Jalingo added more citations to bolster his position, quoting Surah An-Nisa’, verses 89 and 91: “Kill them wherever you find them” and “Kill them wherever you confront them,” respectively.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – An Islamic scholar and National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo, has publicly backed capital punishment for individuals who abandon their faith.
In a forceful message posted to his official Facebook account on Thursday, Jalingo staunchly upheld a Hadith that prescribes the death penalty for apostasy and criticized those questioning Hadith literature, labeling them as guilty of “compound ignorance.”
His comments were made in response to ongoing debates about the legitimacy of certain Hadiths, with critics arguing that some teachings appear to contradict the Qur’an.
Hadiths are narrations detailing the sayings, actions, or approvals of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and they serve as a fundamental source of Islamic jurisprudence, second only to the Qur’an.
Jalingo, in his post, launched a robust theological defense, targeting individuals he called “fabricators” for trying to discredit the Hadith.
“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 stated.
He went on to assert that Hadiths are divinely inspired and equal in status to the Qur’an in terms of spiritual authority: “Second: 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.”
Jalingo further reinforced his support for the controversial Hadith, arguing that it aligns with Qur’anic teachings and does not conflict with divine scripture: “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.’”
He also referenced Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 193: “Fight them until there is no more fitnah (disbelief and oppression) and religion is for Allah alone.” He interpreted this to mean, “fight them until they accept Islam.”
Jalingo added more citations to bolster his position, quoting Surah An-Nisa’, verses 89 and 91: “Kill them wherever you find them” and “Kill them wherever you confront them,” respectively.
He then addressed the commonly referenced verse on religious freedom, claiming it is no longer applicable: “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.
“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.”
In a sharp and controversial closing remark, Jalingo took aim at his detractors: “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.”
Jalingo’s post has since ignited widespread reactions online, with supporters applauding his defense of Islamic tradition, while others—particularly among progressive Muslim circles—have condemned the rhetoric as dangerous and inflammatory.