Islam and Apostasy - Revision history

Lightyears: Automated script replacing USC-MSA hadith numbering system for Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud

2025-11-12T19:08:17Z

Automated script replacing USC-MSA hadith numbering system for Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:08, 12 November 2025
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	__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>[http://www.alsunna.org/Questions-about-Apostasy-Blasphemy.html Questions about Apostasy (Blasphemy)] - Al Sunna.org ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110129035642/http://www.alsunna.org/Questions-about-Apostasy-Blasphemy.html archive])</ref> The punishment for apostasy attributed in hadiths to [[Muhammad]]'s instruction and as delineated in all [[Madh'hab\|schools]] of [[Islamic law]] is execution. In [[Sahih Bukhari]], for instance, the companion Ibn 'Abbas recalls that Muhammad said, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'.<ref>{{Bukhari\|9\|84\|57}} and {{Bukhari\|4\|52\|~~260~~}}</ref> Apostasy is also famously one of only three reasons, according to Muhammad, for which killing a Muslim is permitted.<ref>{{Bukhari\|9\|83\|17}}</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').		__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>[http://www.alsunna.org/Questions-about-Apostasy-Blasphemy.html Questions about Apostasy (Blasphemy)] - Al Sunna.org ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110129035642/http://www.alsunna.org/Questions-about-Apostasy-Blasphemy.html archive])</ref> The punishment for apostasy attributed in hadiths to [[Muhammad]]'s instruction and as delineated in all [[Madh'hab\|schools]] of [[Islamic law]] is execution. In [[Sahih Bukhari]], for instance, the companion Ibn 'Abbas recalls that Muhammad said, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'.<ref>{{Bukhari\|\|\|6922\|darussalam}} and {{Bukhari\|\|\|3017\|darussalam}}</ref> Apostasy is also famously one of only three reasons, according to Muhammad, for which killing a Muslim is permitted.<ref>{{Bukhari\|\|\|6878\|darussalam}}</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').

	In modern times, reformists and some academic scholars have urged scepticism towards the relevant hadiths, which they argue run contrary to Quranic principles and may reflect hardened attitudes during the Riddah wars under the Caliphate of Abu Bakr.<ref>Wael Hallaq, ''Apostasy'' in The Encyclopedia of the Quran vol 1, Leiden: Brill, p. 122, 2004)</ref>		In modern times, reformists and some academic scholars have urged scepticism towards the relevant hadiths, which they argue run contrary to Quranic principles and may reflect hardened attitudes during the Riddah wars under the Caliphate of Abu Bakr.<ref>Wael Hallaq, ''Apostasy'' in The Encyclopedia of the Quran vol 1, Leiden: Brill, p. 122, 2004)</ref>
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	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.		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.

	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 zandiqa ("atheists" in some translations, but probably simply meaning heretics)<ref>{{Bukhari\|9\|84\|57}}</ref> and a Jewish man <ref>{{Bukhari\|9\|84\|58}}</ref> for leaving Islam.		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 zandiqa ("atheists" in some translations, but probably simply meaning heretics)<ref>{{Bukhari\|\|\|6922\|darussalam}}</ref> and a Jewish man <ref>{{Bukhari\|\|\|6923\|darussalam}}</ref> 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:		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:
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	===In scripture and scholarly writing===		===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:		{{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\|\|\|3017\|darussalam}} \| 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:		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\|\|\|6878\|darussalam}} \|Narrated 'Abdullah:

Lightyears: Very important that an ex-muslim parent knows about child custody laws before coming out to their spouse. There have been some terrible cases where they did not know.

2025-10-03T15:50:28Z

Very important that an ex-muslim parent knows about child custody laws before coming out to their spouse. There have been some terrible cases where they did not know.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:50, 3 October 2025
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	*'''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>[http://formermuslimsunited.org/?page_id=2169 A Shiite Opinion on Apostasy] - Originally from Kayhan International, March 1986 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20111222053801/http://formermuslimsunited.org/?page_id=2169 archive])</ref>		*'''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>[http://formermuslimsunited.org/?page_id=2169 A Shiite Opinion on Apostasy] - Originally from Kayhan International, March 1986 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20111222053801/http://formermuslimsunited.org/?page_id=2169 archive])</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).		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). An apostate is also disqualified from child custody (hizanat) in all the main Sunni and the Shi'a schools of jurisprudence, especially in the case of apostate mothers.<ref>[https://www.pathlegal.in/Hizanat-Under-Muslim-Law:-An-Analysis-blog-2391757 Hizanat Under Muslim Law: An Analysis] - Pathlegal.in website 22 November 2022</ref> This is explicitly the law in some Muslim countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Oman, Jordan and Pakistan. Even child visitation rights are also sometimes at risk for an apostate mother or father.

	===In scripture and scholarly writing===		===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:		{{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:

Lightyears at 22:34, 20 May 2025

2025-05-20T22:34:50Z

Show changes

Lightyears: Removed dead link (and webcitation.org no longer works), but the content was later included and sourced in the linked Quran Hadith Scholars page anyway

2023-03-04T22:24:41Z

Removed dead link (and webcitation.org no longer works), but the content was later included and sourced in the linked Quran Hadith Scholars page anyway

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:24, 4 March 2023
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	*'''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 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://www.webcitation.org/6lL25cac5 webcitation archive] Sunni books of jurisprudence (translations) quoted in The Rationaliser, [http://therationaliser.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/apostasy-in-islam.htm Apostasy in Islam], 2014</ref><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>		*'''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).		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).

Lightyears at 23:43, 8 December 2022

2022-12-08T23:43:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:43, 8 December 2022
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	*'''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://www.webcitation.org/6lL25cac5 webcitation archive] Sunni books of jurisprudence (translations) quoted in The Rationaliser, [http://therationaliser.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/apostasy-in-islam.htm Apostasy in Islam], 2014</ref><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>		*'''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://www.webcitation.org/6lL25cac5 webcitation archive] Sunni books of jurisprudence (translations) quoted in The Rationaliser, [http://therationaliser.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/apostasy-in-islam.htm Apostasy in Islam], 2014</ref><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 ~~school~~ 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).		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===		===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:		{{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:
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	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%).		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 of the report. The table found in chapter one of the report shows support for the death penalty for apostasy among those who 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 ~~accounts~~, 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 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>		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====		====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.		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.

Asmith at 23:51, 27 May 2022

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	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:		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:

	{{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;}}		{{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:
			{{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
	{{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.}}		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.}}
			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===		===In the four schools===

Asmith at 23:10, 27 May 2022

2022-05-27T23:10:17Z

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	{{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;}}		{{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;}}

	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|2\|~~106~~}}\|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.}}		{{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 the four schools===		===In the four schools===

Asmith at 23:01, 27 May 2022

2022-05-27T23:01:41Z

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	==In Islamic law and scripture==		==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:

			{{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;}}

			{{Quote\|{{Quran\|2\|106}}\|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 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.		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.
	~~===In the four schools===~~
	{{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.		{{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.

Asmith at 04:30, 9 January 2022

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	__NOEDITSECTION__{{QualityScore\|Lead=3\|Structure=4\|Content=3\|Language=4\|References=3}}'''Apostasy''' (ارتداد, irtidād and 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').		__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').
	==Historical Context==		==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>		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>

IbnPinker at 19:09, 16 November 2021

2021-11-16T19:09:38Z

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	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.		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.

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

	{{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.}}		{{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.}}