LEAVING AL-ISLAM (Ar-Rida)

[Idris]

Allah, in the Qur?an, made it explicitly clear that there is no compulsion in the religion. Allah says in (Q2:256):

?There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower.?

Allah went further and talked about those who believe and then disbelieve and talked about those who left the religion without mentioning anything like to kill them; how come the SUNNIS and the SHIAS are killing those who leave the religion?

What would Allah want by keeping a person in al-Islam by force? Are the Sunnis and Shias not nurturing hypocrisy by this act?

Let it be known that there can be no compulsion in al-Islam. This is a statement of fact.

Allah says in (Q5:54):

?O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back (do Rida) from his faith soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him; lowly with the believers mighty against the rejecters; fighting in the way of Allah and never afraid of the reproaches of such as find fault. That is the Grace of Allah which He will bestow on whom He pleases: and Allah encompasses all and He knows all things. "[/color]

And Allah says in (Q4:137):

?Those who believe then reject faith then believe (again) and (again) reject faith and go on increasing in unbelief Allah will not forgive them nor guide them on the way. ?

And He says in (Q9:84):

?And do not pray for any of them that dies or stand at his grave: for they rejected Allah and His apostle and died in a state of perverse rebellion.?

Can anyone claim after this that Allah is not aware that there are people who would leave their religion? When did the prophet become a partner to Allah in His affairs that a saying would be falsely attributed to him?

This is what Ali is reported to have said in sermon 18 of the famous Nahjul-Balagha:

?When a problem is put before anyone of them (theologians) he passes judgment on it from his imagination. When exactly the same problem is placed before another of them he passes an opposite verdict. Then these judges go to the chief who had appointed them and he confirms all the verdicts, although their Allah is One (and the same), their Prophet is one (and the same), their Book (the Qur'an) is one (and the same)


Is it that Allah ordered them to differ and they obeyed Him? Or He prohibited them from it but they disobeyed Him? Or (is it that) Allah sent an incomplete Faith (Religion) and sought their help to complete it? Or they are His partners in the affairs, so that it is their share of duty to pronounce and He has to agree? Or is it that Allah the Glorified sent a perfect faith but the Prophet fell short of conveying it and handing it over (to the people)? The fact is that Allah the Glorified says:

?We have not neglected anything in the Book (Q6:38) And (said that) in it is explanation for everything (Q16:89).


Allah says that one part of the Qur'an verifies another part and that there is no divergence in it as He says:

?And if it had been from any other then Allah, they would surely have found in it much discrepancy. (Q4:82)? Sermon 18 of Nahjul Balagha.

There is difference between a person who is engaged in waging war against al-Islam and another person who left al-Islam quietly. When a person fights against al-Islam and the Muslims, he is fought back on the basis of his fighting and not on the basis that he used to be a Muslim. This is a general rule that is applicable to all regardless of a person?s ideology.

The irony of it all is that the Sunnis and the Shias believe that al-Islam is inherited. They believe that a person born to a Muslim father is automatically a Muslim and therefore can not leave al-Islam at any time.

The truth of the matter is that al-Islam is not inherited. A person can only choose to become a Muslim at adulthood. Children born to Muslims are treated as Muslims legally and not that they are ideologically Muslims.

[EMTL]

Assalamu alaikum,
let me start by making these observations:
1. When ever you mention the Name of Allah (SWT), you should add (Subhanah wata ala or SWT),
2. Whenever you write or mention the Name of the Holy Prophet (SAW) you must add (Sallahau alaihim wassalam),
3. Whenever you write or mention the name of any of the Sahabah of the Holy Prophet (SAW) you should add (RA) Radiyal Lah anhu/ha), e.g. I was suprised to see in your write-up mentioning the name of the fourth Caliph of the Holy Prophet (SAW), Aliyu Bn Abi Talib (RA) calling him just 'Ali'

Again I would like to ask you what you mean by writing that: 'Are the Sunnis and Shias not nurturing hypocrisy by this act?' Do you know that the Sunnis are those who copy their religion from the Holy Prophet (SAW), these include all the Sahabah (Abubakar [RA], Umar bn Kathaab [RA], Usman bn Affan [RA], Aishat [RAA], etc. do you call these hypocrites? (Wa iyazubilLah).

You have quoted some verses from the Glorious Qur'an to make your case- what you fail to do before concluding is reading the Tafasir of these verses and reading Islamic history.

On the issue of Changing or abandoning Islam for any other religion. Allah the Exalted says: "...And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be the dwellers of the Fire. They will abide therein forever." [2:217]

The Hadith below explains this and concluded that: "Whoever apostatizes from Islam should be killed." (Bukhari)

I will post in due course a fatwah given on Apostacy from Islam- Insha Allah (SWT). To Allah (SWT) belongs all knowledge.

[EMTL]

Question:
If a Muslim leaves Islam, what do Muslims call him? And what is the Islamic prescribed sentence for the one who leaves Islam. Please send me as soon as possible. Thank you very much.

Assalamu alaikum,In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner! Thank you very much for this question that reflects deep insight and true search for knowledge. May Allah grant you success in this life and the Hereafter.

It goes without saying that, leaving Islam is the ugliest and the worst form of disbelief (kufr) in Almighty Allah. It is technically called ridda (apostasy from Islam), and someone who leaves Islam is called a murtadd (apostate).

The Qur'an makes it clear that the one who leaves Islam, hinders people from the path of Allah and then dies as such will be a loser on the Day of Judgment. His eternal abode will be Hell, where he/she will suffer severe torture and endless chastisement. Allah will not forgive him/her, nor will any of his/her good deeds be accepted from him/her. Allah Almighty says: (Lo! Those who disbelieve and turn from the way of Allah and then die disbelievers, Allah surely will not pardon them.) (Muhammad 47: 34)

Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: "The blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah is not lawful to shed unless he be one of three: a married adulterer, someone killed in retaliation for killing another, or someone who abandons his religion and the Muslim community.''

The prescribed punishment for a murtadd:
If a sane person who has reached puberty voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to be punished.‏ In such a case, it is obligatory for the caliph (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.‏

No one besides the caliph or his representative may kill the apostate. If someone else kills him, the killer is disciplined (for arrogating the caliph's prerogative and encroaching upon his rights, as this is one of his duties).

There is no blood money for killing an apostate (or any expiation). If he apostatizes from Islam and returns several times, his return to Islam, which occurs when he states the two Testifications of Faith, is accepted from him, although he is disciplined.

If a spouse in a consummated marriage apostatizes from Islam, the couple are separated for a waiting period (`iddah) consisting of three intervals between menstrual cycles. 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.

(Based on 'The Reliance of the Traveler, by Ahmad Ibn Naqib Al-Misri, with some amendments.)

In addressing the issue of apostasy it is important to keep in mind the time, circumstances and the conditions that existed at the time of a particular ruling or judgment. Most modern governments do not apply Shari`ah law. However, this does not justify individuals taking it upon themselves to kill people if they apostatize from Islam. If this were to happen, such reckless action would only lead to a vicious circle of murder and homicide in which case a great deal of innocent people would be injured. As it stands presently, the means for dealing with apostasy are appropriate. Muslims should know that Almighty Allah has promised the apostate a severe punishment in this life, and an even greater punishment in the next life.

[EMTL]

Assalamu alaikum,
Today's Muslims are being attacked from the Kuffar and sundry adversaries. It is a fact that Unbelievers do send members of their faith to learn Arabic and the Glorious Qur'an in iorder to create and propagate mischief and confusion in the Muslim Ummah, we therefore should be very careful and cling to the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAW). We should not attempt to explain the Qur'an using our own understanding but must rather only rely on the interpretations of the early Muslims/Salaaf.

I wish to share the below fatwa with our brohers and sisters.

Title of Fatwa Fatwa on Intellectual Apostasy
Date of Reply 24/Mar/2003
Topic Of Fatwa Apostasy
Country Applied Australia
Question of Fatwa Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. Kindly enlighten me on the so-called Intellectual Apostasy, widely spread among Muslims nowadays.
Name of Mufti Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
Content of Reply
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we are really pleased to have your question and to have the chance to convey some of the teachings of our religion to our Muslim brothers and sisters. In fact, it adds to our happiness to find guidance being disseminated and the word of truth being highly elevated.

As regard the question you posed, we would like to cite for you the fatwa issued by the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi in this concern:

"Intellectual apostasy is the kind of apostasy whose owners do not swagger as much as those who declare their explicit disbelief and openly wage war against everything that is religious. Actually intellectual apostates are far smarter than that. They wrap their apostasy in various coverings, sneaking in a very cunning manner into the mind the way that malignant tumors sneak into the body. These people are not noticed when they invade or begin to disseminate their falsehood, but they are mostly felt when they affect the minds. They do not use guns in their attacks, however, their attacks are fierce and cunning. Erudite scholars and well versed jurists well apprehend this type of apostates, but they can not take an action in face of such professional criminals who have firmly established themselves and have not left a chance for law to be enforced on them. They are the hypocrites whose abode will be in the lowest level of the Hell-Fire.

The traces of intellectual apostasy are noticed everyday in circulated newspapers and books, in Radio and TV programs and in laws legislated to govern people's affairs. This kind of apostasy is – in my point of view – more dangerous than openly announced apostasy, for the former works continuously on a wide scale, at the same time it can not be easily resisted in the same manner as the latter which always makes much fuss, attract the attention of the people and stirs up public opinion.

Hypocrisy is more dangerous than open disbelief. This fact will be clearly discerned when one reflects back to the great danger which the leader of Madinah's hypocrites, `Abdullah ibn Ubayy, posed to Islam. The Madinah's hypocrites were more threatening to Islam than Abu Jahl and the pagans of Makkah. It is for this that the Qur'an specified only two verses for dispraising the disbelievers at the beginning of surat al-Baqarah, while hypocrites were given a share of thirteen verses in the same surat.

Intellectual apostasy is always propagated night and day. We feel its relentless and ruthless effects on our society. It needs a wide scale attack at the same level of strength and thinking. The positive religious obligation here is for Muslims to launch war against such a hidden enemy, to fight it with same weapon it uses in waging attack against the society. Here comes the role of erudite scholars who are well versed in Islamic Jurisprudence.

It is true that the pioneers of this new form of apostasy are well supported on the media level, but the power of truth, the faith reposed in the hearts of believers and Allah's support are more than enough to vanquish this falsehood and pierce the hearts of those who spread with their own daggers. Here, we will feel joyful with this Divine victory and will really understand the verse: "Nay, We hurl the Truth against falsehood, and it knocks out its brain, and behold, falsehood doth perish! Ah! woe be to you for the (false) things ye ascribe (to Us)." (Al-Anbiya': 18)

In conclusion, we have nothing to say but to recite the verse that reads: "Thus doth Allah (by parables) show forth Truth and Vanity. For the scum disappears like forth cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on the earth. Thus doth Allah set forth parables." (Ar-Ra`d: 17)"

Allah Almighty knows best.

[Idris]

Assalamu alaikum,
let me start by making these observations:
1. When ever you mention the Name of Allah (SWT), you should add (Subhanah wata ala or SWT),
2. Whenever you write or mention the Name of the Holy Prophet (SAW) you must add (Sallahau alaihim wassalam),
3. Whenever you write or mention the name of any of the Sahabah of the Holy Prophet (SAW) you should add (RA) Radiyal Lah anhu/ha), e.g. I was suprised to see in your write-up mentioning the name of the fourth Caliph of the Holy Prophet (SAW), Aliyu Bn Abi Talib (RA) calling him just 'Ali'

I thank God you are not my Lord.

Again I would like to ask you what you mean by writing that: 'Are the Sunnis and Shias not nurturing hypocrisy by this act?' Do you know that the Sunnis are those who copy the their religion from the Holy Prophet (SAW), these includes all the Sahabah (Abubakar [RA], Umar bn Kathaab [RA], Usman bn Affan [RA], Aishat [RAA], etc. do you call these hypocrites? (Wa iyazubilLah).

In the complete BOOK of guidance sent by Allah, I have not found that Muslims are to be referred to as Sunnis or Shias.

The name given to the religion is AL-ISLAM and the one who adheres to the religion is named a MUSLIM.

Instead, I found Allah saying:
As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did. (Q6:159)

You have quoted some verses from the Glorious Qur'an to make your case- what you fail to do before concluding is reading the Tafasir of these verses and reading Islamic history.

On the issue of Changing or abandoning Islam for any other religion. Allah the Exalted says: "...And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be the dwellers of the Fire. They will abide therein forever." [2:217]

The Hadith below explains this and concluded that: "Whoever apostatizes from Islam should be killed." (Bukhari)

The verse you quoted is self-explanatory. It is not mentioned in the verse that a person is to be killed for leaving al-Islam.

Collection of Bukhari is not volume 2 of the holy Qur?an. The Book of Allah is so complete that not even the holy prophet (SAW) can add anything not to talk of lies ascribed to him. The holy prophet never said or acted against the Qur?an.


Read the following very well perhaps it saves you time when next you post:

This is what Ali is reported to have said in sermon 18 of the famous Nahjul-Balagha:

?When a problem is put before anyone of them (theologians) he passes judgment on it from his imagination. When exactly the same problem is placed before another of them he passes an opposite verdict. Then these judges go to the chief who had appointed them and he confirms all the verdicts, although their Allah is One (and the same), their Prophet is one (and the same), their Book (the Qur'an) is one (and the same)


Is it that Allah ordered them to differ and they obeyed Him? Or He prohibited them from it but they disobeyed Him? Or (is it that) Allah sent an incomplete Faith (Religion) and sought their help to complete it? Or they are His partners in the affairs, so that it is their share of duty to pronounce and He has to agree? Or is it that Allah the Glorified sent a perfect faith but the Prophet fell short of conveying it and handing it over (to the people)? The fact is that Allah the Glorified says:

?We have not neglected anything in the Book (Q6:38) And (said that) in it is explanation for everything (Q16:89).


Allah says that one part of the Qur'an verifies another part and that there is no divergence in it as He says:

?And if it had been from any other then Allah, they would surely have found in it much discrepancy. (Q4:82)? Sermon 18 of Nahjul Balagha.

[EMTL]

Assalamu alaikum,
Idris, you are either confused or just being mischievious, looking at your first post (above) one can see that it was you that divided the Muslims into three: Sunni, Shia and (perhaps) orientalist like yourself.

You donot seems to understand the fact that Allah (SWT) sent His blessed Prophet (SAW) to interprete the Glorious Qura'n and teach us the religion, and therefore all his (SAW) authentic hadith constitute part of the Shariah.

People are bound to fail when they accept to be contented with only their projection and intuition in the way they decide or do things, without seeking guidance from Islam. In Suratul Jathiyat Allah (SWT) says,

"Have you not seen him who take his own lust (vain desires) as his ilah (god), and Allah knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember? (Glorious Qur'an 45:23)

The Holy Prophet (SAW- Peace of Allah (SWT) to Him the Exalted) was sent to guide our entire life-style; his (PBUH) teachings are the antidote to human myopic. It is therefore imperative that we must endeavour to rely on the perspicuous teachings of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in all aspects of our lives. In Suratul Ahzab Allah (SWT) Says,

``Surely, in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the meeting with) Allah and the last Day and remember Allah much''. Q (33: 21).

[Idris]

Assalamu alaikum,
Idris, you are either confused or just being mischievious, looking at your first post (above) one can see that it was you that divided the Muslims into three: Sunni, Shia and (perhaps) orientalist like yourself.

You donot seems to understand the fact that Allah (SWT) sent His blessed Prophet (SAW) to interprete the Glorious Qura'n and teach us the religion, and therefore all his (SAW) authentic hadith constitute part of the Shariah.

People are bound to fail when they accept to be contented with only their projection and intuition in the way they decide or do things, without seeking guidance from Islam. In Suratul Jathiyat Allah (SWT) says,

?Have you not seen him who take his own lust (vain desires) as his ilah (god), and Allah knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember? (Glorious Qur'an 45:23)

The Holy Prophet (SAW- Peace of Allah (SWT) to Him the Exalted) was sent to guide our entire life-style; his (PBUH) teachings are the antidote to human myopic. It is therefore imperative that we must endeavour to rely on the perspicuous teachings of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) in all aspects of our lives. In Suratul Ahzab Allah (SWT) Says,

``Surely, in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the meeting with) Allah and the last Day and remember Allah much''. Q (33: 21).

Brother EMTL - assalamu alaikum.

Please go through the link below perhaps you can understand me better.

http://www.hausafulani.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2275