.’ This will, God willing, give me the opportunity to expose his ignorance to the world”, Jalingo’s statement partly read.
“Secondly, it should be made clear to everyone that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never said: ‘The role of Hadith is to interpret the Qur’an.’ However, the Prophet said: ‘Indeed, I was given the Qur’an and something like it alongside it.’
“What is true is that the Qur’an is a revelation from Allah, and so is the Hadith a revelation from Allah. Often, the Qur’an addresses a matter in a summarised or brief way, and then the revelation of Hadith comes to elaborate on that matter,” he argued.
“Third: The Hadith you cited—’Whoever changes his religion, kill him’—is authentic and does not contradict the Qur’anic revelation. This is because Allah says in Surah At-Tawbah, verse 5: ‘Then, when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them.’
“Fight them until there is no more fitnah (disbelief and oppression) and religion is for Allah alone.’ Meaning: fight them until they accept Islam. And in Surah An-Nisa’, verse 89: ‘Kill them wherever you find them.’ And again in Surah An-Nisa’, verse 91: ‘Kill them wherever you confront them.’
“You see, unless someone is completely ignorant like the fabricators, no one would claim that the Hadith which says ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him’ contradicts the Qur’an—because the Qur’an itself goes even further. It does not only permit the killing of apostates, but all polytheists in certain contexts.”
He continued, “Fourth: You should also know that the verse ‘There is no compulsion in religion’ (La ikrah fi ad-deen) has had its ruling abrogated (naskh) by the verses we’ve just quoted, as well as by the very Hadith you brought: ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’ And abrogation is a well-established concept within the revelation of the Glorious Qur’an.”
“This is a brief response to the compounded ignorance of this individual—whose approach and manner resemble that of prostitutes and effeminate men—i.e., the so-called fabricators,” he added.
