Dear Hadi,
Dear Reader,
Your question provides an opportunity to briefly address a frequently misunderstood aspect of Islam. Unfortunately, there are many who we misunderstand and mischaracterize Islam’s perspective regarding those who leave Islam, and wrongly claim that Islam mandates the death penalty for these individuals. Although apostasy is generally defined as the renunciation or abandonment of one’s previously held religious beliefs, we must take a closer look at what the Arabic word irtidad (which is often translated as apostasy) actually means.
The word irtidad, both linguistically and historically during the life of the Prophet (pbuh), does not refer to someone who simply decides to no longer be a Muslim. Rather, it refers to those individuals who, having left Islam, engage in public rebellion against Islam, thus trying to undermine Muslim communities. Appreciating this difference is critical to a more accurate understanding of Islam’s stance on irtidad.
The Quran unequivocally states in 2:256, “there is no compulsion in religion, for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood.” Additionally, Quran 18:29 states that “the Truth is from you Lord; let him who will, believe, and let him who will, reject (it)…” In our opinion, these two verses alone are enough to negate any proposition that someone who chooses to follow another faith, or none at all, should be subjected to worldly consequence at the hands of his/her fellow human. Add to this that there are no verified instances of the Prophet (pbuh) ever having implemented the death penalty for anyone who simply chose to leave Islam and the Muslim community.
Dr. Jonathan Brown has presented a thorough analysis about apostasy in Islam that can be found here. His presentation delves into the role of religion and its bearing on the punishment for apostasy, and goes into significantly more detail than we can in our brief answer here.
One of the things Dr. Brown notes in this paper is the opinion of scholars like Yusuf al-Qaradawi, with whom we agree on this issue, who correlate irtidad to treason (not to simple apostasy of renouncing one’s faith). Viewed in this light, the death penalty would be more understandable. In fact, here in the U.S., as you may know, treason can carry a penalty of death (18 U.S. Code § 2381).
In peace