Is it true that if you convert to Islam, then change your mind, you are under a death sentence?
That is a very interesting and controversial question. To do the question justice, let me go back in our own history a few centuries and bring up a known religion that has within certain tolerances a comparable set of values.
Schools in the United States that still teach history as it happened without subjecting it to politically correct spin and deletions, probably private schools, at one time or another bring up the matter of the Puritans, followers of John Calvin who left England for America around the seventeenth century. Their religion in England, they felt, was corrupted by political concerns and other matters, so they decided to go to a new land across the mighty ocean to serve God and each other as closely as possible to the teachings of the New Testament. They were set in their ways, thought about things in black-and-white, saw temptations everywhere, and believed their only hope was to struggle and work hard to build something and attain success. Doing well and attaining success was one of the signs of God’s favor, while a weather or accidental catastrophe or other loss was a sign of God's disfavor for a possible misdeed or probably not striving hard enough. The Salem Witch Trials came out of the darkness of their ignorance in those early days and that darkness was grasped by Hollywood as the basis for many a horror story of horrible punishments and deaths spurred by ignorance and imaginative superstition.
For the most part, those were dark days of gloomy ignorance and superstition in the world and are best left behind us. The religion of John Calvin is still part of the American religiosphere, but not the ignorance and wild superstition which led to very strict interpretations of the Good Book. As I studied closely the rules and traditions of the Puritans, along with the sources of much of their superstitions, I was surprised to discover that anyone that felt unable to live the Puritan life was allowed, in fact encouraged to leave for other settlements where such asceticism was not de rigeur. [I found “IN THE DEVIL’S SNARE”, by Mary Beth Norton, a wonderful and very detailed book on the Salem Witch Trials. I have never read anything quite as brilliant or as detailed.]
When I look for similar situations in Islam, especially concerning the situation in which a Muslim cannot practice his religion as required and wants to leave the community, I find some confusion. The sources of information available to answer this concern are The Qur’an, the Hadiths, contemporary authorities, older and deceased authorities, and contemporary practice and contemporary law.
Contemporary authorities who are interested in bringing in converts to Islam, generally keep away from the subject of apostasy and if someone brings it up, they seem to hem and haw a little and give vague replies about people in the religion not thinking that way any more. Yet in these pages recently, we have cited a few cases in which execution for apostasy is alive and well in the Middle East and among Muslim areas in Europe. A cleric in London last year told young converts about a story (from a Bukhari Hadith) that ended with Muhammad's ordering hands and legs cut off from two thieves. Apparently the cleric was trying to attest to the inadvisability of anyone giving thought to stealing. In an email to the journal that reported the story, I noted that the cleric left out the part in which their eyes were put out with a hot poker, they were refused water, and finally the men were allowed to bleed to death—for having left their religion. (I have included that Hadith below).
Mawdudi’s Opinion: To everyone acquainted with Islamic law it is no secret that according to Islam the punishment for a Muslim who turns to kufr (infidelity, blasphemy) is execution. Doubt about this matter first arose among Muslims during the final portion of the nineteenth century as a result of speculation. Otherwise, for the full twelve centuries prior to that time the total Muslim community remained unanimous about it. The whole of our religious literature clearly testifies that ambiguity about the matter of the apostate's execution never existed among Muslims. The expositions of the Prophet, the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (Khulafa'-i Rashidun), the great Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet, their Followers (Tabi'un), the leaders among the mujtahids and, following them, the doctors of the shari'ah of every century are available on record. All these collectively will assure you that from the time of the Prophet to the present day one injunction only has been continuously and uninterruptedly operative and that no room whatever remains to suggest that perhaps the punishment of the apostate is not execution.
Source of the text here. An ongoing case of apostasy in Malaysia.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Some ayats from the Noble Qur'an on apostasy:
Surah: 3 Aya: 177
Indeed, those who purchase disbelief [in exchange] for faith - never will they harm Allah at all, and for them is a painful punishment.
Surah: 3 Aya: 90
Indeed, those who reject the message after their belief and then increase in disbelief - never will their [claimed] repentance be accepted, and they are the ones astray.
Surah: 3 Aya: 176
And do not be grieved, [O Muhammed], by those who hasten into disbelief. Indeed, they will never harm Allah at all. Allah intends that He should give them no share in the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment.
A few Hadiths:
Bukhari :: Book 4 :: Volume 52 :: Hadith 260
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 hisreligion, kill him.' "
Dawud :: Book 39 : Hadith 4487
Narrated Uthman ibn Affan:
He said: They are threatening to kill me now. We said: Allah will be sufficient for you against them, Commander of the Faithful! He asked: Why kill me? I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: It is not lawful to kill a man who is a Muslim except for one of the three reasons: Kufr (disbelief) after accepting Islam, fornication after marriage, or wrongfully killing someone, for which he may be killed.
Bukhari :: Book 7 :: Volume 71 :: Hadith 623
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Some people from the tribes of 'Ukl and 'Uraina came to Allah's Apostle and embraced Islam and said, "O Allah's Apostle! We are owners of livestock and have never been farmers," and they found the climate of Medina unsuitable for them. So Allah's Apostle ordered that they be given some camels and a shepherd, and ordered them to go out with those camels and drink their milk and urine. So they set out, but when they reached a place called Al-Harra, they reverted to disbelief after their conversion to Islam, killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When this news reached the Prophet he sent in their pursuit (and they were caught and brought). The Prophet ordered that their eyes be branded with heated iron bars and their hands be cut off, and they were left at Al-Harra till they died in that state.
____________________________________________________________________
A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law (Reliance of the Traveller)
o1.2 "The following are not subject to retaliation:
(3) a Jewish or Christian subject of the Islamic State [Dhimmi] for killing an apostate from Islam (O: Because a subject of the state is under its protection, while killing an apostate from Islam is without consequences."
o8.1 "When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostasies from Islam, he deserves to be killed."
o8.4 "There is no indemnity for killing an apostate (or any expiation, since it is killing someone who deserves to die).
The second paragraph of the law is actually stating that if anyone decides to kill an apostate, he will not answer to anyone because the killing would be legal and appropriate.
___________________________________________________________________________
So, where are we now on the subject of apostasy, after trying to be a good Muslim for a year or two, deciding that the religion is not for you and you wish to move on to something else? It appears that someone listening to a recruiter and reading some basic pamphlets about Islam may not become aware of the finality of his decision to convert. A friend who is a Muslim would probably mention beforehand that the decision is final and there is no leaving once conversion is affected. He would also let the person know that being a Muslim is a 24/7 occupation. Of course, he may be very happy in the religion and never regret his decision. I have known many people who were Christians 24/7 and were very happy that way. Actually, it is not uncommon in the United States for people being 24/7 in their religion, much to the chagrin of liberals. I wish those Muslim candidates that can successfully deal with the finality of their conversion every happiness--as long as they do not allow themselves to be radicalized by some terrorists who need American-looking people for their jihad against us.
The entry key to Islam, one needs to know, is the statement (the Shahadah) that most have already heard, in which the person very simply states that he believes that there is not God but Allah and Muhammed is the Prophet (or Messenger) of Allah. If a curious person takes advantage of an "open house" at a mosque, which is a nice touch for a mosque in a new community--or even an old one, it may not be a good idea make the statement (the Shahadah) aloud in English or Arabic. In most cases no one will take the statement seriously and may even provide a cautionary word or two. I would avoid saying anything that could be misunderstood.
Religion is a serious business and if you do not know what you are doing, you may be in for a surprise. The late, great author Oriana Falacci was in a room in Iran, awaiting an interview with the Ayatollah Khomeini. While she was waiting there alone, an Iranian man walked in, picked up a tool, and walked out. Because of that, it was decided that she would have to marry the person in order to avoid the unspecified punishment that could have been meted out. Since she was not married, the penalty would be 100 lashes. If he were not married, the punishment would be the same, but if he was married, it would be death. Fortunately, mut'a (temporary marriage) is legal in Shia Islam, so she was able to enter a 6-month marriage with the man and the marriage was dissolved while she was back in Italy (her "husband" had to give her permission to leave). It would have been worse among the Sunnis. They do not recognize mut'a.
Oriana discussed the incident in her book "The Force of Reason." I recommend that book and her "The Rage and the Pride." In both books she very forcefully cites her objections to the Muslims in Europe and earned her death threats from Muslims in almost every European country. She had to relocate to the United States (as did Ayaan Hirsi Ali), just for giving opinions.
I went a little off track with the answer this time; I hope though that the seriousness of the situation is appreciated.
HJS
That is a very interesting and controversial question. To do the question justice, let me go back in our own history a few centuries and bring up a known religion that has within certain tolerances a comparable set of values.
Schools in the United States that still teach history as it happened without subjecting it to politically correct spin and deletions, probably private schools, at one time or another bring up the matter of the Puritans, followers of John Calvin who left England for America around the seventeenth century. Their religion in England, they felt, was corrupted by political concerns and other matters, so they decided to go to a new land across the mighty ocean to serve God and each other as closely as possible to the teachings of the New Testament. They were set in their ways, thought about things in black-and-white, saw temptations everywhere, and believed their only hope was to struggle and work hard to build something and attain success. Doing well and attaining success was one of the signs of God’s favor, while a weather or accidental catastrophe or other loss was a sign of God's disfavor for a possible misdeed or probably not striving hard enough. The Salem Witch Trials came out of the darkness of their ignorance in those early days and that darkness was grasped by Hollywood as the basis for many a horror story of horrible punishments and deaths spurred by ignorance and imaginative superstition.
For the most part, those were dark days of gloomy ignorance and superstition in the world and are best left behind us. The religion of John Calvin is still part of the American religiosphere, but not the ignorance and wild superstition which led to very strict interpretations of the Good Book. As I studied closely the rules and traditions of the Puritans, along with the sources of much of their superstitions, I was surprised to discover that anyone that felt unable to live the Puritan life was allowed, in fact encouraged to leave for other settlements where such asceticism was not de rigeur. [I found “IN THE DEVIL’S SNARE”, by Mary Beth Norton, a wonderful and very detailed book on the Salem Witch Trials. I have never read anything quite as brilliant or as detailed.]
When I look for similar situations in Islam, especially concerning the situation in which a Muslim cannot practice his religion as required and wants to leave the community, I find some confusion. The sources of information available to answer this concern are The Qur’an, the Hadiths, contemporary authorities, older and deceased authorities, and contemporary practice and contemporary law.
Contemporary authorities who are interested in bringing in converts to Islam, generally keep away from the subject of apostasy and if someone brings it up, they seem to hem and haw a little and give vague replies about people in the religion not thinking that way any more. Yet in these pages recently, we have cited a few cases in which execution for apostasy is alive and well in the Middle East and among Muslim areas in Europe. A cleric in London last year told young converts about a story (from a Bukhari Hadith) that ended with Muhammad's ordering hands and legs cut off from two thieves. Apparently the cleric was trying to attest to the inadvisability of anyone giving thought to stealing. In an email to the journal that reported the story, I noted that the cleric left out the part in which their eyes were put out with a hot poker, they were refused water, and finally the men were allowed to bleed to death—for having left their religion. (I have included that Hadith below).
Mawdudi’s Opinion: To everyone acquainted with Islamic law it is no secret that according to Islam the punishment for a Muslim who turns to kufr (infidelity, blasphemy) is execution. Doubt about this matter first arose among Muslims during the final portion of the nineteenth century as a result of speculation. Otherwise, for the full twelve centuries prior to that time the total Muslim community remained unanimous about it. The whole of our religious literature clearly testifies that ambiguity about the matter of the apostate's execution never existed among Muslims. The expositions of the Prophet, the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (Khulafa'-i Rashidun), the great Companions (Sahaba) of the Prophet, their Followers (Tabi'un), the leaders among the mujtahids and, following them, the doctors of the shari'ah of every century are available on record. All these collectively will assure you that from the time of the Prophet to the present day one injunction only has been continuously and uninterruptedly operative and that no room whatever remains to suggest that perhaps the punishment of the apostate is not execution.
Source of the text here. An ongoing case of apostasy in Malaysia.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Some ayats from the Noble Qur'an on apostasy:
Surah: 3 Aya: 177
Indeed, those who purchase disbelief [in exchange] for faith - never will they harm Allah at all, and for them is a painful punishment.
Surah: 3 Aya: 90
Indeed, those who reject the message after their belief and then increase in disbelief - never will their [claimed] repentance be accepted, and they are the ones astray.
Surah: 3 Aya: 176
And do not be grieved, [O Muhammed], by those who hasten into disbelief. Indeed, they will never harm Allah at all. Allah intends that He should give them no share in the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment.
A few Hadiths:
Bukhari :: Book 4 :: Volume 52 :: Hadith 260
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 hisreligion, kill him.' "
Dawud :: Book 39 : Hadith 4487
Narrated Uthman ibn Affan:
He said: They are threatening to kill me now. We said: Allah will be sufficient for you against them, Commander of the Faithful! He asked: Why kill me? I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: It is not lawful to kill a man who is a Muslim except for one of the three reasons: Kufr (disbelief) after accepting Islam, fornication after marriage, or wrongfully killing someone, for which he may be killed.
Bukhari :: Book 7 :: Volume 71 :: Hadith 623
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Some people from the tribes of 'Ukl and 'Uraina came to Allah's Apostle and embraced Islam and said, "O Allah's Apostle! We are owners of livestock and have never been farmers," and they found the climate of Medina unsuitable for them. So Allah's Apostle ordered that they be given some camels and a shepherd, and ordered them to go out with those camels and drink their milk and urine. So they set out, but when they reached a place called Al-Harra, they reverted to disbelief after their conversion to Islam, killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When this news reached the Prophet he sent in their pursuit (and they were caught and brought). The Prophet ordered that their eyes be branded with heated iron bars and their hands be cut off, and they were left at Al-Harra till they died in that state.
____________________________________________________________________
A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law (Reliance of the Traveller)
o1.2 "The following are not subject to retaliation:
(3) a Jewish or Christian subject of the Islamic State [Dhimmi] for killing an apostate from Islam (O: Because a subject of the state is under its protection, while killing an apostate from Islam is without consequences."
o8.1 "When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostasies from Islam, he deserves to be killed."
o8.4 "There is no indemnity for killing an apostate (or any expiation, since it is killing someone who deserves to die).
The second paragraph of the law is actually stating that if anyone decides to kill an apostate, he will not answer to anyone because the killing would be legal and appropriate.
___________________________________________________________________________
So, where are we now on the subject of apostasy, after trying to be a good Muslim for a year or two, deciding that the religion is not for you and you wish to move on to something else? It appears that someone listening to a recruiter and reading some basic pamphlets about Islam may not become aware of the finality of his decision to convert. A friend who is a Muslim would probably mention beforehand that the decision is final and there is no leaving once conversion is affected. He would also let the person know that being a Muslim is a 24/7 occupation. Of course, he may be very happy in the religion and never regret his decision. I have known many people who were Christians 24/7 and were very happy that way. Actually, it is not uncommon in the United States for people being 24/7 in their religion, much to the chagrin of liberals. I wish those Muslim candidates that can successfully deal with the finality of their conversion every happiness--as long as they do not allow themselves to be radicalized by some terrorists who need American-looking people for their jihad against us.
The entry key to Islam, one needs to know, is the statement (the Shahadah) that most have already heard, in which the person very simply states that he believes that there is not God but Allah and Muhammed is the Prophet (or Messenger) of Allah. If a curious person takes advantage of an "open house" at a mosque, which is a nice touch for a mosque in a new community--or even an old one, it may not be a good idea make the statement (the Shahadah) aloud in English or Arabic. In most cases no one will take the statement seriously and may even provide a cautionary word or two. I would avoid saying anything that could be misunderstood.
Religion is a serious business and if you do not know what you are doing, you may be in for a surprise. The late, great author Oriana Falacci was in a room in Iran, awaiting an interview with the Ayatollah Khomeini. While she was waiting there alone, an Iranian man walked in, picked up a tool, and walked out. Because of that, it was decided that she would have to marry the person in order to avoid the unspecified punishment that could have been meted out. Since she was not married, the penalty would be 100 lashes. If he were not married, the punishment would be the same, but if he was married, it would be death. Fortunately, mut'a (temporary marriage) is legal in Shia Islam, so she was able to enter a 6-month marriage with the man and the marriage was dissolved while she was back in Italy (her "husband" had to give her permission to leave). It would have been worse among the Sunnis. They do not recognize mut'a.
Oriana discussed the incident in her book "The Force of Reason." I recommend that book and her "The Rage and the Pride." In both books she very forcefully cites her objections to the Muslims in Europe and earned her death threats from Muslims in almost every European country. She had to relocate to the United States (as did Ayaan Hirsi Ali), just for giving opinions.
I went a little off track with the answer this time; I hope though that the seriousness of the situation is appreciated.
HJS
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