پاکستان کا قانون توہین رسالت اور فقہ حنفی‎

This article is written by Moulana Mufti Muhammad Zahid and it originally appeared on the alsharia magazine website. Author can be reached at zahidimdadia@yahoo.com. 

Disclaimer: We are sharing this article to spread the awareness about the Hanafi position on the issue of blasphemy. Proponents of the current blasphemy law in Pakistan argued in the court that all four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence had consensus on this issue that a blasphemer should be given death penalty. It was a misrepresentation of a clearly stated Hanafi position on blasphemy which was maintained for centuries by the scholars. For details, please see this related article which tells the story of the person who was chief architect of the current blasphemy law. He built his case in the court on the ground that there exists a unanimous scholarly endorsement of an unwaivable death penalty for blasphemy. When he was approached by the author (of the article) with the evidence he accepted his mistake. It is time for the people, especially from the mainstream religious community, to come forward and set the record straight.