Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo, an Islamic cleric and the National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, has publicly supported the death penalty for religious adherents who abandon their faith.
In a strong statement posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday, Jalingo defended a Hadith that prescribes capital punishment for apostates. He also accused those who question the authenticity of Hadith literature of “compound ignorance.”
The cleric’s statement was a response to criticisms that challenged the reliability of the Hadith, claiming it contradicts the Quran. A Hadith is a record of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) sayings, actions, and approvals and is a primary source of Islamic guidance after the Quran.
In his Facebook post, Dr. Jalingo elaborated on his theological stance against those he labeled “fabricators” attempting to discredit the Hadith.
He specifically addressed a claim about a Hadith that states, “Whoever changes his religion, kill him,” which these critics allegedly presented as contradicting the Quran. Jalingo identified one such individual as Issiyaku Abdulkadir.
Jalingo stated his intention to expose the “compound ignorance” of these critics. He then asserted the divine origin of the Hadith, equating it in status to the Quran.
He argued that while the Quran often presents matters concisely, the Hadith serves to elaborate on these points, clarifying that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) indicated he received both the Quran and “something like it.”
Defending the Hadith advocating the execution of apostates, Jalingo cited several Quranic verses.
He quoted Surah At-Tawbah (9:5) regarding killing polytheists and Surah Al-Baqarah (2:193) about fighting until religion is solely for Allah (interpreting this as fighting until they accept Islam). He also cited Surah An-Nisa’ (4:89 and 4:91) which mention killing those found.
Furthermore, Jalingo controversially claimed that the widely cited verse promoting freedom of religion, “There is no compulsion in religion” (La ikrah fi ad-deen), has been abrogated (naskh) by the verses he quoted and by the Hadith itself.
He asserted that only those completely ignorant of Islamic jurisprudence would argue that the Hadith contradicts the Quran, as the Quran, according to his interpretation, goes even further by permitting the killing of not only apostates but also all polytheists in certain contexts.
In a highly contentious concluding remark, Jalingo personally attacked his critics, comparing their approach to that of “prostitutes and effeminate men,” referring to them as the “so-called fabricators.”
Since his post, it has rapidly spread across social media, generating a mix of support from some conservative followers who commended his defense of Islamic tradition, and condemnation from other Muslims who viewed his remarks as dangerous and inflammatory.
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