A prominent Islamic cleric and National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, Dr. Ibrahim Jalingo, has publicly endorsed the death penalty for individuals who renounce Islam.
Jalingo made the remarks via a post on his official Facebook page on Thursday, citing a Hadith that prescribes capital punishment for apostates. He defended the Hadith’s legitimacy and lashed out at critics who claim it contradicts the Quran, labelling such individuals as victims of “compound ignorance.”
“Today, I came across the first Hadith among the supposed ‘100 Hadiths’ which the fabricators claim contradict the Qur’an,” Jalingo wrote. “The Hadith in question is: ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’”
His post was in response to a critique by one Issiyaku Abdulkadir, who had raised concerns over the compatibility of the Hadith with the Quran’s teachings on religious freedom.
