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ApostasyinIslam
ThePointofNoReturn
ByAbdullahAlAraby
Forfourteencenturies,Muslimswereabletoconcealsome
of their most outrageous teachings from the rest of the
world. Their deceptions were hidden behind language,
cultural and geographic barriers. Modern technology and
new communication methods have made it difficult for
MuslimstohidethedarksideofIslamanylonger.Muslim
advocates, especially in the West, are now faced with the
tough task of explaining the discrepancies between how
theywantIslamperceivedasatolerant,civilandpeaceful
religionandtherealtiesofsomeofitsbasictenets,which
are quite the opposite. Theyre finding it hard to maintain
the faades and to simultaneously remain faithful to the
harsh doctrines that are essential to the practices of
authenticIslam.
Damagecontrolhasbecomeoneoftheirmainobjectivesin
modern societies. Its not unusual for various types of
contradictionstohappenastheydoso.Thiswasrecently
demonstratedbysomerulingsmadebySheikhAliGomaa,
theGrandMuftiofEgypt.HeisEgyptssuperiorauthority
in charge of issuing official fatwas (Islamic religious
rulings).
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Ali Gomaa issued a wide range of opinions on critical

issuesofIslamsuchasJihad,womensstatusandtheright
ofMuslimstochangereligions.Newsagenciesaroundthe
worldpublishedtheminmultiplelanguages.Inregardtoa
Muslims right to renounce Islam and to join another
religion that is called apostasy, his initial rulings sounded
lenient. The Washington PostNewsweek forum in English
wasoneoftheforumsthatpublishedhisdecisions.
Here are excerpts from what he said on the issue of
apostasy:
Theessentialquestionbeforeusis:Canapersonwhoisa
MuslimchooseareligionotherthanIslam?Theansweris
yes, they can, because the Quran says, Unto you your
religion, and unto me my religion, (Quran 109:6) and,
Whosoeverwill,lethimbelieve,andwhoseverwill,lethim
disbelieve, (Quran18:29) and, There is no compulsion in
religion. The right direction is distinct from error (Quran
2:256).
He added, These verses from the Quran discuss a
freedom that God affords all people. But from a religious
prospective, the act of abandoning ones religion is a sin
punishablebyGodontheDayofJudgment.Ifthecasein
Question is one of merely rejecting faith, then there is no
worldlypunishment.Hewentontostate,If,however,the
crime of undermining the foundations of the society is
added to the sin of apostasy, then the case must be
referred to a judicial system whose role is to protect the
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integrity of the society..According to Islam, it is not

permitted for Muslims to reject their faith, so if a Muslim
weretoleaveIslamandadoptanotherreligion,theywould
therebybecommittingasinintheeyesofIslam.Religious
belief and practice is a personal matter, and society only
interveneswhen that personal matterbecomespublicand
threatensthewellbeingofitsmembers.
My first reaction to these statements was that I thought
theywerebalancedandreasonable.IhadhopesthatIslam
was softening its extreme attitudes towards those who
leave Islam. It seemed that the Grand Mufti was
emphasizingthatMuslimsdohavethefreedomtochange
religions. He emphatically implied that such matters are
personal,betweenmanandhisCreator.Healsoasserted
thatalthoughsuchconversionsaresinful,thatGod,rather
than man, would enact the punishments in the Day of
Judgment. He only cited one exception. It would be in
instances wherein a persons conversion to another faith
had the potential to undermine the foundations of a
society. In such cases he suggested that the courts
should get involved to settle the issue. Although I was
concerned about that exception, I dismissed it as
unimportant. I couldnt imagine how a person switching
religions could be interpreted as an act that could
underminethefoundationofanentiresociety.
My hopes were soon shattered. A few days later, the
Grand Mufti,issued another statement. This time he was
speaking in Arabic in Cairo and what he said was
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completely different: What I actually said was that Islam

prohibits a Muslim from changing his religion and its a
crimethatmustbepunished.
It was then that I realized that we had all been fooled,
again. The Muslim strategy of only speaking halftruths
was still alive and well. What is being said in places like
Washington to English speaking groups is almost
simultaneouslyretracted and rendered meaningless when
they speak in Arabic in places like Cairo. What was
originally presented as simply a rare and remote possible
exception had become the general rule. Changing
religionsfromIslamtoanotherfaithisinterpretedasanact
of apostasy. The Islamic mindset dictates that such
apostasies can undermine the foundations of Muslim
societies.
ItsdifficultfornonMuslimstounderstandhowapersonal
decision to change ones religion by one Muslim or even
hundreds could undermine an entire Islamic society. And,
assuming that it could, would denial of the facts change
anything? Apparently the grand Mufti thought so.
However,hemusthaveimaginedthatheachievedbothof
hisgoals. Onone hand,it wasto polish Islams image in
the West and on the other, he spoke the truth about
IslamicpolicesintheIslamicworld.
The only way that Islamists like the Mufti can continually
getawaywithsuchdeceptivemaneuversisforustoallow
them to do so. There must be clarity about Islams
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consistent track record of doubletalk about thorny issues

such as this one. NonMuslims really need to know the
truth about just what constitutes apostasy in the Muslim
world.
TolerantVerses
One of the most popular tactics that Muslims utilize to
promote their religion is quotes from the portions of the
Quran that Mohammad wrote while he headquartered in
Mecca during the first years of Islam. In that stage of
Islams development it was weak in numbers and
influence.Atthattimehewastryingtowinthesupportof
theArabsbypeacefulmeans.Hisattitudesandstrategies
completelychangedafterhemovedtoMedina.Therehis
movementgainednumbersandhewasabletoorganizea
strongarmyandtoimposehisreligionbyforce.Inorderto
cover the contradictions between the tone of the verses
writteninMeccaandthosewrittenin Medina, Mohammad
came up with the doctrine of the abrogator and the
abrogated.ItnullifiestheQuransMeccanrevelationsand
replacesthemwiththoseofMedina.WhenIslamistsquote
theMeccaversesthatsoundpeacefulandconciliatorythey
know full well that those verses have been rendered
obsolete by the more recent Medinian verses. Here are
someexamplesoftheMeccaversesthattheyuse:
Say:OyethatrejectFaith!
Iworshipnotthatwhichyeworship,
NorwillyeworshipthatwhichIworship.
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AndIwillnotworshipthatwhichyehavebeenwontto
worship,
NorwillyeworshipthatwhichIworship.
ToyoubeyourWay,andtomemineSura109:16
Say,"ThetruthisfromyourLord":Lethimwhowill
believe,andlethimwhowill,reject(it):forthewrong
doersWehavepreparedaFirewhose(smokeandflames),
likethewallsandroofofatent,willhemthemin:ifthey
implorerelieftheywillbegrantedwaterlikemeltedbrass,
thatwillscaldtheirfaces,howdreadfulthedrink!How
uncomfortableacouchtoreclineon!Sura18:29
Lettherebenocompulsioninreligion:Truthstandsout
clearfromError:whoeverrejectsevilandbelievesinAllah
hathgraspedthemosttrustworthyhandhold,thatnever
breaks.AndAllahhearethandknowethallthings.Sura
2:256
WhatdotheQuranandHadithreallyteachabout
Apostasy?
IntheQuran
MostQuranicreferencesdealwithhowGodlookson
apostatesandhowheisgoingtopunishthemintheDayof
Judgment.Thefirstversehasanindirectinferenceabout
apostasy,butnonethelessisusedbyMuslimsasabasis
forpunishingapostates
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ThepunishmentofthosewhowagewaragainstAllahand
HisMessenger,andstrivewithmightandmainformischief
throughthelandis:execution,orcrucifixion,orthecutting
offofhandsandfeetfromoppositesides,orexilefromthe
land:thatistheirdisgraceinthisworld,andaheavy
punishmentistheirsintheHereafterSura5:33
ButthosewhorejectFaithaftertheyacceptedit,andthen
goonaddingtotheirdefianceofFaith,neverwilltheir
repentancebeacceptedfortheyarethosewhohave(of
setpurpose)gone
astray.
Sura3:90
Anyonewho,afteracceptingfaithinAllah,uttersUnbelief,
exceptundercompulsion,hisheartremainingfirminFaith
butsuchasopentheirbreasttoUnbelief,onthemisWrath
fromAllah,andtheirswillbeadreadfulPenalty.Sura
16:106
Thosewhobelieve,thenrejectfaith,thenbelieve(again)
and(again)rejectfaith,andgoonincreasinginunbelief,
Allahwillnotforgivethemnorguidethemnorguidethem
ontheway.Sura4:137
IntheHadith
IbnAbbaassaid:TheMessengerofAllahsaid,Whoever
changeshis(Islamic)religion,killhim.AlBukhary(number
6922)
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AbdAllah ibn Masood said: The Messenger of Allahsaid:

It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who
bearswitness that there is no god except Allah and that I
amtheMessengerofAllah,exceptinoneofthreecases:a
soul (in case of murder) a married person who commits
adultery and one who leaves his religion and separates
fromthemainbodyofMuslims.SahihAlBukharynumber
6484andSahihMuslimnumber1676
HowDoesIslamDealwithApostates?
An Apostate in Islam is a Muslim who rejects Islam after
being eitherborn into it or after embracing it as a convert
from some other religion. An apostate is looked upon as
worsethananinfidelwhohasneverprofessedfaithinAllah
and Mohammad as his prophet or in any way practiced
Islam.
ApostasyinIslamisequaltotreason.InIslam,politicsand
religionareinseparablyintertwined.Afamousfundamental
expression in Islam says it all, Islam is a religion and a
state. It is obvious that treason within Islam hasspiritual
and cultural dimensions. It does not writeoff the public
rejection of its fundamentals as merely private matters of
personalpreferenceinregardtoreligion.Suchactionsare
viewed as bad influences on Islamic societies as a whole
that could escalate into widespread seditions. That is why
theydealwithitsoharshly.
Apostasy within Islam can encompass thoughts of the
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heart,wordsspokenand deeds. Anexample ofapostasy

of the heart would be most anything that might indicate
disbeliefinthesupremacyofAllah.Associationswithany
deitiessuchasJesusChristandtheHolySpiritandclaims
thatsuchpossessdivinitythatparallelsthatofAllahwould
beapostasybytheheart.Apostasyofthetonguewouldbe
any words that question the authenticity of the Quran and
the tenets of Islam. Serious infractions such as praying to
idols, treating the Quran in a casual/disrespectful manner
andceasingtoreciteones5dailyprayersessionscanbe
quicklydeemedasapostasybydeeds.
ThereareafewtypesofsituationsinwhichMuslimswould
not be counted as liable for rejecting the faith. Ignorant
mistakes, misunderstandings about Sharia Law and
instancesofcoerciontorenounceIslamwouldfallintothis
category.TheprincipleofAlTaqeyyamakestheprovision
that any Muslim, who renounces Allah and/or his prophet
Mohammad to preserve his own life, is not guilty of
apostasy.Suchissolelypermittedinsituationswhereinthe
Muslim was giving lip service as opposed to the true
feelingsofhisheart.(SeeSura16:106)
Islam has two forms of apostasy the ordinary and the
extreme. The ordinary pertains to situations in which the
perpetrators did not intend to bring harm and insults to
Islam.UndersuchcircumstancesmostschoolsofMuslim
jurisprudence would give the guilty person three days to
express repentance. Those who fail to do so can incur
severe punishments including imprisonment, torture and
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execution.Thosewhoarechargedwithextremeapostasy
arentgivenopportunitiestoexpressrepentance.Thereis
nowaitingperiodforanyonewhoisindictedforpurposely
attemptingtobringharmorinsultstoIslam,theQuran,and
Mohammad.Wehaveheardofpeopleexecutedbyfamily
members,Islamiccitycouncilsandthroughtheauspicesof
National ReligiousState Islamic governments. In recent
years there have been reports of the aforementioned
executions from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt and
Afghanistan.Unquestionably,somehavebeencarriedout
secretlyinWesterndemocracies.
The various sects within Islam normally have similar
policiesabouttheseverityofverdictsforfemaleapostates
astheywouldformen.Theonlydifferencewouldbe that
Shafiites, Malikites and Hanbalites would punish the
womanexactlyastheypunishthemanshewouldbegiven
3 days to repent or be executed. However, the
Hanafites would be more lenient. They would permit a
womantoserveouthersentencethroughlifeinprisonuntil
sheeithercomestorepentanceordies.
*********
This article has stated the truth about what Islam teaches
aboutapostasy.Ithassaidthingsthatyouwillneverhear
aboutfrommoderateMuslims.Manyinquiringsoulsinthe
West venture into Islam. Such people naively think that
thereisnoharmintryingitouttoseewhetherornotitisa
religion that suits them. They presume its easy in and
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easy out. Nothing could be further from the truth. The

Islamistsareverydeceptiveaboutthematter.Theyclaim
that there is freedom of religion in Islam. When you press
them on the issue they say that people are free to join
Islam or not. But, do people have the same freedom to
leave Islam, if they later discovered that this is not what
theywanted?Theanswerisclearpeoplehavetherightto
eitherrejectoracceptIslamwhenitsinitiallypresentedbut
itispracticallyimpossibletogetoutofIslamwithoutputting
onesownlifeatrisks.
Falling for the Muslim activists deceptively persuasive
sales pitches to experiment with Islam by becoming a
Muslim can be disastrous. Two similarly pronounced
Arabicwordsexplainitall.InArabicitissaidthattheright
toaccept Islam is Makfoula, (meaning: guaranteed.) The
Kinthat wordispronounced exactlyliketheEnglishK
from the tongue and frontal area of the mouth. There is
another word, Makkfoula, that is used for those who want
toexitIslam.Itmeansdenialtodoso.ThedoubleKK
is pronounced in Arabic from the throat. That word is
closely akin to the Arabic word used for closing a door
shut. That is precisely what happens to anyone who is
either born a Muslim or naively converts to become one
and then attempts to leave the faith. The door is closed
andlockedbehindthem,sothattheycannotleavewithout
beingindictedforthecrimeofapostasy.
ThereisnoeasyinandeasyoutpolicywithIslam.Letall
beware. Its like a steel trap once youre in, there is no
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gettingout.
top

Forinformationorcomments,writeto
Feedback@IslamReview.com

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