Islam and Apostasy: Difference between revisions

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punishment for apostasy as prescribed by Prophet Muhammad is death. ’N Murtad (مرتد afvallige) who hides his apostasy is referred to as a munāfiq (منافق skynheilige).
Afvalligheid (ارتداد, irtidād and ridda) d.w.s. die verwerping van geloof is ‘n ernstige oortreding in Islam. Die straf vir afvalligheid soos voorgeskryf  deur die profeet Muhammed is die dood. ‘N murtad (مرتد afvallige) wie sy afvalligheid weg steek word na verwys as ‘n munāfiq (منافق skynheilige).
Inleiding
Definisies
Die verwerping in Islam van enige gedeelte (van einige van die pilare, of indiwiduele beginsels van Islam), of verwerping van die geloof in sy geheel, is afvalligheid. Die straf vir afvalligheid in Islam is die dood. Alhoewel daar geargumenteer kan word dat die Koraan alleen nie heeltemal duidelik is daaroor nie, het skoliere regverdiging  daarvoor gekry vanaf verse daarin en is daar talle Sahih (oorspronklike) Hadiths ter bevestiging van die straf op grond van Mohammed se bevestiging daarvan. In Sahih Bukhari sein ons dit as ‘’Allah se dissipel gesê het’’, Wie okal sy Islamitiese godsdiens verander het, dan maak hom dood’’, en dit was ook een van die enigste drie redes wat deur hom gegee is waar dit toelaatbaar is om ‘n Moslem dood te maak.
Historiese konteks
‘N evaluering van Islam se houding teenoor afvalligheid sal onvltooid wees sonder om uit te brei oor die politieke samestelling van die godsdiens. Islam is in wese is ‘n stam-stelsel wat eens die sosiale samestelling van Arabië in die noorde was. Samelewing, in sy absolute sin, het nooit bestaan in die noorde voor Islam nie. Al wat daar bestaan het was sekere byeenkomste wat nooit floreer het of ontwikkel het in ‘n volwaardige samelewing nie vir verskeie redes; een was dat die meeste daar was nomade wie deur die woestyn gewandel het. Godsdiens was nie ‘n persoonlike saak nie maar ‘n gemeenskaplike saak in pre-Islamitiese Arabië. Die weg beweeg van godsdiens was gelykstaande aan hoogverraad en strafbaar met die dood. Die doodstraf vir afvalligheid soos wat dit ingelyf was in Islam is beter verstaanbaar wanneer dit na gekyk word deur so ‘n stam prisma. Muhammed het eens behoort aan die leefstyl maar het die samelewing verander en het dit so gedoen deur sekere stamme onder een dak te bring sonder om einige van die bestaande nome op te offer. Mohammed was suksesvol en het nie probeer om voor bestaande stam voorskrifte te verander nie. Instede, hy het baie daarvan in Islam geïnkorporeer. Die voorgeskrewe straf vir afvalligheid was een so praktyk wat Mohammed geannekseer het.
Vroeë Islam
Ons weet nie van enige een wie spesifiek dood gemaak is vir die misdaad van Afvalligheid nie gedurende die tyd van Mohammed. Dit is hoofsaaklik a.g.v. ‘n gebrek aan individue wie afvallig geword het gedurende Muhammed se leeftyd. Maar, in Sahih Bukhari Hadith word Muhammed gesien ‘n Bedouin in die pad steek wie dit begeer het om ontlae te raak van sy godsdiens. Die insident alleenlik gee nie ‘n aanduiding dat Mohammed Afvalligheid gesien het as enigiets minder as hoogverraad of ‘n misdaad wat die dood verdien nie. Die beweerde voorval het plaas gevind in die vroeë dae van Islam in Medina waar Muhammed se Islam en sy openbaringe onvoltooid was en ver van ‘n alomvattende leefwyse wat dit sou bekom ten tye van sy dood. Na die dood van Mohammed en onder Kalifaat van Abu Bakr het baie Afvalliges gesterf in die ‘‘Riddah‘‘ (afvallige) oorloë. Dit bevestig die feit dat Afvalligheid alreeds ‘n ernstige misdaad geword het in Islam en dat dit nie iets is wat later ontwikkel het nie. En dit was ‘n Koraanse vers wat vir Abu Bakr aangespoor het om te baklei teen die wie nie hulle tiendes wou betaal nie. Die mense het nie Islam as ‘n geheel verwerp nie maar het geweier om gehoor te gee aan een van die vyf  pilare (Zakat). Soos wat die historici sal bevestig, Abu Bakr het ‘n gewapende stryd met hulle gevoer in ‘n oorlog wat meer as ‘n jaar geduur het(632-633CE). Die Kalief het nie sy wapens neer gelê todat al die verwerpers dood gemaak is nie of terug gekeer het na die arms van Islam. Daar is ook baie stories waar Mohammed se bevel uit gevoer was om ateïste, Christene en Jode dood te maak omdat hulle Islam verlaat.
Shari’ah
Islamitiese jurisdiksie oor Afvalligheid is afgelei van die woorde van Mohammed en die voor genoemde aksies van die Kalief en ander metgeselle. As die verwerping van een van die pilare van Islam gesien word as ‘n misdaad wat dan oorlog teen sulke mense regverdig, is dit net logies vir die voorgeskrewe straf vir afvalligheid in Islam die dood te wees. Imam Abu Hanifa’s se voorskrif soos gesien in Al-Shybani's Kitab al-Siyar verleen die afvallige ‘n gestipuleerde periode (nie meer as ‘n paar dae nie) om terug te keer na Islam of staar die doodstraf in die gesig. Al vier skole van Islamitiese regspraak stem ooreen met die uitspraak, met slegs geringe variasies of ‘n grasie periode toegelaat moet word. Die Hanafi skool van Islamitiese regspraak glo vroulike Afvalliges is ‘n uitsondering op die reël en moet nie dood gemaak word nie maar geslaan moet word en onder bevalling geplaas word todat sy sterf of berou toon, terwyl die oorblywende Shafi'i, Maliki en Hanbali skole almal ooreen stem dat die straf vir vroulike Afvalligheid dieselfde is as die van ‘n man.
Moderne Moslems
Vir byna 1400 jaar was die straf vir Afvalligheid die dood. Dis net onlangs wat dit aan gespreek is deur hoofsaaklik  ‘n paar ‘apologists‘ van die sowat 3% van die wêreld se Moslems wie in meer ontwikkelde gedeeltes van die wêreld bly. ‘n ‘‘Pew  opname‘‘ wat vrygestel is op die 2de, Desember, 2010, het gevind dat tot op vandag die meerderheid van Moslems ten gunste is om bestaande wetgewing in hulle eie lande te verander om steniging vir egbreuk, hand afkap vir diefstal, en die dood vir die wie Islam verlaat toe te laat.
Om jou ‘n idee te gee oor die getalle waarvan ons praat, gebruik ons Pakistan as ‘n voorbeeld; die 2010 opname het gevind dat 76% van Pakistanis saamstem dat Afvalliges moet dood gemaak word. In ‘n land met ‘n bevolking van 172,800,000 (96% van wie Moslem is), dit is 126,074,880 individue in ‘n enkele land. Aan die ander kant, slegs ‘n karige 13% van Moslems is teen die dood vir Afvalliges. As ons die posisie in neem dat Moslems wie sulke standpunte ekstremiste is, dan moet ons ook toegee dat die meerderheid van die  wêreld se Moslems ekstremiste is. Hulle is nie ‘n minderheid groep met belaglike idees nie.
Met alles in ag geneem, kan ons tot die slotsom kom dat vanuit godsdienstige tekste, geskiedenis en selfs die opinie van moderne Moslems dat die beslissing binne Islam is om Afvalliges dood te maak as hulle weier om terug te keer na Islam. Die beslissing is ook dieselfde binne die Shi’te sekte wie saam met die Sunnis bykans die hele wêreld se Moslem bevolking opmaak.
Primêre Artikels
Die volgende is opsommings van bladsye waarop Islam bespreek is t.o.v. Afvalligheid:
Islamitiese skrif en Afvalligheid
Hoof Artikel: Koraan, Hadith en Skoliere: Afvalligheid
Die bladsy kwoteer gesaghebbende Islamitiese bronne soos die Koraan, Hadith, en beide klassieke en moderne skoliere om jou ‘n akkurate beeld van wat Islam leer m.v.t. Afvalligheid.
Komentaar 'Abdullah: Allah se dissipel sê, ‘’Die bloed van ‘n Moslem wie bely dat geeneen die reg het om aanbid te word behalwe Allah en dat ek sy dissipel is, kan nie gespil word behalwe in drie gevalle: In Qisas vir moord, ‘n getroude persoon wie onwettige seks het buite die huwelik en die een wie weg beweeg van Islam en die Moslems verlaat.‘‘


Sahih Bukhari9: 83: 17Sahih Bukhari 9:83:17  
__NOEDITSECTION__{{QualityScore|Lead=3|Structure=4|Content=3|Language=4|References=3}}'''Apostasy''' (ارتداد, irtidād and ردة ridda), or leaving the religion, is a serious offense in [[Islam]]. Rejecting any part of Islamic doctrine, whether derived from the [[Quran]] or from what are held by Islamic scholars to be incontrovertibly reliable [[hadith]], amounts to apostasy.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.alsunna.org/Questions-about-Apostasy-Blasphemy.html|2=2011-02-25}} Questions about Apostasy (Blasphemy)] - Al Sunna.org</ref><ref>{{Quran|2|85}}</ref> The punishment for apostasy as prescribed by [[Muhammad]] and as delineated in all [[Madhhab|four schools]] of [[Islamic law]] is execution. Numerous [[Sahih]] (authentic) [[hadith]]s attribute this punishment as explicitly prescribed by Muhammad. In [[Sahih Bukhari]], for instance, it is recorded that “Allah's Apostle said, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him'”.<ref name="apostasy2">M. Muhsin Khan (Translator) - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/084-sbt.php#009.084.057|2=2011-10-30}} Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84 - Dealing with Apostates, Number 57] - USC-MSA, [[Compendium of Muslim Texts]]</ref> Apostasy is also famously one of only three reasons, according to Muhammad, for which killing a Muslim is permitted.<ref>M. Muhsin Khan (Translator) - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/083-sbt.php#009.083.017|2=2011-10-30}} Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 83 - Blood Money (Ad-Diyat), Number 17] - USC-MSA, [[Compendium of Muslim Texts]]</ref> One who commits apostasy is called a ''murtad'' (مرتد, or 'apostate'). One who hides his apostasy is referred to as a ''munāfiq'' (منافق, or 'hypocrite').
Komentaar Ikrima: ‘’Ali het sommige mense verbrand en die nuus daarvan het Ibn Abbas bereik wie gesê het, ‘As ek in sy plek was sou ek hulle nie verbrand het, soos die profeet gesê het ‚‘ Moet nie ‘n persoon straf met Allah se straf nie. Daar is geen twyfel, ek sou hulle dood gemaak het, want die profeet het gesê, As iemand (‘n Moslem) sy godsdiens uit gooi, maak hom dood.’’
==Historical Context==
Islamic law draws heavily on the desert tribal norms that characterized its birthplace in 7th century Arabia. In this context, as in much of the ancient world, religion was a primarily communal rather than personal affair - commitment to the belief system of one's people was at the same time the basis of one's membership among those people. To abandon one's religion was to renounce not only a system of belief, but also (in the absence of strong secular notions of nationhood) the the society or community that was founded upon that belief. Thus, the norm in Arabia at the birth of Islam was to view apostasy as tantamount to a form of treason and renunciation of one's belonging to one's community. This did not, however, merit execution in all cases. After all, Muhammad himself was allowed to live in [[Mecca]] despite abandoning the 'religion of his forefathers', even if he was made to face some amount of persecution. Once Muhammad's movement of military conquest based out of Medina began, however, his group of believers was in a constant state of war with his neighbors. Since Muhammad cemented rather than overturned most of the contemporary tribal norms, this meant that apostasy at any point amounted to treason during a state of war, and thus merited execution. Islamic scholars, drawing on Muhammad's life, took these norms and turned them into the perennial dictates of Islamic law. Even among classical scholars born hundreds of years after Muhammad, the Islamic [[Khilafah (Caliphate)|caliphate]] was held to be in what was essentially a perpetual state of conquest, based on the [[Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam (the Abodes of War and Peace)|Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam (the Abode of War and the Abode of Peace)]] dichotomy, perpetuating the justification of this ruling. Since Islamic law is unchanging, however, and since a collapse of the Islamic state was not anticipated, the overwhelming majority of traditional Islamic scholars today continue to hold execution as the proper punishment for apostasy. Today, the punishment for apostasy is execution in 11 Muslim-majority countries and is outlawed and otherwise punishable in many, many more.<ref>https://persecution.exmuslims.org/map</ref>
===In early Islam===
There are no accounts in the [[Hadith|hadith]] considered authentic by traditional Islamic scholars of Muhammad executing apostates, largely due to the absence of individuals apostatizing during Muhammad's life. Academic historians have also shown that, despite the pretensions Islamic orthodoxy, Muhammad's original criteria for one to qualify as a 'believer' was in all likelihood a minimal monotheistic faith rather than the outright acceptance of the entirety of the Quran or Muhammad's individual dictates, which may account for the lesser number of apostates. Nonetheless, there is an incident in Sahih Bukhari where Muhammad is reported to to have banished a Bedouin who expressed the desire to discard his religion. This may, however, be due moreso to the very early Medinan stage of Islam at which this event is said to have taken place, a time when most of Islamic law and doctrine had not yet been formulated, rather than what the Islamic tradition holds to have been Muhammad's ultimate judgement on apostasy.


Sahih Bukhari4:52:260Sahih Bukhari 4:52:260
The ruling of execution given by Muhammad according to numerous hadith falls into sharp relief upon [[Muhammad's Death|Muhammad's death]] and under the caliphate of [[Abu Bakr Abdullah ibn Uthman|Abu Bakr]], when thousands of converts to Islam "apostatized" and were summarily killed in what became known as the ''Riddah'' (lit. "apostasy") Wars (632–633 CE). These "apostates" had, in fact, only refused to pay the [[Zakat]] tithe and not openly renounced Islam. Refusing to accept even a single part of Islamic doctrine, however, is considered apostasy, and Abu Bakr dealt with them as such, reportedly prompted by a {{Quran|9|5}}, which commands Muslims to embattle Islam's enemies until they surrender the tithe and commit to offering prayers. Abu Bakr did not bring the bloody Riddah Wars to an end until all the apostates were either killed or had reverted to Islam. Several other narrations report Muhammad's [[Sahabah|companions (''sahabah'')]] implementing his command and executing atheists,<ref name="apostasy2" /> Christians,<ref name="Maududi2">Abul Ala Maududi - [http://www.answering-islam.org/Hahn/Mawdudi/index.htm The Punishment of the Apostate According to Islamic Law] - Islamic Publications Ltd., Lahore, 1963</ref> and Jews<ref>M. Muhsin Khan (Translator) - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.cmje.org/religious-texts/hadith/bukhari/084-sbt.php#009.084.058|2=2011-10-30}} Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84 - Dealing with Apostates, Number 58] - USC-MSA, [[Compendium of Muslim Texts]]</ref> for leaving Islam.
Afvalligheid en Mense Regte
Hoof Artikel: Afvalligheid en Mense Regte
Die volle teks was geneem van ‘n papier wat aangebied was deur Ibn Warraq by ‘n paneel bespreking oor Afvalligheid, Mense Regte, Godsdiens en Geloof wat gehou was by die 60ste Sessie van die VN se Kommissie op Mense Regte in Geneva, 18de, April, 2005
Dit is duidelik dat onder Islamitiese wetgewing moet ‘n Afvallige met die dood gestraf word. Hieroor is daar geen dispuut tussen klassieke Moslem of moderne skoliere nie…Sura II.217 word geïnterpreteer deur nie minder as die gesaghebbende al-Shafi'i (dood 820 C.E), die stigterslid van een van die vier ortodokse skole van regte in Sunni Islam, dat die dood straf voor geskryf moet word vir Afvalliges.. Sura II.217 lees:‘‘…Maar die wie herroep en sterf as ‘n ongelowige, sy werke sal kom na niks in die  wêreld en in die volgende en hulle is die metgeselle van die vuur vir altyd. Al-Thalabi en al –Khazan stem oor een daarmee. Al-Razi sê in sy komentaar oor Sura II.217 dat die Afvallige dood gemaak moet word. Dieselfde IV. 89: ‘‘Hulle sal jou geloof wegneem net soos wat hulle ongelowig is sodat julle almal dieselfde is. Moet hulle nie bevriend nie todat hulle van hulle huise gevlug het vir die saak van God. As hulle weg hardloop dan vang hulle en maak hulle dood waar jy hulle okal kry. Moet vir vriende en handlangers onder hulle soek nie…‘‘ Baydawi (dood c. 1315-16), in sy gevierde komentaar oor die Koraan interpreteer die vers soos volg: ‘‘ Wie okal sy rug op sy geloof draai ( irtada ), in die openbaar of in die geheim, vat hom en maak hom dood waar jy hom okal kry net soos enige ander ongelowige (infidel). Skei jouself van hom geheel en al. Moenie voorbidding in sy verband aanvaar nie. ‘‘ Ibn Kathir in sy komentaar oor die vers kwoteer Al Suddi (dood 745) wie gesê dat aangesien die ongelowiges hulle ongeloog laat manifesteer het behoort hulle dood gemaak te word.


Impak van Afvalligheid Wette in die Wêreld vandag
By the time of the Abbasid Empire, execution for apostasy as well as for aiding and abetting the crime had become routine. Amira K. Bennison, a Cambridge historian, records the following incident:
Hoof artikel: Vervolging van Ex-Moslems
Voormalige Moslems word baie kere vervolg, mishandel en dood gemaak deur Moslems. Die tipe behandeling van Afvalliges is nie ‘n eenvoudige kwessie van staat-gedwingde godsdiens nie soos sommiges will voorstel nie. Die geweld of dreigemente van geweld teen afvalliges stem nie van die owerhede nie, maar van familielede en individue van binne die Islamitiese gemeenskappe wie optree sonder om gestraf te word deur die owerhede. Die punt is verder beklemtoon deur die vervolging en moord van  voormalige Moslems in baie nie-Moslem gemeenskappe. Byvoorbeeld, in 2007 moes die dogter van ‘n Britse Imam onder polisie beskerming geplaas word nadat haar pa ( ‘n leier van ‘n Moskee in Lancashire) haar met die dood gedreig het omdat sy ‘n Christen geword het.
Noemenswaardige voormalige Moslems
Hoof artikel: Noemenswaardige voormalige Moslems
Terwyl afvalligheid in Islam gevaarlik is, asook film sterre en ‘rappers‘, baie uitgesproke  Moslem predikante, Mullahs, Imams, skoliere, sending werkers en selfs terroriste  het afvallig geword en het ateïste, Boeddhiste, Christene, Hindoes ens. geword. Deur dit te doen het baie (insluitend Ibn Warraq en Mark Gabriel) dit op hulle self geneem om die Islamitiese ideologie teen te staan en het bekendes (celebrity) geword in hulle eie reg.
Moslems verlaat Islam by die Miljoene
Hoof artikel. Mense wie Islam verlaat het en Komentaar van Voormalige Moslems
Baie kere adverteer Moslems ( soms valslik) nuus oor hoe nie-Moslems hulle bekeer tot Islam, maar hulle vertel jou nie die ander kant van die storie nie waar Moslems ook Islam verlaat. Daar is meer Moslems vandag wie Islam verlaat as nuwe bekeerlinge na die godsdiens. In sub-Sahara alleen verlaat 6 miljoen Moslems Islam elke jaar. Eers die meerderheid godsdiens op die vasteland, hulle is vandag ‘n minderheid met die Christelike geloof in die meerderheid. Die groot getalle afvalliges in Islam is ongeken in die geskiedenis van Islam. Hier by WikiIslam  dokumenteer ons die nuus en is die gasheer vir honderde geskrewe getuienisse.
Afvalligheid bespreek in Arabiese / Islamitiese Media
Hoof artikel: Afvalligheid (Vertalings van Arabiese / Islamitiese Media)
Die gedeelte bevat Engelse vertalings van verskeie Arabiese / Islamitiese media wat afvalligheid bespreek.
Wie okal Allah beledig, die Engele, en die godsdiens het afvallig geword van Islam en het ‘n ongelowige (infidel) geword – (ooreengekom)
Die afvallige is die wetlike bevoegde een wie vrywilliglik ontrek van Islam, of hy openlik sy afvalligheid verklaar, of iets sê wat hom ‘n afvallige maak, of iets doen wat hom ‘n afvallige maak. In die geval het die man iets gesê wat hom ‘n Afvallige maak!!Hy het die godsdiens beledig, of in ander woorde, het die spot gedryf en die godsdiens verkleineer.  Ons neem dit van Islam – (ooreengekom)
Die beslissing oor die Afvallige is dat hy vergifnis moet soek binne 3 dae, en indien nie, moet hy dood gemaak word volgens die woorde van die profeet Muhammed (peace be upon him): Die bloed van ‘n Moslem is ontoelaatbaar behalwe onder een van drie voorwaardes: 1) hy pleeg egbreuk, 2) hy neem ‘n onskildige lewe, of 3) hy het sy geloof laat vaar en skei hom van sy gemeenskap ( vertel deur Al-Bukhari en Moslem van Ibn Mas’ud) 
Laat ons waaksaam wees, dienaars van Almagtige Allah, sodat ons nie sorgeloos en roekeloos wees in ons woorde en dade nie, en om Almagtige Allah te vrees in dit wat ons sê. Dit is ‘n groot ramp vir beledigings na die godsdiens en soort gelyk om  op ons tonge gevind te word instede van herinnering en dankbaarheid aan God.
Wat is die versoening vir die wie die godsdiens beledig het, en as hy die pelgrimstog (Hajj) voltooi het, moet hy dit weer onderneem? Islamic Fatwa Council of Jerusalem, February 10, 2009


{{Quote|{{citation|author=Amira K. Bennison|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2014|isbn=0300154895|title=The Great Caliphs: The Golden Age of the 'Abbasid Empire|page=127|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Great_Caliphs.html?id=NBNkzhvf7z4C&source=kp_book_description}}|In 859 Leocritia, a girl of Muslim parentage with a Christian aunt, decided to become Christian and run away from herparents. Eulogius and his sister harboured the runaway in direct opposition to her parents’ wishes and encouraged her to stand firm. Both were arrested and subsequently executed, Eulogius for proselytizing and assisting in the abduction of a Muslim girl and Leocritia for refusing to return to the faith of her parents.}}


Opstelle
==In Islamic law and scripture==
Opstelle of ‘’Op-Eds’’ weerspieël nie noodwendig die oogpunte van WikiIslam nie. Kyk na die WikiIslam: Opstelle / ‘Op-Eds‘ vir meer besonderhede.
===In the Qur'an===
Wenke vir Ex-Moslems
Hoof Artikel: Wenke vir Ex-Moslems
Selfs in vry en sekulêre samelewings is die lewe vir ‘n Islamitiese Afvallige dikwels moeilik en gevaarlik soos wat ‘n onlangse opname in die Verenigde Koninkryk bloot gelê het (1 uit 3 Britse Moslems tussen 16 en 24 glo dat Moslem Afvalliges tereg gestel moet word). Die artikels bied praktiese advies vir nuwe Afvalliges.


Even in free and secular societies, life for the Islamic apostate is often a difficult and dangerous one, as a recent poll in the United Kingdom found out (1 out of 3 British Muslims aged 16 to 24 believe that Muslim apostates should be executed).[18] This article offers practical advice for new apostates.
The Qur'an does not assign a specific punishment for leaving the religion, as it does for instance for [[zina]]. Rather the Qur'an promises the punishment and wrath of Allah upon the believer who later leaves the faith:
Help Andere om Islam te verlaat
 
Hoof Artikel: Verlig andere om Islam te verlaat
{{Quote|{{Quran|16|106}}|Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is wrath from Allah, and for them is a great punishment;}}This verse was, according to the traditional reckoning, revealed to the prophet in the case of 'Ammar ibn Yasir, a Mekkan who had been put under pressure of torture of himself and his family to renounce Islam. The prophet ruled that upon the end of this persecution, 'Ammar could be allowed back into the Muslim community. This is a stark departure from the Christian tradition, which sees holding fast to the faith under persecution as the ultimate virtue of the believer. This story and verse would end up providing the grounding for the (largely realized as Shi'ite) doctrine of [[Taqiyya]]. Although usually thought of as a Shi'a idea, ibn Kathir himself provides grounding for this idea:{{Quote|Tafsir of ibn Kathir on Quran 16:106|(except one who was forced while his heart is at peace with the faith) This is an exception in the case of one who utters statements of disbelief and verbally agrees with the Mushrikin because he is forced to do so by the beatings and abuse to which he is subjected, but his heart refuses to accept what he is saying, and he is, in reality, at peace with his faith in Allah and His Messenger. The scholars agreed that if a person is forced into disbelief, it is permissible for him to either go along with them in the interests of self-preservation, or to refuse, as Bilal did when they were inflicting all sorts of torture on him, even placing a huge rock on his chest in the intense heat and telling him to admit others as partners with Allah.}}As such, this verse provides for no hadd punishment for apostasy, but rather gives excuse to Muslims who have apostasized under pressure of persecution to return to the community when it is safe to do so.{{Quote|{{Quran|2|217}}|They ask you about the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, "Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Haram and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allah. And fitnah is greater than killing." And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire, they will abide therein eternally.}}In addition to providing a rational for fighting the mushrikeen (idolators or unbelievers), this verse again deals with the punishment in the hereafter of those who leave the faith and lacks any mention of the punishment to be meted out to unbelievers. Qurtubi notes in his tafsir on this verse:
‘N artikel wat fokus om andere te oortuig om Islam te verlaat. Deur belangrike kwessies en vra te ondersoek kan dit as ‘n vertrek punt dien vir verdere navorsing en bespreking. Ons moet altyd onthou om die individuele Moslem te respekteer, maar om krities te wees oor Islam.
{{Quote|Tafsir of Qurtubi on Qur'an 2:217|Scholars disagree about whether or not apostates are asked to repent. One group say that they are asked to repent and, if they do not, they are killed. Some say they are given an hour and others a
‘N Afvallige Buite die Moslem Wêreld
month. Others say that they are asked to repent three times. That is related from ‘Umar and ‘Uthmān and that is the view of Mālik. Ibn
Hoof Artikel: Rifqa Barry
al-Qāsim related it from him. Al-Ḥasan said they are asked a hundred times. It is also said that they are killed without being asked to repent. Ash-Shāfi‘ī says that in one of his two views and it is one
Terwyl die vervolging van mense wie besluit om Afvallig te wees van Islam in die meer ontwikkelde gedeeltes van die wêreld, meer aandag geniet as andere, is geen ander meer gepubliseer as die van die tiener Fathima Rifqa Barry nie. As ‘n immigrant van Sri Lanka na Amerika het sy in die geheim haar bekeer het tot die Christelike geloof op die ouderdom van dertien. ‘N lid van die‘‘ Noor Islamic Cultural Center’’ het haar godsdienstige oortuigings ontdek. Die Artikel vertel haar storie.
of the positions of Ṭāwūs and ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr. Saḥnūn mentioned that ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Abī Salmah al-Mājishūn said that apostates are killed without being asked to repent. He argues that
Voor die Bekering tot Islam
based on the ḥadīth of Mu‘ādh and Abū Mūsā. It says: ‘When the Prophet f sent Abū Mūsā to Yemen, he sent Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal after
Hoof Artikels: Voor die Bekering tot Islam en Bekommernis Met Islam: Gedagtes van ‘n Amerikaanse Bekeerling
him. When he came to him, he dismounted and Abū Mūsā gave him a cushion. There was a man in shackles beside him. Mu‘ādh asked, “Who is this?” He replied, “He is a Jew who became Muslim
Baie bekeerlinge na Islam is Christene, Jode, Hindoes, Ateïste ens., wie beweer dat hulle die lig gesien het en dat Islam is die enigste ware godsdiens. Moslems verwelkom die nuwe bekeerlinge en moedig hulle aan om hulle stories te deel op die Internet, tydskrifte en televisie. Hulle verskyn baie kere op verskeie Muslim media uitlaat punte om te demonstreer dat Islam bereik verder as net eenvoudig die wie in die geloof gebore is. Die nuwe bekeerlinge is bewyse dat Islam die waarheid is.
and reverted and returned to Judaism.” He stated, “I will not sit down until he is killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Messenger.” “Sit,” Abū Mūsā said. He repeated, “No, I will not sit
Maar die meeste individue wie bekeer selde kies om Islam objektief te bestudeer voor om so ‘n belangrike besluit te maak. Instede verkies hulle om in geneem te word deur propaganda net om te ontdek dat hulle een van die grootste foute van hulle lewe gemaak het. Dit is bevestig deur navorsing wat uit gevoer is deur die gerespekteerde Pakistani-gebore Amerikaanse Moslem Dr. Ilyas Ba-Yunus (1932 – 2007) wie ontdek het dat 75% van nuwe Moslem bekeerlinge in Amerika los Islam binne ‘n paar jaar. Die artikel poog om nie-Moslems te help om dieselfde lot te vermei wat deur miljoene Afvalliges reg oor die wêreld beleef is.
down until he is killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Messenger.” He said it three times and he commanded that he be killed.’ Muslim and others transmitted it.}}
Verskeidenheid (Miscellaneous)
Qurtubi clearly believes that some manner of punishment is due for apostates, but justifies his belief in this punishment with reference to the hadith. It's clear that Qurtubi does not see the Qur'an itself as supporting this punishment and feels the need to reach outside of it into other traditions in order to justify this recieved belief.
Moslem belofte vir Godsdiens Vryheid
 
Hoof Artikel: Moslem Belofte vir Godsdiens Vryheid en Veiligheid van Leed vir Voormalige Moslems
===In the four schools===
Die Moslem Belofte vir Godsdiens Vryheid en Veiligheid van Leed vir Voormalige Moslems was gestig deur Voormalige Moslems Verenig (Former Muslims United), ‘n menslike regte organisasie gestig in September 2009 deur ‘n groep  Amerikaanse Afvalliges van Islam. Dit vra dat Amerikaanse Moslem leiers en Moslems wie in ‘n posisie van verantwoordelikheid is in Federale, staat of plaaslike regering om godsdiens vryheid te eerbiedig en die veiligheid van voormalige Moslems deur die verwerping van Islamitiese wetgewing pertinent tot fisisiese leed of die moord van die wie Islam verlaat.
Islamic jurisprudence is derived from the reported words of Muhammad, especially as interpreted and implemented by the ''Rashidun'' ("rightly guided") Caliphs and his other companions.
Die Vryheid Belofte, gepaardgaande met ‘n dek brief, was gestuur na 125 leiers van Moslem organisasies op 25 September, 2009, en ook na 234 Moslems in posisies van verantwoordelikheid in regering en private organisasies op 4 Julie, 2012. Tot hede het net 2 Moslems die skriftelike belofte geteken: Dr. Zuhdi Jasser van die Amerikaanse Islamitiese Forum vir Demokrasie en Dr. Ali Alyami van die ‘Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia. ‘ Prominente individue soos Dalia Mogahed is gekritiseer omdat sy nie ondersteuning vir die belofte getoon het nie.
 
Webtuistes, ‘Blogs‘ en Bronne vir Voormalige Moslems
{{Main|l1=[https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Qur%27an,_Hadith_and_Scholars:Apostasy#Fiqh Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars: Apostasy#Fiqh]}}Imam Abu Hanifa’s prescription, as found in his student al-Shaybani's ''Kitab al-Siyar'', grants the apostate a period of three days to revert back to Islam before facing the death penalty. All four schools of [[Sunni]] [[Fiqh|jurisprudence]] are in agreement with this ruling, with only slight variations on whether and how the grace period and punishment are to be applied to females.<ref name="Maududi2" /> The Hanafi school of jurisprudence, the most popular school of jurisprudence in the world today, holds that female apostates form an exception to the rule and, rather than being killed, ought to be beaten every three days and put under confinement until death or repentance, while the remaining Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools all agree the verdict for the female apostate is the same as for the male.<ref>'Abdurrahmani'l-Djaziri - [http://www.light-of-life.com/eng/ilaw/l5721et1.htm#p19 The Penalties for Apostasy in Islam According to the Four Schools of Islamic Law] - "The Case of the Female Apostate" (Pg. 19)</ref> In [[Shi'ism|Shia]] Islam, according to the Ja'fari school, the male is to be executed, but females imprisoned and beaten at the times of the [[Salah|daily prayers (salah)]].<ref name="PetersDeVries2">Peters, R.and G.J.J.De Vries (1976-77), 'Apostasy in Islam'. Die Welt des Islams 17, 1/4:1-25 [dare.uva.nl/document/228850 pdf of the article] or [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1570336?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents jstor article with free read access]</ref> All four schools also hold that the apostate must be: performing an act of free will, of adult age (beyond the puberty, in Islamic law), is of sound mind, and acting intentionally.<ref name="PetersDeVries2" /> It is important to note that the Islamic ruling on apostasy only applies to apostates from Islam, not to those who apostatize from other religions, and especially not to those who apostatize from other religions in order to convert to Islam, as this final act is considered to be highly meritorious.
Hoof Artikels : Islam on the Net: Ex-Muslim en Resources for Former Muslims
 
Daar is ‘n verskeidenheid webtuistes en ‘Blogs’ wat deur voormalige Moslems geskep is. Ons bied skakels (links) en ‘n kort opvatting van baie van hulle (voeg jou tuiste). Ons bied ook aan ‘n hulpbronne blaai gemik op voormalige Moslems wat skakel na sommige webtuistes en forums vir intergeloof besprekings, netwerking en soort gelyke dinge. Sienings op daai webtuistes is nie noodwendig die van WikiIslam nie.
The specific rulings for the four Sunni schools as well as the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam are as follows:
 
*'''The Hanafi school''' recommends three days of imprisonment before execution to allow repentance and reversion, although the delay before killing the apostate is not mandatory. Male apostates must be executed, while female apostates must be held in solitary confinement and beaten every three days until they recant and return to Islam.
 
*'''The Maliki school''' allows a waiting period of three days for repentance and reversion, after which the apostate must be killed. This applies to both males and females.
 
*'''The Shafi'i school''' requires a waiting period of three days for repentance and reversion, after which the apostate must be killed. This applies to both males and females.
 
*'''The Hanbali school''' recommends a waiting period of three days for repentance and reversion. Then, the apostate is to be invited three times to repent and revert. If the apostate refuses this invitation, they must be executed. This applies to both males and females.
 
*'''The Ja'fari school''' does not require a waiting period, but allows one to be granted if the apostate was born a disbeliever (rendering them a ''murtad al-milli''). Male apostates must be executed, while female apostates must be held in solitary confinement and beaten at the times of the daily prayers and restricted to light rations of food until she repents and reverts.<ref name="PetersDeVries2" /><ref>[http://statics.ml.imam-khomeini.ir/en/File/NewsAttachment/2014/0000-tahrir%20j4-nA4.pdf imam-khomeini.ir] Imam Khomeini, Tahrir al-Wasilar Volumie IV (English translation), Tehran: Institute for Compilation of Imam Khomeini's works, 2011, p.255</ref><ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://formermuslimsunited.org/?page_id=2169|2=2011-10-04}} A Shiite Opinion on Apostasy] - Originally from Kayhan International, March 1986</ref>
 
Civil law penalties for apostates who are imprisoned, awaiting execution, or who have taken flight have also been prescribed.<ref name="PetersDeVries2" /><ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/134339 islamqa.info] Fatwah 134339: Effect of apostasy on marriage before and after consummation]</ref> In all schools other than the Hanafi school, the apostate's right to dispose of property is suspended pending repentance. An apostate also loses the right to inherit (from anyone, Muslim or otherwise). The four schools and the individual jurists within them differ on whether all an apostate's property goes to their Muslim heirs, or just that acquired before his apostasy (if the apostate is a male). The apostate's marriage contract is annulled upon the act of apostasy, even if they repent, or is suspended pending repentance for the length of the wife's 'waiting period' in the Shafi'i school (if their marriage was already consummated) and Shia Ja'fari school (if the apostate was born a disbeliever).
===In scripture and scholarly writing===
{{Main|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Apostasy|l1=Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars: Apostasy}}Authoritative Islamic sources (the Qur'an, hadith, and both classical and modern scholars) have commented at length on what constitutes apostasy and how apostates are to be dealt with.{{quote |{{Bukhari|4|52|260}} | 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.''''"}}{{quote |{{Bukhari|9|83|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'''." }}
===Modern revisionary perspectives===
A select few modern Islamic scholars, flouting more a millennium of scholarly consensus, have interpreted {{Quran|2|256}} as annunciating a principle which, they say, overrides all scriptural commandments with contrary implications. The Islamic scholars espousing this revision point to reports of apostates who were permitted to continue living during Muhammad's lifetime, despite his ruling. They also reference a small number of early Islamic figure who punished apostasy with punishments lesser than the death penalty. These scholars also read the version of one relevant hadith which prescribes execution for those individuals who leave Islam and "the Muslims" as only being applicable in a context where the apostate's 'leaving the Muslims' amounts to political treason. Interestingly, however, for many of these scholars, speaking openly about one's apostasy in an Islamic state is considered a type of insurrectionary treason which necessarily seeks to undermine the political order.
 
While this revisionary perspective has had effectively no purchase among establishment traditionalists and has widely been ridiculed as an instance of 'succumbing to Western influence', it has nonetheless helped a number of modern Muslims, especially those living in liberal cultures in the West, reconcile their faith with the dictates of modern society.{{Quote|{{quran|2|256}}|(There is) no compulsion in the religion. Surely has become distinct the right (path) from the wrong. Then whoever disbelieves in false deities and believes in Allah, then surely he grasped the handhold - [the] firm, (which) not (will) break [for it]. And Allah (is) All-Hearing, All-Knowing.}}
==In the Muslim world==
===Popular Muslim opinion===
====2013 Pew poll====
A Pew poll released on April 30, 2013 asked Muslims in 39 countries between 2008 and 2012 questions about religion, politics and society based on 38,000 face-to-face interviews. In one question, asked in 37 of these countries with a combined Muslim population of just over 1 billion people, the survey asked participants whether they favored or opposed the death penalty for leaving Islam. Using the complete dataset for this question on page 219 of the full report<ref>[http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2013/04/worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-full-report.pdf The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society] Pew Research Centre, 30 April 2013, p.219 (responses by country to the question on apostasy)</ref>, and weighing the responses by Muslim population<ref>[http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2011/01/FutureGlobalMuslimPopulation-WebPDF-Feb10.pdf Future Global Muslim Population] Pew Research Centre, 2011, pp.156-163 (Estimated Muslim population by country in 2010)</ref> indicates that overall, 40% of Muslims in these countries favor the death penalty for apostasy from Islam. The percentage was below 10% in Central Asia, Turkey and Balkan countries included in the survey. It was above 50% in Afghanistan (79%), Egypt (88%), Jordan (83%), Malaysia (58%), Pakistan (75%), Palestinian Territories (62%), and Djbouti (62%).
 
One noteworthy mistake has frequently been made by commentators on the 2013 Pew poll, likely as a result of neglecting the full dataset made available by Pew at the end of the report. The table found in chapter one of the report shows support for the death penalty for apostasy among those who had answered that they were 'in favor of Sharia in their country' in an earlier question. Multiplying the percentages in these two tables yields significantly lower percentages compared to those mentioned above (Egypt, for example appears by this calculation to have 64% support for the death penalty, and overall support in the countries surveyed falls to approximately 35% after weighing by Muslim population). This approach fails to account, however, for the support for the apostasy death penalty among those who answered that they 'do not support' or 'don't know whether they support' Sharia being the official law in their country, which, perhaps surprisingly, makes a significant difference. Only the table on page 219 near the end of the report reveals support for the apostasy death penalty for all respondents in each country. This was confirmed by an independent analysis of the data and correspondence with Pew's Director of International Survey Research.<ref>[https://uncertaintyblog.com/2015/02/12/check-the-original-source-how-so-many-writers-got-the-facts-wrong-after-the-maher-vs-affleck-islam-debate/ Check the original source! How so many writers got the facts wrong after the Maher vs. Affleck Islam debate] [http://www.webcitation.org/6yi5XIFbb Archive]</ref> Nevertheless, a strong correlation can be seen in the results for the two questions on support for Sharia and support for the death penalty for apostates.<ref>Survey Reports - [http://www.pewforum.org/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-beliefs-about-sharia/#sharia-as-the-official-law-of-the-land The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society - Chapter 1: Beliefs about Sharia] - Pew Research Center, April 30, 2013</ref>
====Changes since 2013====
It is possible and even likely that support for the penalty has fallen in the years since the survey was conducted due to near-global outrage at the actions of ISIS and subsequent attempts by leading Muslim figures to distance Islam from the actions of that group. A similar decline in support may also have resulted from generally the negative experience of Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt between 2011 and 2013.
===Persecution of apostates===
{{Main|l1=[https://persecution.exmuslims.org/ EXMNA Persecution Tracker]}}Apostates from Islam are regularly persecuted and killed in the Muslim world. While a great deal of this violence comes from government authorities, an equally great deal (if not the majority) of this violence is meted out by private citizens, often including the victim's family members and persons though to be friends. Very often, those operating outside the bounds of or on independent behalf of the law, in this respect, are allowed by the government to act with impunity. Similar persecution and even murder has recently been observed among Western Muslim diasporas. In 2007, for instance, the daughter of a British Imam was taken under police protection after receiving death threats from her father (a leader of a mosque in Lancashire) for converting to Christianity.<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.standard.co.uk/news/imams-daughter-in-hiding-after-her-conversion-to-christianity-sparked-death-threats-7291664.html|2=2012-10-12}} Imam's daughter in hiding after her conversion to Christianity sparked death threats] - London Evening Standard, December 6, 2007</ref>
====Apostasy and human rights====
In 2005, the ex-Muslim writer Ibn Warraq presented a paper at the panel discussion on "Apostasy, Human Rights, Religion and Belief" held at the the 60<sup>th</sup> Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 18th, 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland. The following is an excerpt:{{Quote||It is clear quite clear that under Islamic Law an apostate must be put to death. There is no dispute on this ruling among classical Muslim or modern scholars... Sura II.217 is interpreted by no less an authority than al-Shafi'i [d. 820], the founder of one of the four orthodox schools of law of Sunni Islam to mean that the death penalty should be prescribed for apostates. Sura II.217 reads: "... But whoever of you recants and dies an unbeliever, his works shall come to nothing in this world and the next, and they are the companions of the fire for ever." Al-Thalabi and al-Khazan concur. Al-Razi in his commentary on II:217 says the apostate should be killed.
 
<br>Similarly, IV. 89: "They would have you disbelieve as they themselves have disbelieved, so that you may be all like alike. Do not befriend them until they have fled their homes for the cause of God. If they desert you seize them and put them to death wherever you find them. Look for neither friends nor helpers among them..." Baydawi [d. c. 1315-16], in his celebrated commentary on the Koran, interprets this passage to mean: "Whosover turns back from his belief (irtada), openly or secretly, take him and kill him wheresoever ye find him, like any other infidel. Separate yourself from him altogether. Do not accept intercession in his regard". Ibn Kathir in his commentary on this passage quoting Al Suddi [d. 745] says that since the unbelievers had manifested their unbelief they should be killed.}}
===Apostasy rates===
The number recent apostates is unprecedented in the history of Islam.
====Sub-Saharan Africa====
According to one estimate made in 2000, In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 6 million Muslims leave Islam every year. In the recent past, Christianity has traded places with Islam as the majority faith of the African continent.<ref>{{Citation|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/programs/shareea/articles/2000/12/12-12-6.htm|author1=Sheikh Ahmed Katani|author2=Maher Abdullah|publication-date=12/12/2000|publisher=Al Jazeera|trans_chapter=Christianization in Africa|chapter=al-Tansir fi Ifriqiya}} An English translation of the article has been [https://web.archive.org/web/20080330082127/http://www.formermuslims.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=972 made available here].</ref>
====North America====
According to a Pew survey conducted in 2014, "About a quarter of adults who were raised Muslim (23%) no longer identify as members of the faith, roughly on par with the share of Americans who were raised Christian and no longer identify with Christianity (22%)". According to a Pew survey conducted in 2017, "a similar estimate (24%) of the share of those who were raised Muslim but have left Islam". According to the 2017 survey, 55% of these ex-Muslims thereafter identified with no religion, 22% converted to Christianity, 21% became "something else", and 3% said they "didn't know" how to describe themselves.<ref>{{Citation|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/26/the-share-of-americans-who-leave-islam-is-offset-by-those-who-become-muslim/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414092507/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/26/the-share-of-americans-who-leave-islam-is-offset-by-those-who-become-muslim/|chapter=The share of Americans who leave Islam is offset by those who become Muslim|publisher=Pew Research Center|author1=Besheer Mohamed|author2=Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac|publication-date=January 26, 2018}}</ref>
==See Also==
 
*[[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Apostasy|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars: Apostasy]]
 
*[[Islam and Freedom of Speech]]
 
==External Links==
 
*[http://www.answering-islam.org/Index/A/apostasy.html Apostasy] ''- Answering Islam''
 
*[http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA20805 Accusing Muslim Intellectuals of Apostasy] ''- MEMRI''
 
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
 
[[Category:Apostasy]]
[[Category:Atheism]]
[[Category:Shariah (Islamic Law)]]
[[Category:Kafir (infidel)]]
[[Category:Human rights]]
[[Category:Criticism of Islam]]
[[Category:Freedom of speech]]

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Apostasy (ارتداد, irtidād and ردة ridda), or leaving the religion, is a serious offense in Islam. Rejecting any part of Islamic doctrine, whether derived from the Quran or from what are held by Islamic scholars to be incontrovertibly reliable hadith, amounts to apostasy.[1][2] The punishment for apostasy as prescribed by Muhammad and as delineated in all four schools of Islamic law is execution. Numerous Sahih (authentic) hadiths attribute this punishment as explicitly prescribed by Muhammad. In Sahih Bukhari, for instance, it is recorded that “Allah's Apostle said, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him'”.[3] Apostasy is also famously one of only three reasons, according to Muhammad, for which killing a Muslim is permitted.[4] One who commits apostasy is called a murtad (مرتد, or 'apostate'). One who hides his apostasy is referred to as a munāfiq (منافق, or 'hypocrite').

Historical Context

Islamic law draws heavily on the desert tribal norms that characterized its birthplace in 7th century Arabia. In this context, as in much of the ancient world, religion was a primarily communal rather than personal affair - commitment to the belief system of one's people was at the same time the basis of one's membership among those people. To abandon one's religion was to renounce not only a system of belief, but also (in the absence of strong secular notions of nationhood) the the society or community that was founded upon that belief. Thus, the norm in Arabia at the birth of Islam was to view apostasy as tantamount to a form of treason and renunciation of one's belonging to one's community. This did not, however, merit execution in all cases. After all, Muhammad himself was allowed to live in Mecca despite abandoning the 'religion of his forefathers', even if he was made to face some amount of persecution. Once Muhammad's movement of military conquest based out of Medina began, however, his group of believers was in a constant state of war with his neighbors. Since Muhammad cemented rather than overturned most of the contemporary tribal norms, this meant that apostasy at any point amounted to treason during a state of war, and thus merited execution. Islamic scholars, drawing on Muhammad's life, took these norms and turned them into the perennial dictates of Islamic law. Even among classical scholars born hundreds of years after Muhammad, the Islamic caliphate was held to be in what was essentially a perpetual state of conquest, based on the Dar al-Harb and Dar al-Islam (the Abode of War and the Abode of Peace) dichotomy, perpetuating the justification of this ruling. Since Islamic law is unchanging, however, and since a collapse of the Islamic state was not anticipated, the overwhelming majority of traditional Islamic scholars today continue to hold execution as the proper punishment for apostasy. Today, the punishment for apostasy is execution in 11 Muslim-majority countries and is outlawed and otherwise punishable in many, many more.[5]

In early Islam

There are no accounts in the hadith considered authentic by traditional Islamic scholars of Muhammad executing apostates, largely due to the absence of individuals apostatizing during Muhammad's life. Academic historians have also shown that, despite the pretensions Islamic orthodoxy, Muhammad's original criteria for one to qualify as a 'believer' was in all likelihood a minimal monotheistic faith rather than the outright acceptance of the entirety of the Quran or Muhammad's individual dictates, which may account for the lesser number of apostates. Nonetheless, there is an incident in Sahih Bukhari where Muhammad is reported to to have banished a Bedouin who expressed the desire to discard his religion. This may, however, be due moreso to the very early Medinan stage of Islam at which this event is said to have taken place, a time when most of Islamic law and doctrine had not yet been formulated, rather than what the Islamic tradition holds to have been Muhammad's ultimate judgement on apostasy.

The ruling of execution given by Muhammad according to numerous hadith falls into sharp relief upon Muhammad's death and under the caliphate of Abu Bakr, when thousands of converts to Islam "apostatized" and were summarily killed in what became known as the Riddah (lit. "apostasy") Wars (632–633 CE). These "apostates" had, in fact, only refused to pay the Zakat tithe and not openly renounced Islam. Refusing to accept even a single part of Islamic doctrine, however, is considered apostasy, and Abu Bakr dealt with them as such, reportedly prompted by a Quran 9:5, which commands Muslims to embattle Islam's enemies until they surrender the tithe and commit to offering prayers. Abu Bakr did not bring the bloody Riddah Wars to an end until all the apostates were either killed or had reverted to Islam. Several other narrations report Muhammad's companions (sahabah) implementing his command and executing atheists,[3] Christians,[6] and Jews[7] for leaving Islam.

By the time of the Abbasid Empire, execution for apostasy as well as for aiding and abetting the crime had become routine. Amira K. Bennison, a Cambridge historian, records the following incident:

In 859 Leocritia, a girl of Muslim parentage with a Christian aunt, decided to become Christian and run away from herparents. Eulogius and his sister harboured the runaway in direct opposition to her parents’ wishes and encouraged her to stand firm. Both were arrested and subsequently executed, Eulogius for proselytizing and assisting in the abduction of a Muslim girl and Leocritia for refusing to return to the faith of her parents.

In Islamic law and scripture

In the Qur'an

The Qur'an does not assign a specific punishment for leaving the religion, as it does for instance for zina. Rather the Qur'an promises the punishment and wrath of Allah upon the believer who later leaves the faith:

Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is wrath from Allah, and for them is a great punishment;

This verse was, according to the traditional reckoning, revealed to the prophet in the case of 'Ammar ibn Yasir, a Mekkan who had been put under pressure of torture of himself and his family to renounce Islam. The prophet ruled that upon the end of this persecution, 'Ammar could be allowed back into the Muslim community. This is a stark departure from the Christian tradition, which sees holding fast to the faith under persecution as the ultimate virtue of the believer. This story and verse would end up providing the grounding for the (largely realized as Shi'ite) doctrine of Taqiyya. Although usually thought of as a Shi'a idea, ibn Kathir himself provides grounding for this idea:

(except one who was forced while his heart is at peace with the faith) This is an exception in the case of one who utters statements of disbelief and verbally agrees with the Mushrikin because he is forced to do so by the beatings and abuse to which he is subjected, but his heart refuses to accept what he is saying, and he is, in reality, at peace with his faith in Allah and His Messenger. The scholars agreed that if a person is forced into disbelief, it is permissible for him to either go along with them in the interests of self-preservation, or to refuse, as Bilal did when they were inflicting all sorts of torture on him, even placing a huge rock on his chest in the intense heat and telling him to admit others as partners with Allah.
Tafsir of ibn Kathir on Quran 16:106

As such, this verse provides for no hadd punishment for apostasy, but rather gives excuse to Muslims who have apostasized under pressure of persecution to return to the community when it is safe to do so.

They ask you about the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, "Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Haram and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allah. And fitnah is greater than killing." And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire, they will abide therein eternally.

In addition to providing a rational for fighting the mushrikeen (idolators or unbelievers), this verse again deals with the punishment in the hereafter of those who leave the faith and lacks any mention of the punishment to be meted out to unbelievers. Qurtubi notes in his tafsir on this verse:

Scholars disagree about whether or not apostates are asked to repent. One group say that they are asked to repent and, if they do not, they are killed. Some say they are given an hour and others a

month. Others say that they are asked to repent three times. That is related from ‘Umar and ‘Uthmān and that is the view of Mālik. Ibn al-Qāsim related it from him. Al-Ḥasan said they are asked a hundred times. It is also said that they are killed without being asked to repent. Ash-Shāfi‘ī says that in one of his two views and it is one of the positions of Ṭāwūs and ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr. Saḥnūn mentioned that ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Abī Salmah al-Mājishūn said that apostates are killed without being asked to repent. He argues that based on the ḥadīth of Mu‘ādh and Abū Mūsā. It says: ‘When the Prophet f sent Abū Mūsā to Yemen, he sent Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal after him. When he came to him, he dismounted and Abū Mūsā gave him a cushion. There was a man in shackles beside him. Mu‘ādh asked, “Who is this?” He replied, “He is a Jew who became Muslim and reverted and returned to Judaism.” He stated, “I will not sit down until he is killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Messenger.” “Sit,” Abū Mūsā said. He repeated, “No, I will not sit

down until he is killed. This is the judgment of Allah and His Messenger.” He said it three times and he commanded that he be killed.’ Muslim and others transmitted it.
Tafsir of Qurtubi on Qur'an 2:217

Qurtubi clearly believes that some manner of punishment is due for apostates, but justifies his belief in this punishment with reference to the hadith. It's clear that Qurtubi does not see the Qur'an itself as supporting this punishment and feels the need to reach outside of it into other traditions in order to justify this recieved belief.

In the four schools

Islamic jurisprudence is derived from the reported words of Muhammad, especially as interpreted and implemented by the Rashidun ("rightly guided") Caliphs and his other companions.

Imam Abu Hanifa’s prescription, as found in his student al-Shaybani's Kitab al-Siyar, grants the apostate a period of three days to revert back to Islam before facing the death penalty. All four schools of Sunni jurisprudence are in agreement with this ruling, with only slight variations on whether and how the grace period and punishment are to be applied to females.[6] The Hanafi school of jurisprudence, the most popular school of jurisprudence in the world today, holds that female apostates form an exception to the rule and, rather than being killed, ought to be beaten every three days and put under confinement until death or repentance, while the remaining Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools all agree the verdict for the female apostate is the same as for the male.[8] In Shia Islam, according to the Ja'fari school, the male is to be executed, but females imprisoned and beaten at the times of the daily prayers (salah).[9] All four schools also hold that the apostate must be: performing an act of free will, of adult age (beyond the puberty, in Islamic law), is of sound mind, and acting intentionally.[9] It is important to note that the Islamic ruling on apostasy only applies to apostates from Islam, not to those who apostatize from other religions, and especially not to those who apostatize from other religions in order to convert to Islam, as this final act is considered to be highly meritorious.

The specific rulings for the four Sunni schools as well as the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam are as follows:

  • The Hanafi school recommends three days of imprisonment before execution to allow repentance and reversion, although the delay before killing the apostate is not mandatory. Male apostates must be executed, while female apostates must be held in solitary confinement and beaten every three days until they recant and return to Islam.
  • The Maliki school allows a waiting period of three days for repentance and reversion, after which the apostate must be killed. This applies to both males and females.
  • The Shafi'i school requires a waiting period of three days for repentance and reversion, after which the apostate must be killed. This applies to both males and females.
  • The Hanbali school recommends a waiting period of three days for repentance and reversion. Then, the apostate is to be invited three times to repent and revert. If the apostate refuses this invitation, they must be executed. This applies to both males and females.
  • The Ja'fari school does not require a waiting period, but allows one to be granted if the apostate was born a disbeliever (rendering them a murtad al-milli). Male apostates must be executed, while female apostates must be held in solitary confinement and beaten at the times of the daily prayers and restricted to light rations of food until she repents and reverts.[9][10][11]

Civil law penalties for apostates who are imprisoned, awaiting execution, or who have taken flight have also been prescribed.[9][12] In all schools other than the Hanafi school, the apostate's right to dispose of property is suspended pending repentance. An apostate also loses the right to inherit (from anyone, Muslim or otherwise). The four schools and the individual jurists within them differ on whether all an apostate's property goes to their Muslim heirs, or just that acquired before his apostasy (if the apostate is a male). The apostate's marriage contract is annulled upon the act of apostasy, even if they repent, or is suspended pending repentance for the length of the wife's 'waiting period' in the Shafi'i school (if their marriage was already consummated) and Shia Ja'fari school (if the apostate was born a disbeliever).

In scripture and scholarly writing

Authoritative Islamic sources (the Qur'an, hadith, and both classical and modern scholars) have commented at length on what constitutes apostasy and how apostates are to be dealt with.

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.'"
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."

Modern revisionary perspectives

A select few modern Islamic scholars, flouting more a millennium of scholarly consensus, have interpreted Quran 2:256 as annunciating a principle which, they say, overrides all scriptural commandments with contrary implications. The Islamic scholars espousing this revision point to reports of apostates who were permitted to continue living during Muhammad's lifetime, despite his ruling. They also reference a small number of early Islamic figure who punished apostasy with punishments lesser than the death penalty. These scholars also read the version of one relevant hadith which prescribes execution for those individuals who leave Islam and "the Muslims" as only being applicable in a context where the apostate's 'leaving the Muslims' amounts to political treason. Interestingly, however, for many of these scholars, speaking openly about one's apostasy in an Islamic state is considered a type of insurrectionary treason which necessarily seeks to undermine the political order.

While this revisionary perspective has had effectively no purchase among establishment traditionalists and has widely been ridiculed as an instance of 'succumbing to Western influence', it has nonetheless helped a number of modern Muslims, especially those living in liberal cultures in the West, reconcile their faith with the dictates of modern society.

(There is) no compulsion in the religion. Surely has become distinct the right (path) from the wrong. Then whoever disbelieves in false deities and believes in Allah, then surely he grasped the handhold - [the] firm, (which) not (will) break [for it]. And Allah (is) All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

In the Muslim world

Popular Muslim opinion

2013 Pew poll

A Pew poll released on April 30, 2013 asked Muslims in 39 countries between 2008 and 2012 questions about religion, politics and society based on 38,000 face-to-face interviews. In one question, asked in 37 of these countries with a combined Muslim population of just over 1 billion people, the survey asked participants whether they favored or opposed the death penalty for leaving Islam. Using the complete dataset for this question on page 219 of the full report[13], and weighing the responses by Muslim population[14] indicates that overall, 40% of Muslims in these countries favor the death penalty for apostasy from Islam. The percentage was below 10% in Central Asia, Turkey and Balkan countries included in the survey. It was above 50% in Afghanistan (79%), Egypt (88%), Jordan (83%), Malaysia (58%), Pakistan (75%), Palestinian Territories (62%), and Djbouti (62%).

One noteworthy mistake has frequently been made by commentators on the 2013 Pew poll, likely as a result of neglecting the full dataset made available by Pew at the end of the report. The table found in chapter one of the report shows support for the death penalty for apostasy among those who had answered that they were 'in favor of Sharia in their country' in an earlier question. Multiplying the percentages in these two tables yields significantly lower percentages compared to those mentioned above (Egypt, for example appears by this calculation to have 64% support for the death penalty, and overall support in the countries surveyed falls to approximately 35% after weighing by Muslim population). This approach fails to account, however, for the support for the apostasy death penalty among those who answered that they 'do not support' or 'don't know whether they support' Sharia being the official law in their country, which, perhaps surprisingly, makes a significant difference. Only the table on page 219 near the end of the report reveals support for the apostasy death penalty for all respondents in each country. This was confirmed by an independent analysis of the data and correspondence with Pew's Director of International Survey Research.[15] Nevertheless, a strong correlation can be seen in the results for the two questions on support for Sharia and support for the death penalty for apostates.[16]

Changes since 2013

It is possible and even likely that support for the penalty has fallen in the years since the survey was conducted due to near-global outrage at the actions of ISIS and subsequent attempts by leading Muslim figures to distance Islam from the actions of that group. A similar decline in support may also have resulted from generally the negative experience of Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt between 2011 and 2013.

Persecution of apostates

Apostates from Islam are regularly persecuted and killed in the Muslim world. While a great deal of this violence comes from government authorities, an equally great deal (if not the majority) of this violence is meted out by private citizens, often including the victim's family members and persons though to be friends. Very often, those operating outside the bounds of or on independent behalf of the law, in this respect, are allowed by the government to act with impunity. Similar persecution and even murder has recently been observed among Western Muslim diasporas. In 2007, for instance, the daughter of a British Imam was taken under police protection after receiving death threats from her father (a leader of a mosque in Lancashire) for converting to Christianity.[17]

Apostasy and human rights

In 2005, the ex-Muslim writer Ibn Warraq presented a paper at the panel discussion on "Apostasy, Human Rights, Religion and Belief" held at the the 60th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 18th, 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland. The following is an excerpt:

It is clear quite clear that under Islamic Law an apostate must be put to death. There is no dispute on this ruling among classical Muslim or modern scholars... Sura II.217 is interpreted by no less an authority than al-Shafi'i [d. 820], the founder of one of the four orthodox schools of law of Sunni Islam to mean that the death penalty should be prescribed for apostates. Sura II.217 reads: "... But whoever of you recants and dies an unbeliever, his works shall come to nothing in this world and the next, and they are the companions of the fire for ever." Al-Thalabi and al-Khazan concur. Al-Razi in his commentary on II:217 says the apostate should be killed.
Similarly, IV. 89: "They would have you disbelieve as they themselves have disbelieved, so that you may be all like alike. Do not befriend them until they have fled their homes for the cause of God. If they desert you seize them and put them to death wherever you find them. Look for neither friends nor helpers among them..." Baydawi [d. c. 1315-16], in his celebrated commentary on the Koran, interprets this passage to mean: "Whosover turns back from his belief (irtada), openly or secretly, take him and kill him wheresoever ye find him, like any other infidel. Separate yourself from him altogether. Do not accept intercession in his regard". Ibn Kathir in his commentary on this passage quoting Al Suddi [d. 745] says that since the unbelievers had manifested their unbelief they should be killed.

Apostasy rates

The number recent apostates is unprecedented in the history of Islam.

Sub-Saharan Africa

According to one estimate made in 2000, In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 6 million Muslims leave Islam every year. In the recent past, Christianity has traded places with Islam as the majority faith of the African continent.[18]

North America

According to a Pew survey conducted in 2014, "About a quarter of adults who were raised Muslim (23%) no longer identify as members of the faith, roughly on par with the share of Americans who were raised Christian and no longer identify with Christianity (22%)". According to a Pew survey conducted in 2017, "a similar estimate (24%) of the share of those who were raised Muslim but have left Islam". According to the 2017 survey, 55% of these ex-Muslims thereafter identified with no religion, 22% converted to Christianity, 21% became "something else", and 3% said they "didn't know" how to describe themselves.[19]

See Also

External Links

References

  1. Questions about Apostasy (Blasphemy) - Al Sunna.org
  2. Quran 2:85
  3. 3.0 3.1 M. Muhsin Khan (Translator) - Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84 - Dealing with Apostates, Number 57 - USC-MSA, Compendium of Muslim Texts
  4. M. Muhsin Khan (Translator) - Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 83 - Blood Money (Ad-Diyat), Number 17 - USC-MSA, Compendium of Muslim Texts
  5. https://persecution.exmuslims.org/map
  6. 6.0 6.1 Abul Ala Maududi - The Punishment of the Apostate According to Islamic Law - Islamic Publications Ltd., Lahore, 1963
  7. M. Muhsin Khan (Translator) - Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84 - Dealing with Apostates, Number 58 - USC-MSA, Compendium of Muslim Texts
  8. 'Abdurrahmani'l-Djaziri - The Penalties for Apostasy in Islam According to the Four Schools of Islamic Law - "The Case of the Female Apostate" (Pg. 19)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Peters, R.and G.J.J.De Vries (1976-77), 'Apostasy in Islam'. Die Welt des Islams 17, 1/4:1-25 [dare.uva.nl/document/228850 pdf of the article] or jstor article with free read access
  10. imam-khomeini.ir Imam Khomeini, Tahrir al-Wasilar Volumie IV (English translation), Tehran: Institute for Compilation of Imam Khomeini's works, 2011, p.255
  11. A Shiite Opinion on Apostasy - Originally from Kayhan International, March 1986
  12. islamqa.info Fatwah 134339: Effect of apostasy on marriage before and after consummation]
  13. The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society Pew Research Centre, 30 April 2013, p.219 (responses by country to the question on apostasy)
  14. Future Global Muslim Population Pew Research Centre, 2011, pp.156-163 (Estimated Muslim population by country in 2010)
  15. Check the original source! How so many writers got the facts wrong after the Maher vs. Affleck Islam debate Archive
  16. Survey Reports - The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society - Chapter 1: Beliefs about Sharia - Pew Research Center, April 30, 2013
  17. Imam's daughter in hiding after her conversion to Christianity sparked death threats - London Evening Standard, December 6, 2007
  18. Sheikh Ahmed Katani; Maher Abdullah, "al-Tansir fi Ifriqiya [Christianization in Africa]", Al Jazeera, 12/12/2000, https://www.aljazeera.net/programs/shareea/articles/2000/12/12-12-6.htm  An English translation of the article has been made available here.
  19. Besheer Mohamed; Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac, "The share of Americans who leave Islam is offset by those who become Muslim", Pew Research Center, January 26, 2018 (archived from the original), https://web.archive.org/web/20200414092507/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/26/the-share-of-americans-who-leave-islam-is-offset-by-those-who-become-muslim/