Nigeria: Muslim cleric likens Muslims who reject the death penalty for apostasy to ‘prostitutes and effeminate men’

Image: Jihad Watch

Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo, an Islamic cleric and the National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, has publicly endorsed the death penalty for individuals who abandon their religion.

In a strongly-worded post shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday, Jalingo staunchly defended a Hadith that advocates the death penalty for apostates, accusing critics of Hadith literature of “compound ignorance.”

His statement came in response to accusations that the Hadith contradicts the teachings of the Quran. A Hadith is a record of the sayings, actions, or approvals of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and is a vital source of Islamic guidance, second only to the Qur’an.

In his post, Jalingo provided a detailed theological rebuttal to what he called “fabricators” attempting to undermine the Hadith. He wrote: “Today, I came across the first Hadith among the so-called ‘100 Hadiths’ that these fabricators claim contradict the Qur’an. They argue that Muslims who believe in both the divine revelations of the Hadith and the Qur’an are unable to respond to them! The Hadith in question is: ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’ The individual who presented this claim to me is named Issiyaku Abdulkadir.”

Jalingo continued by addressing the claims of the critics: “I thank you for bringing me these supposed ‘100 Hadiths that contradict the Qur’an.’ This will give me the opportunity to expose your ignorance to the world,” he wrote.

He also reaffirmed the divine origin of the Hadith, equating it with the Qur’an: “It should be clarified that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never stated, ‘The role of Hadith is to interpret the Qur’an.’ Rather, the Prophet said: ‘Indeed, I was given the Qur’an and something like it alongside it.’ What is true is that both the Qur’an and Hadith are revelations from Allah. The Qur’an may address a matter briefly, and the Hadith serves to elaborate on it.”

In a move that is sure to spark intense debate among scholars and human rights activists, Jalingo defended the Hadith calling for the execution of apostates, citing Quranic verses in support: “The Hadith—‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him’—is authentic and does not contradict the Qur’an. This is supported by Surah At-Tawbah, verse 5: ‘Then, when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them.’”

He further supported his position with additional Quranic references, including Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 193: “Fight them until there is no more fitnah (disbelief and oppression) and religion is for Allah alone,” and Surah An-Nisa’, verse 89: “Kill them wherever you find them,” followed by Surah An-Nisa’, verse 91: “Kill them wherever you confront them.”

Jalingo then asserted that the frequently cited verse advocating freedom of religion had been abrogated: “Unless someone is entirely ignorant like these fabricators, no one would claim that the Hadith ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him’ contradicts the Qur’an—because the Qur’an itself not only permits the killing of apostates but also the killing of polytheists in specific contexts.”

He concluded with a bold statement: “You should also know that the verse ‘There is no compulsion in religion’ (La ikrah fi ad-deen) has been abrogated (naskh) by the verses I just quoted and by the very Hadith you presented: ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’ Abrogation is a well-established concept within the Qur’anic revelation.”

In a final, pointed remark, Jalingo launched a personal attack on his critics, stating, “This is a brief response to the compounded ignorance of this individual—whose behavior and manner resemble that of prostitutes and effeminate men—the so-called fabricators.”

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)