Apostates in Islam: to kill or not to kill?

[Cyrene]

- Who are the Apostates in Islam?


Apostates or Renegades are those who decide to leave the religion of Islam. There is a widely prevailing misconception about this issue. It is generally thought that the Quran provides the death sentence for those who desert the religion of Islam. There is not the least ground for such a supposition. The Quran speaks repeatedly of people going back to unbelief after believing, but never once does it say that they should be killed or punished. Although the Quran does provide the death sentence for some situations such as putting a murderer to death, but it never provided death sentence or ordered the death of those who leave Islam.


"They ask thee (Muhammad) Concerning fighting In the Prohibited Month. Say: Fighting therein Is a grave (offence); but graver is it In the sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the sacred Mosque, and drive out its members. Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter. Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can. And if any of you turn back from their faith (Islam) and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the hereafter; they will be companions of the fire and will abide therein." Verse 2:217 Here in this Verse we see that God Almighty talks about those who leave Islam, and promises them punishment in the day of judgment. God doesn't order the death of those people.


"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) pleaseth. And Allah encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things." Verse 5:54 Here in this Verse we see again God strengthening the faith of the Muslims in Islam by assuring them that whenever they see Muslims leaving Islam they will also see those who join Islam with strong faith and love to God Almighty.


"As most men are rebellious." (5:49), it is inevitable that there should be apostates even from such a religion of reason and common-sense as Islam. In Verse 5:54 above there is a warning to the Muslims that they should not repeat the history of the Jews, and become so self-satisfied or arrogant as to depart from the spirit of God's teaching. If they do, the loss will be their own. God's bounty is not confined to one group or section of humanity. He can always raise up people who will follow the true spirit of Islam. That spirit is defined in two ways:


1- They will love God, and God will love them.


2- Amongst their Brethren, their attitude will be that of humility, but to wrongdoers they will offer no compromises, and they will always strive and fight for the truth and right. They will know no fear, either physical, or that more insidious form. They are too great in mind to be haunted by any such thought.


"(O Muslims) Your friends are (No less than) Allah, His Messenger, and the Believers, those who establish regular prayers and regular charity, and they bow down humbly (in worship)." Verse 5:55 Here we see God telling Muslims after he warned them from apostates in (5:54) that their real friends are: God, Prophet Muhammad, and the good Muslims who keep up with their prayers and charity, and who humbly worship their God.


"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." Verse 3:90 Here in this holy verse we see God rejecting the faith of those who keep coming back and forth to Islam. In order for a human being to accept Islam as his religion, he must be certain about it first. God's path is wide open, and his mercy is greater than this universe. This Verse also does not order the death of those who leave Islam.


The path to God is always open and God will be your friend as in verse (5:55) above, and he will forgive your sins for you once you repent as in the following verse: "Except for those that repent (Even) after that, And make amends; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful." (3:89).


-Freedom of Religion:

Some Muslims believe in killing apostates because they follow a Hadith from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) regarding the apostates. While Islam was weak and still growing among Jews, Christians and Pagans, Muslims did not have the full and complete religion that they needed. Some Jews and Christians wanted to take advantage of such situation to destroy Islam. They had a plan to adopt Islam first and then desert it, thus creating the impression that Islam was not a religion worth adopting.


"A section of the People of the Book say: Believe in the morning what is revealed to the believers, but reject it at the end of the day; perchance they may (themselves) turn back (from Islam)." Verse 3:72 To protect Islam from such attempts done by a group of the people of the book, Prophet Muhammad ordered the death of those who enter Islam and leave it. This temporary law that was put by the Prophet had stopped the hypocrites who carried so much hatred toward Islam to enter Islam and desert it afterwards.


God ordered the Muslims to kill the pagans who fought against the Muslims. The following Verse talks about all of the enemies who fought the Muslims long and bloody battles:


Verse 2:191 "And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith." The killing of the pagans who fought the Muslims during the time when Islam was not yet complete was essential.

"This day those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: Yet fear them not But fear Me (Allah). This day have I (Allah) perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your (complete) religion...." Verse 5:3 So long as Islam was not organized, with its own community and its own laws, the unbelievers and the Hypocrites from the People of the Book and the Pagan Arabs had hoped to wean the believers from the new teaching. Now that hope is gone forever with the complete organization of Islam.

"Again and again will those who disbelieve, wish that they had bowed (to God's will) in Islam. Leave them alone, to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves: let (false) hope amuse them: soon will knowledge (undeceive them)." Verses 15:2-3

"If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed, all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe! No soul can believe, except by the will of God, and He will place doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand." Verses 10:99-100

"Say, 'The truth is from your Lord': Let him who will, believe, and let him who will, reject: for the wrong doers We have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames), like the walls and roof of a tent, will hem them in: if they implore relief they will be granted water like melted brass, that will scald their faces, how dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!" Verse 18:29

"If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!" Verse 10:99

"Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error" Verse 2:256

"To you be your Way, and to me mine" Verses 109:1-6

"Now then, for that (reason), call (them to the Faith), and stand steadfast as thou art commanded, nor follow thou their vain desires; but say: 'I believe in the Book which God has sent down; and I am commanded to judge justly between you. God is our Lord and your Lord: for us (is the responsibility for) our deeds, and for you for your deeds. There is no contention between us and you. God will bring us together, and to Him is (our) Final Goal.'" Verse 42:15

- So how come Muslim Fundamentalists execute those who desert Islam then?


The interpretation of those who prohibit women from education, even though Islam clearly allows education for women, and prohibit them also from driving, and oppress men by forcing them to grow beards, even though beards are NOT mandatory in Islam, doesn't mean much to me.


As we've seen above, it is quite clear, and beyond any questioning that God Almighty prohibited compulsion in religion and allowed the absolute freedom of religion to everyone. When Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him executed apostates, he did it because Muslims were at war time and because Islam was still partial, and Muslims needed protection from the hypocrites of the people of the book who purposely entered Islam and deserted it later to create confusion among the Muslims.

the media only shows you some Terrorists like Boko Haram and al Qaeda etc. as they are the overwhelming majority of Muslims. they represent Islam as much as Ku Klux Klan represents Christanity.

The Prophet Muhammad even talked about them: " After me there will be disunity in the Ummah, there will be a group of people from my community, they say good things, and do bad things, they read the Quran, it does not go past their throats, they desert ( contradict) religion as the Arrow deserts the Bow, and they do not get back to it, they are the worst Creatures, may he be happy he who fights them, and get killed, they invite people to the word of God and they have nothing to do with it, whoever fights them is more worthy of God then them"