APOSTASY

Key words: revert to disbelief / to disbelief / infidel / after embracing

Islam / return to disbelieve / revert / become infidel / become non
Muslim / joined the infidel / leaves Islam / leaves the Muslims /



4:90: 90. except those who join a group between whom and you there is
a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with hearts restraining
them from Fighting you As well As Fighting their own people. if Allah
had pleased, He could have given them power over you, and They would
have fought you: Therefore if They withdraw from you but Fight you
not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees of) Peace, then Allah hath
opened no way for you (to war against them).

Table : 59

16:108: 108. those are They whose hearts, ears, and eyes Allah has up,
and They take no heed.

2:214: 214. or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden (of bliss)
without such (trials) As came to those who passed away before you?
They encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken In spirit
that Even the Messenger and those of Faith who were with Him cried:
"When (will come) the help of Allah." Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is
(always) near!

Zakir Naik has stated that any Muslim is free to convert out of Islam if
the person so chooses, but added that if a Muslim converts then speaks
against Islam then that is considered as treason. Naik stated that under
Islamic law this is punishable by death.
[18][19][20]

Sunnan Abu Dawd Book 38, Number 4345:
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: Abdullah ibn AbuSarh used to write (the
revelation) for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). Satan made
him slip, and he joined the infidels. The Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) commanded to kill him on the day of Conquest (of
Mecca). Uthman ibn Affan sought protection for him. The Apostle of
Allah (peace_be_upon_him) gave him protection.

Bukhari
1.234:
Narrated Abu Qilaba: Anas said, "Some people of `Ukl or
`Uraina tribe came to Medina and its climate did not suit
them. So the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch)
camels and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So
they went as directed and after they became healthy, they
killed the shepherd of the Prophet and drove away all the
camels. The news reached the Prophet early in the morning and
he sent (men) in their pursuit and they were captured and
brought at noon. He then ordered to cut their hands and feet
(and it was done), and their eyes were branded with heated
pieces of iron, They were put in 'AlHarra' and when they
asked for water, no water was given to them." Abu Qilaba said,
"Those people committed theft and murder, became infidels
after embracing Islam and fought against Allah and His Apostle
."
The Qur'an says:
Let there be no compulsion in the religion: Clearly the Right Path (i.e. Islam) is distinct
from the crooked path.
Qur'an, [Qur'an 2:256]
A section of the 'People of the Book' (Jews and Christians) says: "Believe in the morning
what is revealed to the believers (Muslims), but reject it at the end of the day; perchance
they may (themselves) turn back (from Islam).
Qur'an, [Qur'an 3:72]
But those who reject faith after they accepted it, and then go on adding to their defiance
of faith, never will their repentance be accepted; for they are those who have (of set
purpose) gone astray.
Qur'an, [Qur'an 3:90]
Those who blasphemed and back away from the ways of Allah and die as blasphemers,
Allah shall not forgive them.
Qur'an, [Qur'an 4:48]
Those who believe, then reject faith, then believe (again) and (again) reject faith, and go
on increasing in unbelief,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them on the way.
Qur'an, [Qur'an 4:137]
O ye who believe! If any from among you turn back from his faith, soon will Allah
produce a people whom He (Allah) will love as they will love Him lowly with the
believers, Mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of
the reproachers of such as find fault. That is the Grace of Allah which He will bestow on
whom He (Allah) pleases. And Allah encompasses all, and He knows all things.
Qur'an, [Qur'an 5:54]
Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57:
Narrated 'Ikrima:
Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to 'Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event,
reached Ibn 'Abbas who said, "If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as
Allah's Apostle forbade it, saying, 'Do not punish anybody with Allah's punishment
(fire).' I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever
changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"


Blood Money (Ad-Diyat)Volume 9, Book 83, Number 17:
Narrated 'Abdullah:
Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In
Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one
who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."


Capital punishment for three reasons:
i. killing
ii. adultery
iii. wages war against Allah and His Messenger (sws), not a person who converted
from Islam but a person who become a Muslim and convert to other Faith and
start doing war against Allahs Law and His Messenger (sws) which is
described as blasphemy (Quran 5:33).

9.37:
Narrated Abu Qilaba: Once `Umar bin `Abdul `Aziz sat on his throne in the courtyard of
his house so that the people might gather before him. Then he admitted them and (when
they came in), he said, "What do you think of AlQasama?" They said, "We say that it is
lawful to depend on AlQasama in Qisas, as the previous Muslim Caliphs carried out
Qisas depending on it." Then he said to me, "O Abu Qilaba! What do you say about it?"
He let me appear before the people and I said, "O Chief of the Believers! You have the
chiefs of the army staff and the nobles of the Arabs. If fifty of them testified that a
married man had committed illegal sexual intercourse in Damascus but they had not seen
him (doing so), would you stone him?" He said, "No." I said, "If fifty of them testified
that a man had committed theft in Hums, would you cut off his hand though they did not
see him?" He replied, "No."

I said, "By Allah, Allah's Apostle never killed anyone except in one of the following
three situations:
(1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,)
(2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and
(3) a man who fought against Allah and His Apostle and deserted Islam and
became an apostate."

Then the people said, "Didn't Anas bin Malik narrate that
Allah's Apostle cut off the hands of the thieves, branded
their eyes and then, threw them in the sun?" I said, "I shall
tell you the narration of Anas. Anas said: "Eight persons
from the tribe of `Ukl came to Allah's Apostle and gave the
Pledge of allegiance for Islam (became Muslim). The
climate of the place (Medina) did not suit them, so they
became sick and complained about that to Allah's Apostle.
He said (to them ), "Won't you go out with the shepherd of
our camels and drink of the camels' milk and urine (as
medicine)?" They said, "Yes." So they went out and drank
the camels' milk and urine, and after they became healthy,
they killed the shepherd of Allah's Apostle and took away
all the camels. This news reached Allah's Apostle , so he
sent (men) to follow their traces and they were captured
and brought (to the Prophet). He then ordered to cut their
hands and feet, and their eyes were branded with heated
pieces of iron, and then he threw them in the sun till they
died." I said, "What can be worse than what those people
did? They deserted Islam, committed murder and theft."
Then 'Anbasa bin Sa`id said, "By Allah, I never heard a
narration like this of today." I said, "O 'Anbasa! You deny my
narration?" 'Anbasa said, "No, but you have related the
narration in the way it should be related. By Allah, these
people are in welfare as long as this Sheikh (Abu Qilaba) is
among them." I added, "Indeed in this event there has been
a tradition set by Allah's Apostle.
The narrator added: Some Ansari people came to the Prophet and discussed some matters
with him, a man from amongst them went out and was murdered. Those people went out
after him, and behold, their companion was swimming in blood.

They returned to Allah's Apostle and said to him, "O Allah's Apostle, we have found our
companion who had talked with us and gone out before us, swimming in blood (killed)."
Allah's Apostle went out and asked them, "Whom do you suspect or whom do you think
has killed him?" They said, "We think that the Jews have killed him." The Prophet sent
for the Jews and asked them, "Did you kill this (person)?" They replied, "No." He asked
the AlAnsars, "Do you agree that I let fifty Jews take an oath that they have not killed
him?" They said, "It matters little for the Jews to kill us all and then take false oaths." He
said, "Then would you like to receive the Diya after fifty of you have taken an oath (that
the Jews have killed your man)?" They said, "We will not take the oath." Then the
Prophet himself paid them the Diya (Bloodmoney)." The narrator added, "The tribe of
Hudhail repudiated one of their men (for his evil conduct) in the Prelslamic period of
Ignorance. Then, at a place called AlBatha' (near Mecca), the man attacked a Yemenite
family at night to steal from them, but a. man from the family noticed him and struck him
with his sword and killed him.

The tribe of Hudhail came and captured the Yemenite and brought him to `Umar during
the Hajj season and said, "He has killed our companion." The Yemenite said, "But these
people had repudiated him (i.e., their companion)." `Umar said, "Let fifty persons of
Hudhail swear that they had not repudiated him." So fortynine of them took the oath and
then a person belonging to them, came from Sham and they requested him to swear
similarly, but he paid onethousand Dirhams instead of taking the oath. They called
another man instead of him and the new man shook hands with the brother of the
deceased.

Some people said, "We and those fifty men who had taken false oaths (AlQasama) set
out, and when they reached a place called Nakhlah, it started raining so they entered a
cave in the mountain, and the cave collapsed on those fifty men who took the false oath,
and all of them died except the two persons who had shaken hands with each other. They
escaped death but a stone fell on the leg of the brother of the deceased and broke it,
whereupon he survived for one year and then died." I further said, "`Abdul Malik bin
Marwan sentenced a man to death in Qisas (equality in punishment) for murder, basing
his judgment on AlQasama, but later on he regretted that judgment and ordered that the
names of the fifty persons who ot be blamed."


Revert
2.483:
Narrated Abu Huraira: When Allah's Apostle died and Abu Bakr
became the caliph some Arabs renegade (reverted to disbelief)
(Abu Bakr decided to declare war against them), `Umar, said to
Abu Bakr, "How can you fight with these people although
Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight
the people till they say: "None has the right to be worshipped
but Allah, and whoever said it then he will save his life and
property from me except on trespassing the law (rights and
conditions for which he will be punished justly), and his
accounts will be with Allah.' " Abu Bakr said, "By Allah! I
will fight those who differentiate between the prayer and the
Zakat as Zakat is the compulsory right to be taken from the
property (according to Allah's orders) By Allah! If they
refuse to pay me even a shekid which they used to pay at the
time of Allah's Apostle . I would fight with them for
withholding it" Then `Umar said, "By Allah, it was nothing,
but Allah opened Abu Bakr's chest towards the decision (to
fight) and I came to know that his decision was right."

5.505:
Narrated Anas:
Some people of the tribe of `Ukl and `Uraina arrived at Medina
to meet the Prophet and embraced Islam and said, "O Allah's
Prophet! We are the owners of milch livestock (i.e. bedouins)
and not farmers (i.e. countrymen)." They found the climate of
Medina unsuitable for them. So Allah's Apostle ordered that
they should be provided with some milch camels and a shepherd
and ordered them to go out of Medina and to drink the camels'
milk and urine (as medicine) So they set out and when they
reached AlHarra, they reverted to Heathenism after embracing
Islam, and killed the shepherd of the Prophet and drove away
the camels. When this news reached the Prophet, he sent some
people in pursuit of them. (So they were caught and brought
back to the Prophet ). The Prophet gave his orders in their
concern. So their eyes were branded with pieces of iron and
their hands and legs were cut off and they were left away in
Harra till they died in that state of theirs. (See Hadith 234
Vol 1)

5.630:
Narrated Abu Burda: Allah's Apostle sent Abu Musa and Mu`adh
bin Jabal to Yemen. He sent each of them to administer a
province as Yemen consisted of two provinces. The Prophet said
(to them), "Facilitate things for the people and do not make
things difficult for them (Be kind and lenient (both of you)
with the people, and do not be hard on them) and give the
people good tidings and do not repulse them. So each of them
went to carry on his job. So when any one of them toured his
province and happened to come near (the border of the province
of) his companion, he would visit him and greet him. Once
Mu`adh toured that part of his state which was near (the
border of the province of) his companion Abu Musa. Mu`adh came
riding his mule till he reached Abu Musa and saw him sitting,
and the people had gathered around him. Behold! There was a
man tied with his hands behind his neck. Mu`adh said to Abu
Musa, "O `Abdullah bin Qais! What is this?" Abu Musa replied.
"This man has reverted to Heathenism after embracing Islam."
Mu`adh said, "I will not dismount till he is killed." Abu Musa
replied, "He has been brought for this purpose, so come down."
Mu`adh said, "I will not dismount till he is killed." So Abu
Musa ordered that he be killed, and he was killed. Then Mu`adh
dismounted and said, "O `Abdullah (bin Qais)! How do you
recite the Qur'an ?" Abu Musa said, "I recite the Qur'an
regularly at intervals and piecemeal. How do you recite it O
Mu`adh?" Mu`adh said, "I sleep in the first part of the night
and then get up after having slept for the time devoted for my
sleep and then recite as much as Allah has written for me. So
I seek Allah's Reward for both my sleep as well as my prayer
(at night).
6.297:
Narrated Masruq:
While a man was delivering a speech in the tribe of Kinda, he
said, "Smoke will prevail on the Day of Resurrection and will
deprive the hypocrites their faculties of hearing and seeing.
The believers will be afflicted with something like cold only
thereof." That news scared us, so I went to (Abdullah) Ibn
Mas`ud while he was reclining (and told him the story)
whereupon he became angry, sat up and said, "He who knows a
thing can say, it, but if he does not know, he should say,
'Allah knows best,' for it is an aspect of knowledge to say,
'I do not know,' if you do not know a certain thing. Allah
said to His prophet. 'Say (O Muhammad): No wage do I ask of
you for this (Qur'an), nor I am one of the pretenders (a
person who pretends things which do not exist.)' (38.86) The
Qur'aish delayed in embracing Islam for a period, so the
Prophet invoked evil on them, saying, 'O Allah! Help me
against them by sending seven years of (famine) like those of
Joseph.' So they were afflicted with such a severe year of
famine that they were destroyed therein and ate dead animals
and bones. They started seeing something like smoke between
the sky and the earth (because of severe hunger). Abu Sufyan
then came (to the Prophet) and said, "O Muhammad! You came to
order us for to keep good relations with Kith and kin, and
your kinsmen have now perished, so please invoke Allah (to
relieve them).' Then Ibn Mas`ud recited: 'Then watch you for
the day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke plainly
visible....but truly you will return! (to disbelief) (4
4.1015) Ibn Mas`ud added, Then the punishment was stopped,
but truly, they reverted to heathenism (their old way). So
Allah (threatened them thus): 'On the day when we shall seize
you with a mighty grasp.' (4
4.16) And that was the day of the Battle of Badr. Allah's
saying "Lizama" (the punishment) refers to the day of Badr
Allah's Statement: AlifLamMim, the Romans have been
defeated, and they, after their defeat, will be victorious,'
(30.13) (This verse): Indicates that the defeat of Byzantine
has already passed.
6.333:
Narrated Masruq:
We came upon `Abdullah bin Mas`ud and he said "O people! If
somebody knows something, he can say it, but if he does not
know it, he should say, "Allah knows better,' for it is a sign
of having knowledge to say about something which one does not
know, 'Allah knows better.' Allah said to His Prophet: 'Say (O
Muhammad ! ) No wage do I ask of You for this (Qur'an) nor am
I one of the pretenders (a person who pretends things which do
not exist).' (38.86) Now I will tell you about AdDukhan (the
smoke), Allah's Apostle invited the Quraish to embrace Islam,
but they delayed their response. So he said, "O Allah! Help me
against them by sending on them seven years of famine similar
to the seven years of famine of Joseph." So the famine year
overtook them and everything was destroyed till they ate dead
animals and skins. People started imagining to see smoke
between them and the sky because of severe hunger. Allah said:
'Then watch you for the Day that the sky will bring forth a
kind of smoke plainly visible, covering the people. . . This
is painful torment.' (4
4.1011) (So they invoked Allah) "Our Lord! Remove the
punishment from us really we are believers." How can there be
an (effectual) reminder for them when an Apostle, explaining
things clearly, has already come to them? Then they had turned
away from him and said: 'One taught (by a human being), a
madman?' 'We shall indeed remove punishment for a while, but
truly, you will revert (to disbelief).' (4
4.1215) Will the punishment be removed on the Day of
Resurrection?" `Abdullah added, "The punishment was removed
from them for a while but they reverted to disbelief, so Allah
destroyed them on the Day of Badr. Allah said: 'The day We
shall seize you with a mighty grasp. We will indeed (then)
exact retribution." (4
4.16)
6.346:
Narrated `Abdullah: It (i.e., the imagined smoke) was because,
when the Quraish refused to obey the Prophet, he asked Allah
to afflict them with years of famine similar to those of
(Prophet) Joseph. So they were stricken with famine and
fatigue, so much so that they ate even bones. A man would look
towards the sky and imagine seeing something like smoke
between him and the sky because of extreme fatigue. So Allah
revealed: 'Then watch you for the Day that the sky will
bring forth a kind of smoke plainly visible, covering the
people; this is a painfull of torment.' (4
4.1011) Then someone (Abu Sufyan) came to Allah's Apostle and
said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah to send rain for the
tribes of Mudar for they are on the verge of destruction." On
that the Prophet said (astonishingly) "Shall I invoke Allah)
for the tribes of Mudar? Verily, you are a brave man!" But the
Prophet prayed for rain and it rained for them. Then the Verse
was revealed. 'But truly you will return (to disbelief).' (4
4.15) (When the famine was over and) they restored prosperity
and welfare, they reverted to their ways (of heathenism)
whereupon Allah revealed: 'On the Day when We shall seize you
with a Mighty Grasp. We will indeed (then) exact retribution.'
(4
4.16) The narrator said, "That was the day of the Battle of
Badr."
6:349:

7.623:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Some people from the tribes of `Ukl
and `Uraina came to Allah's Apostle and embraced Islam and
said, "O Allah's Apostle! We are owners of livestock and have
never been farmers," and they found the climate of Medina
unsuitable for them. So Allah's Apostle ordered that they be
given some camels and a shepherd, and ordered them to go out
with those camels and drink their milk and urine. So they set
out, but when they reached a place called AlHarra, they
reverted to disbelief after their conversion to Islam, killed
the shepherd and drove away the camels. When this news reached
the Prophet he sent in their pursuit (and they were caught and
brought). The Prophet ordered that their eyes be branded with
heated iron bars and their hands be cut off, and they were
left at AlHarra till they died in that state.

8.67:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "None will have the
sweetness (delight) of Faith (a) till he loves a person and
loves him only for Allah's sake, (b) and till it becomes
dearer to him to be thrown in the fire than to revert to
disbelief (Heathenism) after Allah has brought him out of it,
(c) and till Allah and His Apostle become dearer to him than
anything else."

8.585:
Narrated Abu Hazim from Sahl bin Sa`d: The Prophet said, "I am
your predecessor (forerunner) at the LakeFount, and whoever
will pass by there, he will drink from it and whoever will
drink from it, he will never be thirsty. There will come to me
some people whom I will recognize, and they will recognize me,
but a barrier will be placed between me and them." Abu Hazim
added: AnNu`man bin Abi `Aiyash, on hearing me, said. "Did
you hear this from Sahl?" I said, "Yes." He said, " I bear
witness that I heard Abu Sa`id AlKhudri saying the same,
adding that the Prophet said: 'I will say: They are of me
(i.e. my followers). It will be said, 'You do not know what
they innovated (new things) in the religion after you left'. I
will say, 'Far removed, far removed (from mercy), those who
changed (their religion) after me." Abu Huraira narrated that
the Prophet said, "On the Day of Resurrection a group of
companions will come to me, but will be driven away from the
LakeFount, and I will say, 'O Lord (those are) my
companions!' It will be said, 'You have no knowledge as to
what they innovated after you left; they turned apostate as
renegades (reverted from Islam).

8.586:
Narrated Ibn AlMusaiyab: The companions of the Prophet said,
"Some men from my companions will come to my LakeFount and
they will be driven away from it, and I will say, 'O Lord, my
companions!' It will be said, 'You have no knowledge of what
they innovated after you left: they turned apostate as
renegades (reverted from Islam).
8.776:
Narrated `Abdullah: Allah Apostle said in HajjatalWada`,
"Which month (of the year) do you think is most sacred?" The
people said, "This current month of ours (the month of
DhullHijja)." He said, "Which town (country) do you think is
the most sacred?" They said, "This city of ours (Mecca)." He
said, "Which day do you think is the most sacred?" The people
said, "This day of ours." He then said, "Allah, the Blessed,
the Supreme, has made your blood, your property and your honor
as sacred as this day of yours in this town of yours, in this
month of yours (and such protection cannot be slighted) except
rightfully." He then said thrice, "Have I conveyed Allah's
Message (to you)?" The people answered him each time saying,
'Yes." The Prophet added, 'May Allah be merciful to you (or,
woe on you)! Do not revert to disbelief after me by cutting
the necks of each other.'
8.794:
Narrated Anas:
Some people from the tribe of `Ukl came to the Prophet and
embraced Islam. The climate of Medina did not suit them, so
the Prophet ordered them to go to the (herd of milch) camels
of charity and to drink, their milk and urine (as a medicine).
They did so, and after they had recovered from their ailment
(became healthy) they turned renegades (reverted from Islam)
and killed the shepherd of the camels and took the camels
away. The Prophet sent (some people) in their pursuit and so
they were (caught and) brought, and the Prophets ordered that
their hands and legs should be cut off and that their eyes
should be branded with heated pieces of iron, and that their
cut hands and legs should not be cauterized, till they die.
8.797:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: A group of people from `Ukl (or
`Uraina) tribe but I think he said that they were from
`Ukl came to Medina and (they became ill, so) the Prophet
ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch) shecamels and told
them to go out and drink the camels' urine and milk (as a
medicine). So they went and drank it, and when they became
healthy, they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels.
This news reached the Prophet early in the morning, so he sent
(some) men in their pursuit and they were captured and brought
to the Prophet before midday. He ordered to cut off their
hands and legs and their eyes to be branded with heated iron
pieces and they were thrown at AlHarra, and when they asked
for water to drink, they were not given water. (Abu Qilaba
said, "Those were the people who committed theft and murder
and reverted to disbelief after being believers (Muslims), and
fought against Allah and His Apostle").
9.17:
Narrated `Abdullah: Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a
Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped
but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in
three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits
illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam
(apostate) and leaves the Muslims."
9.59:
Narrated Abu Huraira: When the Prophet died and Abu Bakr
became his successor and some of the Arabs reverted to
disbelief, `Umar said, "O Abu Bakr! How can you fight these
people although Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been ordered to
fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be
worshipped but Allah, 'and whoever said, 'None has the right
to be worshipped but Allah', Allah will save his property and
his life from me, unless (he does something for which he
receives legal punishment) justly, and his account will be
with Allah?' "Abu Bakr said, "By Allah! I will fight whoever
differentiates between prayers and Zakat as Zakat is the right
to be taken from property (according to Allah's Orders). By
Allah! If they refused to pay me even a kid they used to pay
to Allah's Apostle, I would fight with them for withholding
it." `Umar said, "By Allah: It was nothing, but I noticed that
Allah opened Abu Bakr's chest towards the decision to fight,
therefore I realized that his decision was right."
9.74:
Narrated Anas:
Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever possesses the (following) three
qualities will have the sweetness of faith (1): The one to
whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else;
(2) Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's Sake;
(3) who hates to revert to atheism (disbelief) as he hates to
be thrown into the Fire."
9.75:
Narrated Qais: I heard Sa`id bin Zaid saying, "I have seen myself tied and
forced by `Umar to leave Islam (Before `Umar himself embraced Islam).
And if the mountain of Uhud were to collapse for the evil which you
people had done to `Uthman, then Uhud would have the right to do so."
(See Hadith No. 202, Vol. 5)
9.76: Narrated Khabbab bin AlArt: We complained to Allah's Apostle
(about our state) while he was leaning against his sheet cloak in the
shade of the Ka`ba. We said, "Will you ask Allah to help us? Will you
invoke Allah for us?" He said, "Among those who were before you a
(believer) used to be seized and, a pit used to be dug for him and then
he used to be placed in it. Then a saw used to be brought and put on his
head which would be split into two halves. His flesh might be combed
with iron combs and removed from his bones, yet, all that did not cause
him to revert from his religion. By Allah! This religion (Islam) will be
completed (and triumph) till a rider (traveler) goes from San`a' (the
capital of Yemen) to Hadramout fearing nobody except Allah and the
wolf lest it should trouble his sheep, but you are impatient." (See Hadith
No. 191, Vol. 5)
Sahih Muslim
Chapter 9: COMMAND FOR FIGHTING AGAINST THE PEOPLE SO
LONG AS THEY DO NOT PROFESS THAT THERE IS NO GOD BUT
ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER
Book 1, Number 0029:
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that when the Messenger of Allah
(may
peace be upon him) breathed his last and Abu Bakr was appointed as his
successor
(Caliph), those amongst the Arabs who wanted to become apostates became
apostates. 'Umar b. Khattab said to Abu Bakr: Why would you fight against the
people, when the Messenger of Allah declared : I have been directed to fight
against
people so long as they do not say: There is no god but Allah, and he who
professed
it was granted full protection of his property and life on my behalf except for a
right?
His (other) affairs rest with Allah. Upon this Abu Bakr said: By Allah, I would
14
definitely fight against him who severed prayer from Zakat, for it is the obligation
upon the rich. By Allah, I would fight against them even to secure the cord (used
for
hobbling the feet of a camel) which they used to give to the Messenger of Allah
(as
zakat) but now they have withheld it. Umar b. Khattab remarked: By Allah, I
found
nothing but the fact that Allah had opened the heart of Abu Bakr for (perceiving
the
justification of) fighting (against those who refused to pay Zakat) and I fully
recognized that the (stand of Abu Bakr) was right.

Chapter 2 : PERTAINING TO THE COMBATANTS AND APOSTATES
Book 16, Number 4130:
Anas b. Malik reported that some people belonging (to the tribe) of 'Uraina came
to
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) at Medina, but they found its
climate
uncogenial. So Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to them: If you
so
like, you may go to the camels of Sadaqa and drink their milk and urine. They did
so
and were all right. They then fell upon the shepherds and killed them and turned
apostates from Islam and drove off the camels of the Prophet (may peace be
upon
him). This news reached Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and he sent
(people) on their track and they were (brought) and handed over to him. He (the
Holy
Prophet) got their hands cut off, and their feet, and put out their eyes, and threw
them on the stony ground until they died.
Book 16, Number 4131:
Anas reported: Eight men of the tribe of 'Ukl came to Allah's Messenger (may
peace
be upon him) and swore allegiance to him on Islam, but found the climate of that
land uncogenial to their health and thus they became sick, and they made
complaint
of that to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), and he said: Why don't
you
go to (the fold) of our camels along with our shepherd, and make use of their milk
and urine. They said: Yes. They set out and drank their (camels') milk and urine
and
regained their health. They killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. This
(news) reached Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and he sent them
on
their track and they were caught and brought to him (the Holy Prophet). He
commanded about them, and (thus) their hands and feet were cut off and their
eyes
were gouged and then they were thrown in the sun, until they died.
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Ibn al-Sabbah with a slight
variation of words.
Book 16, Number 4132:
Anas b. Malik reported that some people of the tribe of 'Ukl or 'Uraina came to
Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him), and they found the climate of Medina
uncogenial. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanded them to
the
milch she-camels and commanded them to drink their urine and their milk. The
rest
of the hadith is the same (and the concluding words are): "Their eyes were
pierced,
and they were thrown on the stony ground. They were asking for water, but they
were not given water."
Chapter 19 : IT IS FORBIDDEN TO A MUHAJIR TO RETURN TO HIS
NATIVE PLACE FOR THE PURPOSE OF RESETTLING THERE
1022
Book 20, Number 4593:
It has been narrated by Salama b. al-Akwa' that he visited al-Hajjaj who said to
him:
O son of al-Akwa', you have turned apostate and have come to live again in the
desert with the Bedouins (after your migration). He said: No, but the Messenger
of
Allah (may peace be upon him) has permitted me to live in the desert.



Why is the apostate to be executed in Islam?
As a non Muslim, I find myself Intrigued and attracted to your faith.
However, I find it difficult to comprehend how a man can be sentenced
to death for speaking( Salman Rushdie). I would have thought that we
as humans do not have that right to make those decisions, only god can?
Praise be to Allaah.
We thank you for your confidence in us and for sending this question to
us, and we appreciate your being intrigued by our beliefs and your
eagerness to find out the answer. We welcome you as a visitor and
reader and learner.
What stood out from your letter is that you are impressed with the
religion of Islam. This is a good sign for us and for you. We are happy for
our religion to reach people like you who are seeking for the truth. Our
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that this
religion would reach all places on this earth. It was narrated that
Tameem al-Daari said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: This matter (i.e., Islam) will
certainly reach everywhere that night and day reach, and Allaah will not
leave any house or tent [i.e., all dwellings, in towns and in the desert],
but Allaah will cause this religion to enter it, and some people will be
honoured because of it [by converting] and others will be humiliated
because of it [for refusing to embrace it], and they will be ruled by the
Muslims, an honour which Allaah will bestow on Islam and a
humiliation which He will inflict on kufr (disbelief).
(Narrated by Ahmad, 16344; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-
Silsilah al-Saheehah, 3).
In your case, your admiration for Islam will motivate you to find out
what this pure monotheistic religion teaches, and how it is in
accordance with sound human nature and common sense. We advise
you to avoid completely and preconceptions that may influence you and
take your time in reading about the teachings of the Islamic religion.
Perhaps you could read material on this site about Islam, such as
questions no. 219, 21613, 20756, 10590.
With regard to your question, However, I find it difficult to
comprehend how a man can be sentenced to death for speaking. I would
have thought that we as humans do not have that right to make those
decisions, only god can what you say is correct, because no-one has
the right to condemn another person to death without evidence from
the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
The ruling of execution because of a word that somebody utters is what
the Muslim scholars call al-riddah (apostasy). What is apostasy and
what constitutes apostasy? What is the ruling on the apostate (al-
murtadd)?
1 Riddah (apostasy) refers to when a Muslim becomes a disbeliever by
saying a clear statement to that effect, or by uttering words which imply
that (i.e., which imply kufr or disbelief), or he does something that
implies that (i.e., an action which implies kufr or disbelief).
2 What constitutes apostasy
The matters which constitute apostasy are divided into four categories:
(a) Apostasy in beliefs, such as associating others with Allaah,
denying Him, or denying an attribute which is proven to be one of
His attributes, or by affirming that Allaah has a son. Whoever
believes that is an apostate and a disbeliever.
(b) Apostasy in words, such as insulting Allaah or the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
(c) Apostasy in actions, such as throwing the Quran into a filthy
place, because doing that shows disrespect towards the words of
Allaah, so it is a sign that one does not believe. Other such actions
include prostrating to an idol or to the sun or moon.
(d) Apostasy by omission, such as not doing any of the rituals of
Islam, or turning away from following it altogether.
3 What is the ruling on the apostate?
If a Muslim apostatizes and meets the conditions of apostasy i.e., he is
of sound mind, an adult and does that of his own free will then his
blood may be shed with impunity. He is to be executed by the Muslim
ruler or by his deputy such as the qaadi or judge, and he is not to not
be washed (after death, in preparation for burial), the funeral prayer is
not to be offered for him and he is not to be buried with the Muslims.
The evidence that the apostate is to be executed is the words of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): Whoever changes
his religion, execute him. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2794). What is
meant by religion here is Islam (i.e., whoever changes from Islam to
another religion).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: It is not
permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who bears witness that there
is no god except Allaah and that I am His Messenger, except in one of
three cases: a soul for a soul (i.e., in the case of murder); a married man
who commits adultery; and one who leaves his religion and splits form
the jamaaah (main group of Muslims). (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6878;
Muslim, 1676)
See al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah, 22/180.
Thus it will be clear to you that execution of the apostate is something
that is commanded by Allaah, when he commanded us to obey the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad),
and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority
[al-Nisa 4:59]
And the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) has commanded us to execute the apostate as in the hadeeth
quoted above: Whoever changes his religion, execute him.
It may need some time for you to be convinced about this matter, and
for you to think about it. Perhaps you think that if a person follows the
truth and enters into it and embraces the one true religion which Allaah
has enjoined, then we allow him to leave it quite easily whenever he
wants and to utter the words of kufr (disbelief) that put him outside of
Islam, so he can reject Allaah, His Messenger, His Books and His religion,
and there is no punishment as deterrent, how will that affect him and
others who enter the religion?
Do you not see that this would make the one true religion, that everyone
should follow, like a shop or store which a person can enter when he
wants and leave when he wants, and it may encourage others to forsake
the truth.
Moreover, this is not someone who has never known the truth and
practiced it and worshipped in accordance with it; rather this is a
person who has known the truth, and practiced the religion and done
the rituals of worship, so the punishment is no greater than he deserves.
Moreover, such strong rulings as this are only applied to such a person
whose life is no longer considered to be useful, because he knew the
truth and followed the religion, then he left it and forsook it. What soul
can be more evil than the soul of such a person?
In conclusion, the answer is that Allaah is the One Who revealed this
religion and enjoined it. He is the One Who ruled that the one who
enters it and then leaves it is to be executed. This ruling does not come
from the Muslims ideas or suggestions. As this is the case, then we must
follow the ruling of Allaah so long as we are content to accept Him as
our Lord and God.
May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and which pleases
Him. We thank you once again.
Peace be upon those who follow true guidance.

Punishment of the one who leaves Islaam
I am currently in a philosophy of religion class and my teacher is an
atheist. He claims that under an Islamic state if a born Muslim converts
to another religion he is killed. Please tell me if this is true.
Praise be to Allaah .

The punishment Ior apostasy (riddah) is well - known in Islaamic Sharee`ah.
The one who leaves Islaam will be asked to repent by the Sharee`ah judge in
a n Islaamic country; iI he does not repent and come back to the true religion,
he will be killed as a kaaIir and apostate, because oI the command oI the
Prophet (peace and blessings oI Allaah be upon him): "Whoever changes his
religion, kill him." (Reported by al - Bukhaari, 3017 .(

It is well - known in Sharee`ah that the punishments (hudood) are not carried
out on minors, because they have not yet reached the age oI responsibility;
but in the case oI those who have reached the age oI responsibility, the
punish ment (hadd) applies, without a doubt .

The person who knows the truth and believes in it, then turns his back on it,
does not deserve to live. The punishment Ior apostasy is prescribed Ior the
protection oI the religion and as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking oI
leaving Islaam. There is no doubt that such a serious crime must be met with
an equally weighty punishment. II the kuIIaar do not give people the
Ireedom to cross a red light, how can we give Ireedom to people to leave
Islaam and disbelieve in Allaah when they want to ?

It seems that the intention oI the teacher mentioned in the question was to
shock the students with news oI this ruling, in order to mislead them Irom
the way oI Allaah. You must respond and explain to him and the other
students as much as you can .
May Allaah make you and us bearers oI His Message and deIenders oI His
Sharee`ah
Ruling on one who reviles the religion of a Muslim
Is expiation required of one who reviles a Muslim, such as saying to a
Muslim May the religion of your mother be cursed [an Arabic form of
insulting or cursing]?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Reviling the faith or the religion or Islam is major kufr, according to
scholarly consensus. The one who does that should be asked to repent.
If he repents, all well and good, otherwise he should be executed. Allaah
forbid. See question no. 42505 and 65551.
With regard to reviling the religion of a particular Muslim person, such
as saying May your religion be cursed or May the religion of your
mother be cursed if his mother is a Muslim is also reviling the
religion, as appears to be the case, which is kufr as stated above. Some
of the scholars suggested that it may be interpreted differently, and that
what is referred to is the person and his religious commitment. This
may be based on circumstantial evidence. In this case he should be
punished and disciplined. In any case he should be asked to repent and
the matter should be discussed with him.
It says in al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah (24/139): The fuqaha are
unanimously agreed that the one who reviles Islam or the religion of the
Muslims is a kaafir. As for one who reviles the religion of a Muslim, the
Hanafis said, as mentioned in Jaami al-Fusooleen: The one who reviles
the religion of a Muslim should be denounced as a kaafir, but his insult
may be understood as referring to that persons bad attitude and bad
treatment of others, not Islam itself [because the word deen in the
phrase under discussion may refer to ones religion or to ones way and
conduct], in which case he should not be denounced as a kaafir. End
quote.
Shaykh Ulaysh al-Maaliki said: In it [in al-Barzali] there is another issue,
which is if a man ridicules the prayer and people who pray, and many
people testify against him, some of whom are credible witnesses and
some are not. If it is interpreted as ridiculing the worshippers because
he thinks ill of them, then it is to be regarded as reviling the Muslims, so
he should be disciplined as the judge sees fit. If it is interpreted as
ridiculing the worship itself, the correct view is that this is apostasy,
because he has done that openly and many people knew about that,
which is different than heresy, and the ruling on apostasy should be
applied. End quote.
I say: From this ruling it may be understood that the one who reviles
Islam or the religion or a madhhab is that this is often done by some of
the dregs of the common folk, such as donkey-drivers, camel-drivers
and servants, or it may be done by others. If he was referring to the
shareeah and the rulings that Allaah has prescribed for His slaves on
the lips of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then
he is definitely a kaafir. If he does that openly that then he is an apostate
who should be asked to repent; if he repents, all well and good,
otherwise he should be executed. If he does not do it openly then he is a
heretic who is to be executed even if he repents.
If he was referring to an individual person and his religious
commitment, then this is reviling a Muslim and he should be disciplined
as the judge sees fit. The two cases may be differentiated on the basis of
confession and circumstantial evidence. Some scholars said that the
ruling is the same in the second case as in the first. In al-Badr it is
narrated that Bahraam said concerning apostasy: If the one who does
not pray says to the one who tells him to pray: When you enter
Paradise, lock the door behind you if what he meant is that prayer has
no effect on ones religious commitment then he has apostatized,
according to scholarly consensus, but if he meant that the prayer of the
speaker has no effect because it does not stop him from committing
immoral and evil actions, then there are two views as to whether he is
an apostate. End quote.
It is well known that the Holy Quraan is also part of the religion, and
reviling it is kufr as was stated by al-Barzali in several places. End quote
from Fath al-Aliy al-Maalik fil-Fatwa ala Madhhab al-Imam Maalik
(2/346).
The other possibility that he mentioned may occur rarely, but the basic
principle is that cursing a persons religion is cursing Islam, and no one
would do that but a reckless person who is so audacious that he
transgresses the sacred limits of Allaah and commits this grave evil that
may lead to his doom. Because the other possibility is unlikely to be the
case when someone utters these words, Shaykh Ulaysh (may Allaah
have mercy on him) did not mention it anywhere else, when he was
asked: What do you say about a man who curses the religion of another,
and a man who curses his madhhab, or one who says to him, May
Allaah curse your madhhab, the madhhab of cats are they apostates?
I replied: Praise be to Allaah and blessings and peace be upon our
master Muhammad the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). Yes, they are apostates because of that, and they
deserve to be executed if they do not repent, according to scholarly
consensus, because reviling religion or a madhhab is only done by one
who is a kaafir, and because it is worse than belittling it which implies
kufr, and because it comes under the second category mentioned by Ibn
Abd al-Salaam, al-Qaraafi, Ibn Rushd and others. And Allaah, may He be
glorified and exalted, knows best, and may Allaah send blessings and
peace upon our Prophet Muhammad. End quote from Fath al-Aliy al-
Maalik (2/355).
Secondly:
The expiation for reviling whether one reviled the religion or the
person is sincere repentance. If a person repents, Allaah will accept his
repentance. Otherwise the one who reviled another deserves to be
punished and disciplined. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
was asked: What should be done to one who calls a Muslim a dog or a
pig and other bad words. Is he sinning?
He replied: Praise be to Allaah. He is sinning and he should be punished,
and he has to repent. And Allaah knows best. End quote from Fataawa
al-Nawawi, p. 224.
See also question no. 42505 for more information on the repentance of
one who reviles the religion.
And Allaah knows best.
Why should a person who disbelieves after becoming Muslim be
executed?
The punishment for the apostate is execution. Why such harshness?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The punishment for apostasy from the religion of Islam is execution.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a
disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter,
and they will be the dwellers of the Fire. They will abide therein
forever
[al-Baqarah 2:217]
And it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: Whoever changes his religion, execute him. Narrated
by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh. What this hadeeth means is that whoever
leaves Islam and changes to another religion and persists in that and
does not repent, is to be executed. It was also proven that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: It is not permissible
to shed the blood of a person who bears witness that there is no god but
Allaah and that I am the Messenger of Allaah except in three cases: a life
for a life, a previously-married person who commits adultery, and one
who leaves Islam and forsakes the jamaaah. Narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim.
This harsh punishment is for a number of reasons:
1 This punishment is a deterrent to anyone who wants to enter Islam
just to follow the crowd or for hypocritical purposes. This will motivate
him to examine the matter thoroughly and not to proceed unless he
understands the consequences of that in this world and in the Hereafter.
The one who announces his Islam has agreed to adhere to all the rulings
of Islam of his own free will and consent, one of which rulings is that he
is to be executed if he apostatizes from the faith.
2 The one who announces his Islam has joined the jamaaah (main
body) of the Muslims, and whoever joins the main body of the Muslims
is required to be completely loyal and to support it and protect it against
anything that may lead to fitnah or destroy it or cause division. Apostasy
from Islam means forsaking the jamaaah and its divine order, and has a
harmful effect on it. Execution is the greatest deterrent that will prevent
people from committing such a crime.
3 Those Muslims who are weak in faith and others who are against
Islam may think that the apostate has only left Islam because of what he
has found out about its real nature, because if it were the truth then he
would never have turned away from it. So they learn from him all the
doubts, lies and fabrications which are aimed at extinguishing the light
of Islam and putting people off from it. In this case executing the
apostate is obligatory, in order to protect the true religion from the
defamation of the liars and to protect the faith of its adherents and
remove obstacles from the path of those who are entering the faith.
4 We also say that the death penalty exists in the modern laws of man
to protect the system from disorder in some situation and to protect
society against certain crimes which may cause its disintegration, such
as drugs etc. If execution can serve as a deterrent to protect man-made
systems, then it is more appropriate that the true religion of Allaah,
which Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it [cf.
Fussilat 41:42], and which is all goodness, happiness and tranquility in
this world and in the Hereafter should punish those who commit acts of
aggression against it and seek to extinguish its light and defame its
image, and who fabricate lies against it to justify their apostasy and
deviation.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daaimah, 21/234-231.
He became Muslim then he left Islam
What is the Islamic ruling on someone who is a Muslim(who is in Islam)
but converts to some other religion later on???
Praise be to Allaah.
Apostasy (riddah) means disbelieving after being Muslim. There is no
bad deed that cancels out all good deeds apart from apostasy. If a
person dies in a state of apostasy all his good deeds will be wiped out,
but if he returns to Islam, the reward for his good deeds will be restored
and he does not have to make up any prayers or fasts that he missed
during the period of his apostasy.
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said:
With regard to apostasy from Islam, whereby a person becomes a kaafir,
whether a mushrik or a Jew or Christian, if he dies in that state then all
his good deeds will be wiped out, according to scholarly consensus, as
the Quraan says in more than one place. For example Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a
disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter
[al-Baqarah 2:217]
And whosoever disbelieves in Faith, [i.e. in the Oneness of Allaah and in
all the other Articles of Faith i.e. His (Allaahs) Angels, His Holy Books,
His Messengers, the Day of Resurrection and Al-Qadar (Divine
Preordainments)], then fruitless is his work
[al-Maaidah 5:5]
But if they had joined in worship others with Allaah, all that they used
to do would have been of no benefit to them
[al-Anaam 6:88]
Majmoo al-Fataawa, 4/257, 268)
With regard to the shari rulings on apostates, if the apostate does not
return to Islam, he must be executed.
It was narrated that Abd-Allaah ibn Masood said: the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: It is not
permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who bears witness that there
is no god except Allaah and that I am the Messenger of Allaah except in
one of three cases: a soul for a soul (i.e., punishment for murder), a
married man or woman who commits adultery, and one who leaves his
religion and separates from the jamaaah (main body of Muslims).
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6484; Muslim, 1676
It was narrated that Ibn Abbaas said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever changes his
religion, execute him.
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6922).
Then if he is executed, he has died as a kaafir, so he is not to be washed
or shrouded; the funeral prayer is not to be offered for him, and he is
not to be buried in the Muslim graveyard. On the Day of Resurrection he
will be one of the people of Hell who will abide therein for eternity.
The earth rejected the body of an apostate during the time of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as a lesson and a
warning to the onlookers.
It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: There
was a Christian man who became Muslim. He used to recite al-Baqarah
and Aal Imraan, and he used to write down (the revelation) for the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he returned
to Christianity and he used to say, Muhammad knows nothing but what
I have written for him. Then Allah caused him to die, and the people
buried him, but in the morning they saw that the earth had thrown his
body out. They said, This is the doing of Muhammad and his
companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body
out of it because he had run away
from them. They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning
they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, This
is the doing of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of
our companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from
them. They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the
morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they
realized that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and
they had to leave him thrown (on the ground).
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3421; Muslim, 2781.
And Allaah knows best.

Can the repentance of a practitioner of witchcraft and one who fell
into apostasy be accepted?
I have read on your website that a repenting person should hope that
his repentance will be accepted but he cannot be sure it will be
accepted. Can one hope his repentance may be accepted if he
disbelieved then returned to Islam and asked for Allahs forgiveness,
especially that his apostasy was due to practicing witchcraft? If the
answer is that he should just hope, then is he hoping that his repentance
is accepted similar to the doubt in hypocrites hearts especially that this
doubt is regarding faith, not regarding repentance being accepted or not
of any sin but disbelieving. Please answer my question quickly; I am too
afraid that, by Allah, I cannot sleep.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a person falls into kufr or apostasy, then repents to Allaah and comes
to Islam sincerely, Allaah will accept his repentance and turn his bad
deeds into good deeds, as He has promised, and Allaah does not break
His promise.
It is not right for a person to doubt this. A number of scholars have
clearly stated that repentance from kufr is definitely accepted, unlike
repentance from sins, as some said it is definitely accepted and some
said it may or may not be accepted.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: The
repentance of the kaafir from his kufr is definitely accepted, but is any
other kind of repentance definitely accepted or likely to be accepted?
There is a difference of opinion among Ahl al-Sunnah concerning that,
and Imam al-Haramayn was of the view that it is likely, and this is the
more correct view. And Allaah knows best. End quote.
Al-Iraqi said in Tarh al-Tathreeb (8/40): Repentance expiates for major
sins, and there is consensus on that. But is its expiation definite or
likely? With regard to repentance from kufr, it is definite, but with
regard to other major sins, the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah disagreed. Al-
Nawawi said: The strongest view is that it is likely. The Mutazilah were
of the view that repentance should be accepted on the basis of reason
(as it was their way to refer everything to reason).
Abul-Abbaas al-Qurtubi said: What I say is that the one who studies
shareeah on the basis of Qur'aan and Sunnah, and follows what is in
them with regard this topic knows for certain that Allaah accepts the
repentance of those who are sincere. End quote.
Ibn Ashoor said in al-Tahreer wal-Tanweer (1/914): The scholars of
Ahl al-Sunnah fall into two groups: One group is of the view that
repentance is definitely accepted because there are reports to support
that. The large number of reports indicates that this is definitive. End
quote.
To sum up: the one who repents from kufr and apostasy should be
optimistic, because Islam erases whatever came before it, as the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Amr ibn al-Aas
(may Allaah be pleased with him): Do you not know that Islam destroys
whatever came before it? Narrated by Muslim (121).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
How shall Allaah guide a people who disbelieved after their Belief and
after they bore witness that the Messenger (Muhammad
) is true and after clear proofs had come unto them? And Allaah
guides not the people who are Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers).
87. They are those whose recompense is that on them (rests) the Curse
of Allaah, of the angels, and of all mankind.
88. They will abide therein (Hell). Neither will their torment be
lightened, nor will it be delayed or postponed (for a while).
89. Except for those who repent after that and do righteous deeds.
Verily, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
[Aal- Imraan 3:86-89]
This includes one whose kufr involved the practice of witchcraft. If he
repents to Allaah, Allaah will accept his repentance. This is a matter that
is between him and his Lord. As for acceptance of the magicians
repentance in this world, that is subject to further discussion, as has
been explained in the answer to question no. 69914.
With regard to hoping that repentance is accepted without being certain
of it, that has to do with repentance from sins that are less serious than
kufr. This means that the person still fears that his repentance may not
have been accepted, but he hopes that his Lord will accept it. That does
not mean that he should doubt that his faith is accepted or that his
doubt is like the doubt of the hypocrites, rather he is certain of his faith,
but he fears that Allaah may punish him for his sins if He does not
accept his repentance.
What you should do is turn to Allaah and keep yourself busy with
obeying and worshipping Him, and think positively of Him. You should
know that He accepts those who repent to Him and He honours those
who obey Him, and He loves those who seek His forgiveness; He rejoices
over those who come back to Him, and He draws them close to Him and
grants them happiness and opens their hearts and fills their hearts with
light; He endears to them obedience and remembrance of Him. So strive
to be one of them, and do not pay any attention to the whispers of the
shaytaan, because he wants to put people off from repenting and make
them despair, so that they will carry on in their misguidance. He says to
people: how can Allaah accept your repentance when you did such and
such? Why make it hard on yourself when you are going to be rejected
anyway? This is part of his lies and tricks and misguidance. Allaah is
more merciful towards His slave than a mother is towards her child.
Hence He has made it easy to repent and has increased the reward of
the penitent, and He stretches forth His hand by night to accept the
repentance of the one who sinned during the day, and He stretches forth
His hand during the day to accept the repentance of the one who sinned
during the night.
So repent to Allaah and be optimistic of goodness and success.
May Allaah increase us and you in guidance, help, prosperity and
success.
And Allaah knows best.
Why death is the punishment for Apostasy
Alslamualik

This question has bees asked several time from non-Muslims and I want
to find an answer: Why When the Muslim convert to another
religion(Murtad) he/she should be killed?

Praise be to Allaah .

Your question may be answered by the following points :

) 1 ( This is the ruling of Allaah and His Messenger, as the Prophet
) peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Wh oever changes
his religion, kill him." (reported by al - Bukhaari, al - Fath, no. 3017 .(
) 2 ( The one who has known the religion which Allaah revealed,
entered it and practised it, then rejected it, despised it and left it, is a
person who does not deserve to l ive on the earth of Allaah and eat
from the provision of Allaah .
) 3 ( By leaving slaam, the apostate opens the way for everyone who
wants to leave the faith, thus spreading apostasy and encouraging it .
) 4 ( The apostate is not to be killed without warning . Even though his
crime is so great, he is given a last chance, a respite of three days in
which to repent. f he repents, he will be left alone; if he does not
repent, then he will be killed .
) 5 ( f the punishment for murder and espionage (also known as hig h
treason) is death, then what should be the punishment for the one
who disbelieves in the Lord of mankind and despises and rejects His
religion? s espionage or shedding blood worse than leaving the
religion of the Lord of mankind and rejecting it ?
) 6 ( No ne of those who bleat about personal freedom and freedom of
belief would put up with a neighbour's child hitting their child or justify
this as "personal freedom," so how can they justify leaving the true
religion and rejecting the sharee'ah which Allaah r evealed to teach
mankind about His unity and bring justice and fairness to all ?
We ask Allaah for safety and health. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad .


Effect of apostasy on marriage before and after consummation
If a person apostatises from Islam -- Allah forbid -- and then comes back
to Islam before the end of the iddah period and without anyone
knowing about this matter, does his wife become permissible for him
without renewing the marriage contract? Does this count as one divorce
(talaaq)? If he had not consummated the marriage with his wife and he
apostatised -- Allah forbid - - does his wife become irrevocably divorced
from him straight away regardless of whether he comes back to Islam?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If the husband does or says something that implies apostasy from Islam,
such as reviling Allah (may He be exalted) or reviling His Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or denying something that is
well known to be a basic matter of Islam -- if that happens before
consummating the marriage, then the marriage is annulled straight
away.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If one of the
spouses apostatises before consummation of the marriage, the marriage
is annulled according to most scholars. But it was narrated from
Dawood that (marriage) is not annulled by apostasy, because the basic
principle is that the marriage remains as it is. But Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning): Likewise hold not the disbelieving
women as wives [al-Mumtahanah 60:10] and send them [believing
women] not back to the disbelievers. They are not lawful (wives) for the
disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them [al-
Mumtahanah 60:10]. The difference in religion means that intimacy is
not permissible, which inevitably means annulling the marriage, as is
also the case if a woman becomes Muslim whilst married to a kaafir.
End quote from al-Mughni, 7/133
It apostasy occurs after consummation, should they be separated
immediately or should separation be delayed until the end of the
iddah?
There is a difference of opinion among the fuqaha concerning this.
The view of the Shafaais, and the correct view according to the
Hanbalis, is that if he comes back to Islam before his wifes iddah ends,
then the marriage remains as is. If the iddah ends before he comes back
to Islam, then separation takes place and he cannot go back to his wife
except with a new marriage contract.
The view of the Hanafis and Maalikis is that apostasy means that they
must be separated immediately, even if that is after consummation of
the marriage. See: al-Mughni, 7/133; al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah,
22/198; al-Insaaf, 8/216; Kashshaaf al-Qinaa, 5/121; Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj,
7/328; al-Fataawa al-Hindiyyah, 1/339; Haashiyat al-Dasooqi, 2/270.
Some of the scholars say that if he repents after the iddah ends, he may
go back to his wife if she agrees to that and she has not married
someone else.
See: Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam by Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, p. 279, as well
as the answer to question no. 21690.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: To sum up,
one of three scenarios must apply in the case of the husband who gives
up prayer:
(i) If that happens before the marriage contract is done, the
marriage is not valid and the wife does not become permissible
thereby.
(ii) If that happens after the marriage contract is done and
before the marriage is consummated or the couple spends time
alone together, which would make the iddah obligatory, the
marriage is annulled as soon as he gives up prayer.
(iii) If that happens after the marriage was consummated or the
couple spent time alone together, which would make the iddah
obligatory, it depends on whether the iddah has ended or not.
If he repents and begins to pray before the end of the iddah,
then she is still his wife, but if he does not do that, then when
the iddah ends, the marriage is annulled from the time he
apostatised -- Allah forbid. In that case, if he comes back to
Islam, (according to some scholars) he may take her back if he
wants or (according to other scholars) he may not. There is a
difference of opinion among the scholars concerning this issue.
End quote from Fataawa Noor ala al-Darb.
Secondly:
The annulment that takes place because of apostasy is not regarded as
being talaaq (divorce) according to the majority of fuqaha.
It says in al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah (7/34): If one of them apostatises
before the marriage is consummated, then the marriage is annulled
immediately and neither of them can inherit from the other.
If that occurred after the marriage has been consummated, the Shaafais
say -- and this is also narrated in one report by the Hanbalis -- they
should be separated until the end of the iddah. If he comes back to
Islam before the iddah ends, then the marriage remains valid, but if he
does not come back to Islam, the marriage is annulled with no divorce
(talaaq)
Abu Haneefah and Abu Yoosuf said -- and it is also narrated in one
report by the Hanbalis -- that the apostasy of one of the spouses annuls
the marriage immediately, and that does not count as a talaaq divorce,
whether it occurs before consummation or afterwards.
The Maalikis said, and this is also the view of Muhammad ibn al-
Hanafiyyah: If one of the spouses apostatises, the marriage is annulled
with an irrevocable divorce (talaaq). End quote.
And Allah knows best.

Some of the rulings on apostasy and apostates
I am happy to have found this website of yours. I was born a Muslim and
I learned a lot of Islamic teachings after I reached adolescence. I am
trying to understand my religion.
I have read in some of your answers on the issue of apostasy that the
punishment for the apostate is to be put to death. But I have read on
another website that the apostate who is to be put to death is the one
who wages war on Islam (muhaarib).
I am more inclined towards the second opinion.
The reason for that is that I have friends who were born in Muslim
families and who have Muslim names, but some of them do not know
how to do wudoo or how to pray, but they acknowledge the
Shahaadatayn.
Can we regard these people as apostates and thus put them to death?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The Muslim should not incline more towards one scholarly opinion
rather than another just because it is in accordance with his whims and
desires or his reasoning. Rather he has to accept the ruling based on
evidence from the Quraan and Sunnah. It is essential to put the texts
and rulings of shareeah before all else.
Secondly:
Apostasy (riddah) and going out of Islam are things that may be done in
the heart, on the tongue or in one's actions.
Apostasy may take place in the heart, such as disbelieving in Allaah, or
believing that there is another creator alongside Allaah, or hating Allaah
or His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Apostasy may take the form of words spoken on the tongue, such as
defaming Allaah or the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
Or apostasy may take the form of outward physical actions, such as
prostrating to an idol, mistreating the Mus-haf, or not praying.
The apostate (murtadd) is worse than one who is a kaafir in the first
place.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, refuting the pantheistic belief of the
Baatinis:
It is well known that the kaafir Tatars are better than these (Baatinis),
because the latter are apostates from Islam, of the worst type of
apostates. The apostate is worse than one who is a kaafir in the first
place in many aspects.
Majmoo al-Fataawa, 1/193
Secondly:
Not every Muslim who falls into kufr is a kaafir and apostate. There are
reasons why a Muslim may be excused and not judged to be a kaafir, for
example: ignorance, misunderstanding, being forced, and making
mistakes.
With regard to the first, a man may be ignorant of the ruling of Allaah,
because he lives far from the Muslim lands, such as one who grows up in
the desert or in a kaafir land, or has only recently come to Islam. This
may include many of those Muslims who live in societies where
ignorance prevails and knowledge is scarce. These are the ones
concerning whom the questioner is confused as to whether they are to
be judged as kaafirs and executed.
The second reason is if a person interprets the ruling of Allaah in a
manner not intended by the Lawgiver, such as those who blindly follow
the people of bidah (innovation) in their misinterpretations, such as the
Murjiah, Mutazilah, Khawaarij and the like.
The third reason is if an oppressor overwhelms a Muslim and will not
let him go until he makes a blatant statement of kufr out loud in order to
ward off the torture, when his heart is at ease with faith.
The fourth is when words of kufr come to one's lips without meaning it.
Not everyone who is ignorant about wudoo and prayer can be excused,
when he seed the Muslims establishing prayer and praying regularly,
and he can read and hear the verses on prayer. What is preventing him
from praying or from asking about how it is done and what its essential
conditions are?
Fourthly:
The apostate is not to be put to death immediately after he falls into
apostasy, especially if his apostasy happens because of some doubt that
arose. Rather he should be asked to repent and he should be offered the
opportunity to return to Islam and resolve his doubts, if he has any
doubts. Then if he persists in his apostasy after that, he is to be put to
death.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni, 9/18:
The apostate should not be put to death until he has been asked to
repent three times. This is the view of the majority of scholars, including
Umar, Ali, Ata, al-Nakhaii, Maalik, al-Thawri, al-Awzaai, Ishaaq and
others. Because apostasy comes about because of doubt, and cannot be
dispelled in an instant. Time should be allowed for the person to rethink
the matter, and the best length of time is three days.
End quote.
The saheeh Sunnah indicates that it is essential to put the apostate to
death.
Al-Bukhaari (6922) narrated that Ibn Abbaas said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever
changes his religion, put him to death.
Al-Bukhaari (6484) and Muslim (1676) narrated that Abd-Allaah ibn
Masood said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who
bears witness that there is no god except Allaah and that I am the
Messenger of Allaah, except in one of three cases: a soul for a soul (i.e.,
in the case of murder); a previously-married person who commits zina;
and one who leaves his religion and separates from the main body of the
Muslims.
The general meaning of these ahaadeeth indicates that it is essential to
put the apostate to death whether he is waging war on Islam
(muhaarib) or not.
The view that the apostate who is to be put to death is the one who is
waging war on Islam (muhaarib) only is contrary to these ahaadeeth.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that the
reason why he should be put to death is his apostasy, not his waging
war against Islam.
Undoubtedly some kinds of apostasy are more abhorrent than others,
and the apostasy of one who wages war against Islam is more abhorrent
than that of anyone else. Hence some of the scholars differentiated
between them, and said that it is not essential to ask the muhaarib to
repent or to accept his repentance; rather he should be put to death
even if he repents, whereas the repentance of one who is not a
muhaarib should be accepted and he should not be put to death. This is
the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him).
He said:
Apostasy is of two types: ordinary apostasy and extreme apostasy, for
which execution is prescribed. In both cases there is evidence that it is
essential to execute the apostate, but the evidence indicating that the
sentence of death may be waived if the person repents does not apply to
both types of apostasy. Rather the evidence indicates that that is
allowed only in the first case i.e., ordinary apostasy as will be clear to
anyone who studies the evidence that speaks about accepting the
repentance of the apostate. In the second type i.e., extreme apostasy
the obligation to put the apostate to death still stands, and there is no
text or scholarly consensus to indicate that the death sentence may be
waived. The two cases are quite different and there is no comparison
between them. It does not say in the Quraan or Sunnah, or according to
scholarly consensus, that everyone who apostatizes in word or deed
may be spared the death sentence if he repents after he is a captured
and tried. Rather the Quraan and Sunnah, and scholarly consensus,
differentiate between the different kinds of apostates.
Al-Saarim al-Maslool, 3/696
Al-Hallaaj was one of the most well known heretics who were put to
death without being asked to repent. Al-Qaadi Iyaad said:
The Maaliki fuqaha of Baghdad at the time of al-Muqtadir were
unanimously agreed that al-Hallaaj should be killed and crucified
because of his claim to divinity and his belief in incarnation, and his
saying I am al-Haqq [God], even though he outwardly appeared to
adhere to shareeah, and they did not accept his repentance.
Al-Shifa bi Tareef Huqooq al-Mustafa, 2/1091.
Based on this, it is clear that what the questioner says about the
apostate not being killed unless he is waging war on Islam is mistaken,
and the differentiation that we have quoted from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah may dispel any confusion and make the matter clearer.
Waging war against Islam is not limited only to fighting with weapons,
rather it may be done verbally such as defaming Islam or the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or attacking the Quraan,
and so on. Waging verbal war against Islam may be worse than waging
war against it with weapons in some cases.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
Muhaarabah (waging war against Islam) is of two types: physical and
verbal. Waging war verbally against Islam may be worse than waging
war physically as stated above hence the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to kill those who waged war
against Islam verbally, whilst letting off some of those who waged war
against Islam physically. This ruling is to be applied more strictly after
the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Mischief may be caused by physical action or by words, but the damage
caused by words is many times greater than that caused by physical
action; and the goodness achieved by words in reforming may be many
times greater than that achieved by physical action. It is proven that
waging war against Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) verbally is worse and the efforts on earth to
undermine religion by verbal means is more effective.
Al-Saarim al-Maslool, 3/735
Fifthly:
With regard to not praying, the correct view is that the one who does
not pray is a kaafir and an apostate. See question no. 5208.
And Allaah knows best.

Bukhari 84

Muslim Chapter 2 : PERTAINING TO THE COMBATANTS AND
APOSTATES