Declaring any individual as “wajibul qatal” (obligatory to kill) was illegal and un-Islamic, Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Allama Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi said in a statement on Monday.

“Such emotional actions have harmed the cause of the belief in the finality of Prophethood,” he said in a statement after a senior Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leader issued death threats to Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.

Media reports say the religiopolitical party leader has been arrested in Punjab’s Okara where he was allegedly hiding.

TLP Deputy Ameer Zaheerul Hassan Shah has been charged with inciting religious hatred, causing public disorder, intimidating the judiciary, threatening CJP Isa, interfering in official duties, and obstructing legal functions.

“No individual, group, or organisation has the Islamic or legal authority to pass judgments and issue decrees to kill anyone,” the CII chairman said.

He went on to add that incitement, issuing decrees of takfir (declaring someone as a non-Muslim), and threatening to kill any government or state official, or ordinary person were in contradiction with the clear teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.

“The religious duty of scholars and muftis (Islamic jurists) is to provide religious guidance about what is right and wrong and to present the correct Islamic solutions to issues, however, the decision to declare whether someone has committed blasphemy or uttered words of disbelief is the domain of the state and the courts,” Dr Naimi said.

He reiterated that the practice of issuing decrees of disbelief and declaring someone as wajibul qatal was not in accordance with Islamic principles.