rulings on apostasy

Greetings and Peace,

Mukhlis wrote: You, in your own words, were thrown out of Islam. By whome ? Why did you take that lying down ? It was not a thing i had a choice in anyway. Life is life so to speak. Why you call yourself a Deist, My friend? I know, once a believer, impossible to be an atheist. Who said i would be an atheist ? Peace Deist

Alwardah wrote: As Salamu Alaikum On the one hand we have evidence from the Glorious Qur'an there is "No compulsion in Religion" and on the other hand we have evidence from the Sunnah that someone who apostates must be killed after failing to repent.

Actually its quite simple.
2:256 is about people that face the choice of converting to islam or staying in the state of disbelief.
Its not related at all to the question about apostacy.

Asalam Aalaikum

We should note that Islam is a religion which respects a free will of a person and doesnot encourage compulsion
on the people.

The brother is talking about a hadith from "Kitaab al-Jihaad wal-Siyar", "Kitaab istitabah al-Murtaddeen" and "Kitaab al-ai`tisaam bil-Kitaab wal-Sunnah",in which the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said:

Whoever changes his Religion, kill him.

Many Muslim Scholars hold this cited hadith as a basis for their opinion regarding"the punishment for apostasy". and they also support this opinion from their idea that by apostasizing from Islam, a person is actually creating fitnah and he will also encourage other muslims to leave Islam.
I donot understand how can a person by becoming an apostate is creating a fitnah? It is not necessary that a person after leaving Islam will surely encourage other muslims to leave Islam. I have seen several apostates who have left Islam but donot force any muslim to become an apostate.
How can Muslim Scholars be so sure and confident that after leaving Islam, a person will encourage and force other muslims to leave Islam as well?

I hope my concern is clear

Regards,

Greetings and peace,

Sorry for the late reply.
You asked concerning the verse.
Actually its very obvious, which makes it somewhat complicated because how should one explain the obvious ? ;)

The sura is a madani one.
The major part is an invitation to islam as this sura also explicitly adresses the jews.

In the whole you can read through a lot of stories about former prophets and if you look carefully you will see that it is allways talking about the ignorance of people when new messengers came. Allways signs were given and always some people rejected and others accepted. Allways at the time of the messengers.

See 2:253: YUSUFALI: Those messengers We endowed with gifts, some above others: To one of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary We gave clear (Signs), and strengthened him with the holy spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after clear (Signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah Fulfilleth His plan.

2:256 is a continuation of this as there again has been a prophet and this time the final one as well. And people again are asked to choose now that the signs are clear. The quran has come/is coming and now is the time again too choose.

Actually there is something else worthy of note here.
That there is no compulsion in religion also means that compulsion in religion doesnt make sense and wont work.
"10:100 No soul can believe, except by the will of Allah, and He will place doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand. "

Anyway ... this is not related to those that LEAVE islam. Its only related to those that CHOOSE BETWEEN islam and something else.
For those that leave it there is hell and earthly punishment as enough hadeeths state and as all schools agree upon.

Why is that the case ?
Leaving islam is not merely a matter of choosing religion.
Well you mentioned in your post already some comments of scholars and you said you didnt understand them.
Actually it allways has been that way and in many religions this "type" of rule is or was common.
You must see it from an islamic point of view.

As the signs are clear and as someone believes in islam he has grasped the ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Islamic doctrine means here that you have found what many people actually search for their whole life. And as a believer it is clear and obvious. You have so to speak seen the light.
However that also means that you cant possibly "leave" islam for any "rational" reason because someone who found the truth cant simply believe in another truth. You are by definition a rejector, someone who rejects a (even by HIM) known truth. You can thus only be evil.

Sociologically speaking its also a protection mechanism.
Religions always postulate that their religion is true. Hence someone who believes the religion has found the truth. If now that religion would simply allow its members to leave then this would mean that it actually is possible that a person may leave it for normal reasons. That however would harm its claim to hold the absolute truth. Afterall who would freely choose to leave the absolute truth ? Either the people are evildoers  OR the religion is NOT clear and has the absolute truth.
The second will be denied by all religions hence its the first.
So he will be persecuted, marked as traitor, killed.



Edited by deist