What do the Quran and Hadith really teach about Apostasy?
In the Quran
Most Quranic references deal with how God looks on apostates and how he is going to punish them in the Day of Judgment. The first verse has an indirect inference about apostasy, but nonetheless is used by Muslims as a basis for punishing apostates
The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter; Sura 5:33
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. Sura 3:90
Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief,- except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty. Sura 16:106
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 nor guide them on the way. Sura 4:137
In the Hadith
Ibn Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allah said, “Whoever changes his (Islamic) religion, kill him.” Al-Bukhary (number 6922)
Abd-Allah ibn Masood said: The Messenger of Allah said: “It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who bears witness that there is no god except Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, except in one of three cases: a soul (in case of murder); a married person who commits adultery; and one who leaves his religion and separates from the main body of Muslims.” Sahih Al Bukhary number 6484 and Sahih Muslim number 1676
How Does Islam Deal with Apostates?
An Apostate in Islam is a Muslim who rejects Islam after being either born into it or after embracing it as a convert from some other religion. An apostate is looked upon as worse than an infidel who has never professed faith in Allah and Mohammad as his prophet or in any way practiced Islam.
Apostasy in Islam is equal to treason. In Islam, politics and religion are inseparably intertwined. A famous fundamental expression in Islam says it all, “Islam is a religion and a state.” It is obvious that treason within Islam has spiritual and cultural dimensions. It does not write-off the public rejection of its fundamentals as merely private matters of personal preference in regard to religion. Such actions are viewed as bad influences on Islamic societies as a whole that could escalate into widespread seditions. That is why they deal with it so harshly.
Apostasy within Islam can encompass thoughts of the heart, words spoken and deeds. An example of apostasy of the heart would be most anything that might indicate disbelief in the supremacy of Allah. Apostasy of the tongue would be any words that question the authenticity of the Quran and the tenets of Islam. Serious infractions such as praying to idols, treating the Quran in a casual/disrespectful manner and ceasing to recite one’s 5 daily prayer sessions can be quickly deemed as apostasy by deeds.
There are a few types of situations in which Muslims would not be counted as liable for rejecting the faith. Ignorant mistakes, misunderstandings about Sharia Law and instances of coercion to renounce Islam would fall into this category. The principle of Al Taqeyya makes the provision that any Muslim, who renounces Allah and/or his prophet Mohammad to preserve his own life, is not guilty of apostasy. Such is solely permitted in situations wherein the Muslim was giving lip service as opposed to the true feelings of his heart. (See Sura 16:106)
Islam has two forms of apostasy; the ordinary and the extreme. The ordinary pertains to situations in which the perpetrators did not intend to bring harm and insults to Islam. Under such circumstances most schools of Muslim jurisprudence would give the guilty person three days to express repentance. Those who fail to do so can incur severe punishments including imprisonment, torture and execution. Those who are charged with extreme apostasy aren’t given opportunities to express repentance. There is no waiting period for anyone who is indicted for purposely attempting to bring harm or insults to Islam, the Quran, and Mohammad. We have heard of people executed by family members, Islamic city councils and through the auspices of National Religious-State Islamic governments. In recent years there have been reports of the aforementioned executions from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt and Afghanistan. Unquestionably, some have been carried out secretly in Western democracies.
The various sects within Islam normally have similar policies about the severity of verdicts for female apostates as they would for men. The only difference would be that Shafiites, Malikites and Hanbalites would punish the woman exactly as they punish the man; she would be given 3 days to repent or be executed. However, the Hanafites would be more lenient. They would permit a woman to serve out her sentence through life in prison until she either comes to repentance or dies.
-By Abdullah Al Araby
Topic: Apostasy In Islam (Read 2463 times)