Apostasy, and Compulsion in Religion

In the Name of Allah,

All praise due to Allah, in whose hands is my life, the Creator, the Sustainer.

I was sitting down in the Masjid after Maghrib yesterday absorbing the peace. Then, I saw one of my dear brother coming towards me. We greeted each other. I was talking to him about the benefits of reading tafsir instead of just reading the meaning of Quran.

All of a sudden, he asked me a string of questions that caught me off gaurd.

He said, "I was reading Surah Buqra, and Allah says that there is no compulsion in Religion, but yet I hear the scholars give fatwa of death for people leaving Islam. Why?"

I had researched that topic, and had the answer in the back of my head, but it did not come to me at that time, so I tried to give him explaination, but I saw that he wasn't satisfied with the answer. I told him that, if this is an order of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) then we don't have to understand before we follow it.

I would like to give him the correct answer, and others may be interested in it.

Islam can not be forced upon anyone, as everyone knows that. Similarly, if someone has decided to walk away from Islam, threatning him with punishment is same as compelling him towards Islam. We are not allowed to force, threaten, black mail, peer pressure anyone to become or stay muslim.

"Let there be no compulsion in religion" (Quran 2:256)

What is Apostasy?
In common terms, it means some one who denies after accepting. So, if a Muslim denies the oneness of God, and message brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH, that person is a Murtid (Apostate).

Once a person become becomes a Non-Muslim, we must treat him like one. Islam forbid us from killing Non-Muslim, unless they are threat to our existence, meaning as a self defence. Following hadith makes it very clear the Prophet (PBUH) didn't kill people who rejected his message.

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah:

A bedouin gave the Pledge of allegiance to Allah's Apostle for Islam. Then the bedouin got fever at Medina, came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Cancel my Pledge," But Allah's Apostle refused. Then he came to him (again) and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Cancel my Pledge." But the Prophet refused Then he came to him (again) and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Cancel my Pledge." But the Prophet refused. The bedouin finally went out (of Medina) whereupon Allah's Apostle said, "Medina is like a pair of bellows (furnace): It expels its impurities and brightens and clears its good. (Book 89 #318)

Following ahadith are usually quoted in support for death penalty.

Bukhari (83:37) - "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."


Narrated Ikrima:

Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn 'Abbas, who said, "Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said, 'Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.' " (Bukhari 52:260)

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.'" (Bukhari 84:57)


Narrated Abu Musa:

A man embraced Islam and then reverted back to Judaism. Mu'adh bin Jabal came and saw the man with Abu Musa. Mu'adh asked, "What is wrong with this (man)?" Abu Musa replied, "He embraced Islam and then reverted back to Judaism." Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down unless you kill him (as it is) the verdict of Allah and His Apostle (Bukhari 89:271)


Narrated Abu Burda:

Abu Musa said, "I came to the Prophet along with two men (from the tribe) of Ash'ariyin, one on my right and the other on my left, while Allah's Apostle was brushing his teeth (with a Siwak), and both men asked him for some employment. The Prophet said, 'O Abu Musa (O 'Abdullah bin Qais!).' I said, 'By Him Who sent you with the Truth, these two men did not tell me what was in their hearts and I did not feel (realize) that they were seeking employment.' As if I were looking now at his Siwak being drawn to a corner under his lips, and he said, 'We never (or, we do not) appoint for our affairs anyone who seeks to be employed. But O Abu Musa! (or 'Abdullah bin Qais!) Go to Yemen.'" The Prophet then sent Mu'adh bin Jabal after him and when Mu'adh reached him, he spread out a cushion for him and requested him to get down (and sit on the cushion). Behold: There was a fettered man beside Abu Muisa. Mu'adh asked, "Who is this (man)?" Abu Muisa said, "He was a Jew and became a Muslim and then reverted back to Judaism." Then Abu Muisa requested Mu'adh to sit down but Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down till he has been killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Apostle (for such cases) and repeated it thrice. Then Abu Musa ordered that the man be killed, and he was killed. Abu Musa added, "Then we discussed the night prayers and one of us said, 'I pray and sleep, and I hope that Allah will reward me for my sleep as well as for my prayers.'" (Bukhari 84:58)

If we read these ahadith translation by themselves, someone may get the idea that anyone who leaves Islam need to be killed, but these ahadith talking about apostates who got arrested opposing Islam. Quran and ahadith regarding Prophet (PBUH) have not a single reference for that. In fact, Quran is full of Ayahs where Allah has mentioned Hypocrates, apostates, etc with no worldly punishment, and hadith at the top clearly shows Prophet (PBUH) didn't apply death penalty for leaving Islam. For example, following verse of the Quran

"A section of the people of the Book urge some from among themselves: why not affirm, in the early part of the day, belief in that which has been revealed unto the believers and repudiate it in the latter part of the day, perchance they may turn away from their faith." (3.73)

The people of the Book mentioned in this verse are the Jews of Medina. Theirs was a Jewish tactic to create doubt among the Muslims in the hope that some of them might thereby by beguiled into repudiating Islam. How could it be possible for the Jews to have enacted this plan if death was a penalty for apostasy? Had anyone been executed for commuting this crime, that would have been a deterrent for others who would not follow in their footsteps.


What about the ahadith where Sahabah have killed many muslims turned non-muslim?

First of all, ahadith quoted above are not strong enough to override verse from Quran because they are showing interpretations of companions not narration of exact order of Prophet (PBUH), and they can only be used if there wasn't clear proof from Quran and direct actions of Prophet (PBUH). Also, there are other ahadith which contradict the claim. These people were threat to Islamic state, and their punishment is death. Interestingly, Most of the countries in the world have death penalty for treason, which is exactly what Islam has prescribed. Following document refute all claims in details.

http://www.alislam.org/library/books/mna/chapter_7.html

If there was a club, and the rule was that once you become member, you are not allowed to leave. If you try to leave, you will be killed. How many people would join that club willingly.

So, to apply the rule of apostasy, one have to have an Islamic State, and the person who is leaving Islam have to be working against Islam.

Prophet (PBUH) was sent as a mercy towards us, and not to establish a Mafia that has gang members running around looking for defectors to chop off their heads.

I would like to end with verse from the Quran. If these verses are not clear proof for someone, they are certainly misguided. May Allh show us the correct path, and save us from opressing fellow humans. And Allah Knows best!

[And so, [O Prophet,] exhort them; your task is only to exhort. You can not compel them [to believe].] (Al-Ghashiyah 88:21-22)

JazakAllah
AbuArman
A struggling Muslim