Topic
The Quran forbids mocking religion and reviling others’ gods, but sets no worldly punishment; Muslim law has differed.
What it means
“Do not insult those they invoke besides God, lest they insult God out of enmity and without knowledge” (6:108). Believers are told to leave a gathering where God’s signs are mocked, until they turn to another subject (4:140, 6:68). The Quran gives no earthly punishment for it.
Often misunderstood as
That Islam punishes all insults to the Prophet by death.
What the sources say
Many classical jurists held that insulting the Prophet is punishable by death, and others, notably the Hanafis, distinguished and limited it. The Prophet himself left unpunished a man who said to him, “be fair, Muhammad” (Sahih al-Bukhari), and tolerated the taunts of Abdullah ibn Ubayy. Blasphemy laws in some countries today, such as Pakistan’s, are a subject of debate among Muslim scholars.