Islamic law and death penalty for apostasy

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Saleem Smith

Islamic Sharia law contains many inhumane legal verdicts related to the treatment of non-Muslims and Muslims alike. Without delving into the subtle differences that exist between the various schools of Sharia law, which is beyond the scope of this article, it should be noted that all of the inhumane legal pronouncements made in the Sharia are sourced directly from Islam’s core texts (the Quran, hadith and sira). Due to the fact that Islam is both a religion and a legal system, the consequences of this reality are troublesome and profound.

The fundamental problem that exists, therefore, is that the inhumane laws found within the Sharia are essentially nothing more than the contents found within Islam’s most sacred texts, texts believed by the majority of Muslims to be immutable and authoritative, that Muslim scholars and clerics have applied to real life human affairs. Ex-Muslims such as I are well aware of these pernicious roots of Islamic law. This gets right to the heart of why the religion of Islam and its accompanying legal system are so problematic.

When Muslims are questioned as to whether or not they want the Sharia and its accompanying blasphemy laws, etc., implemented, invariably a significant percentage of Muslims support the idea. When Muslims say that they do not want to implement the Sharia, they find themselves opposing fundamental, mainstream Islamic teachings, and often find themselves coming into bloody conflict with their strict Muslim coreligionists, Muslims who choose to obey all of the Islamic teachings, for refusing to do what is commanded in the supposedly perfect Qur’an and Sunnah.

Qur’an 4:59: O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination.

Qur’an 33:36: It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error.

Hadith: Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, Number 387:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Allah’s Apostle said, “I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’ And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah.” Narrated Maimun ibn Siyah that he asked Anas bin Malik, “O Abu Hamza! What makes the life and property of a person sacred?” He replied, “Whoever says, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’, faces our Qibla during the prayers, prays like us and eats our slaughtered animal, then he is a Muslim, and has got the same rights and obligations as other Muslims have.”

Some Muslims often lie to unbelievers, saying that they do not desire the implementation of the Sharia. Due to the fact that the Qur’an gives Muslims permission to lie to unbelievers, it is virtually impossible to trust a Muslim’s word on the issue of approving of the implementation of Sharia and other important matters.

As mentioned above, the structure and nature of Islamic theology encourage Muslims to become liars and to deceive non-Muslims about the reality of the Sharia, so as to protect the often cruel, illiberal teachings of the Islamic religion itself.

The moral and legal depravity sanctioned by Islamic theology is seemingly endless as it pertains to the issue of lying to and betraying non-Muslims on many vital issues facing society.

Consequently, my conscience will not allow me to condone support for Islam. As for Muslims who are unaware of the depredations of Islam, I believe it is my duty as an ex-Muslim to inform them of its many falsehoods and evils, and urge them to safely walk away from this murderous Arabian cult turned major religion.

Due to the fact that many Muslims react with such intransigence and hostility when Islam is criticized or prevented from being practiced in full, the world can expect much more bloodshed and strife in both the Islamic and non-Islamic world.

The Sharia also stipulates that Muslims who leave the fold of Islam are to be killed.

Qur’an 4:89: They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah . But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.

Sahih Bukhari 4:52:260: 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 his religion, kill him.’ ”

Sahih Bukhari 9:84:57: Narrated ‘Ikrima: Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to ‘Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event, reached Ibn ‘Abbas who said, “If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostle forbade it, saying, ‘Do not punish anybody with Allah’s punishment (fire).’ I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.’”

Reliance of the Traveller, a classic Sharia manual hailed widely throughout the Islamic world and endorsed by Islamic scholars at the foremost institution in Sunni Islam, al-Azhar, states that Muslims who apostatize from Islam have committed a death penalty offense, as the prophet of Islam himself proclaims in the hadiths quoted above:

08.1 When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to be killed.

08.2 In such a case, it is obligatory for the caliph (A: or his representative) to ask him to repent and return to Islam. If he does, it is accepted from him, but if he refuses, he is immediately killed.

08.3 If he is a freeman, no one besides the caliph or his representative may kill him. If someone else kills him, the killer is disciplined (def: (17) (0: for arrogating the caliph’s prerogative and encroaching upon his rights, as this is one of his duties).

08.4 There is no indemnity for killing an apostate (0: or any expiation, since it is killing someone who deserves to die).

08.5 If he apostatizes from Islam and returns several times, it (0: i.e. his return to Islam, which occurs when he states the two Testifications of Faith (def: 08.7(12))) is accepted from him, though he is disciplined (017).

08.6 (A: If a spouse in a consummated marriage apostatizes from Islam, the couple are separated for a waiting period consisting of three intervals between menstruations. If the spouse returns to Islam before the waiting period ends, the marriage is not annulled but is considered to have continued the whole time (dis: m7.4).

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