No Punishment
for Apostasy in Islam: Part II
By Dr. Bashir Ahmad
St. Louis, MO
In
my article published in the Pakistan link dated
04/07/06 on this subject, I had quoted a number
of t Quran verses and ahadees supporting the fact
that there is no punishment at all for apostasy
in Islam. In an article published recently in The
Pakistan Link, Dr. Khan Dawood L Khan has given
reference to a hadith in Bukhari in which instruction
were given to kill the person who changes his religion
from Islam.
Ikramah, the narrator of this hadith, has attributed
it to only one person, Ibn-Ahhas who was an eminent
scholar of Islam. In this article, I have compiled
his background, which amply shows that he was uncouthly,
and regarded as a liar.
Ikramah relates that he heard that some Zindeeqs
were presented before Hazrat Ali whereupon he directed
the burning alive of those people. Ibn Abbas stated
that had it been him, he would not have ordered
this because the Holy Prophet had said that torment
of fire may only be decrees by God, but the Prophet
had also said (slay whoever changes his religion.).
(Bukhari MishKat (Egypt) ) 9-10; Bukhari and Fateh
Al Bari, Hadilh, no6922 (Egypt) Vol. 12-267).
The Qur’an strongly contradicts this tradition
which is in stark contradiction with the Holy Qur’an.
“Who so seeks a religion other than Islam,
it shall not be accepted from him, and in the life
to come he shall lie among the losers. How shall
Allah guide a people who have disbelieved after
having believed and who had borne Witness that the
Messenger is true and to him clear proofs had come?
Allah guides not the wrong doers of such punishment
is that on them shall be the curse of Allah and
of angels and of men, all together; there under
shall they abide. This punishment shall not be lightened
nor shall they be granted respite; except in the
case of those who repent thereafter and amend. Surely,
Allah is most Forgiving, ever Merciful. Those who
disbelieve after having believed, and then continue
to advance in disbelief, their repentance shall
not be accepted. Those are they who have gone astray.
From anyone of those who have disbelieved, and die
while they are disbelievers, there shall not-be
accepted even an earthful of gold, though he offer
it in ransom. For those there shall be grievous
punishment, and they shall have no helper.) –
Quran 3/86-92
It is absolutely obvious that no punishment is to
be inflicted by one man on another for apostasy.
The words (there under shall they abide) clearly
refers to his life thereafter. By no stretch of
imagination can a saved person interpret the words
of “the curse of Allah” to be a license
to murder whom he considers apostate. On the contrary,
the Holy Qur’an mentions the possibility of
repentance by an apostate and subsequent forgiveness
of God. How can anyone repent and atone for his
sins in this world if he has already been killed?
The Holy Qur’an very sternly dictates against
this dubious tradition.
“ If Thy Lord had enforced HIS WILL, surely
all those on the earth would have believed without
exception, will thou then take it upon thyself to
force people to become believers? Except by Allah’s
permission no one can believe and He will afflict
with His wrath those who will not use their understanding.”
– Qur’an 10/100-101
When God himself does not force people to believe,
who are we to advocate capital punishment for apostasy?
The advocates of capital punishment for apostasy,
it is obvious, accept literally ahadees compiled
hundreds of years after the Holy Prophet, which
are contradictory to the teaching of The Holy Qur’an,
and some of them were concocted by confirmed liars.
The Holy Prophet spent his entire life fighting
in defense of fundamental human rights that every
one should be free to choose his religion, no one
could change the other person’s religion by
force, and everybody has a right to change his own
religion, whatever that religion maybe. Ikramah
has attributed this tradition only to one person-
Ibn Allas. Whenever the name of Ibn Abbas appears
at the head of a chain of narrators, the vast majority
of Muslim scholars are overawed; they forget the
fact that because of his name and reputation concoctors
of false tradition tended to trace their fabricated
chain of narrators back to him. Therefore, all traditions
with his name of Abbas must be carefully examined
and evaluated. It is probably the revered name of
Abbas that found their concocted tradition in Bukhari,
and later found its place with some variation in
Tirmidhi, Abu Dand, Al-Nisai and Ibn Majahi.
Who was Ikramah? Ikramah (not to be confused with
Ikramah bin Abu-Jahl) was a slave of Ibu Abbas,
and also his pupil —a very indifferent pupil.
He himself confirms this by saying that Ibn Abbas
was so infuriated with his lack of interest in his
studies and by his truancy that he would bind his
hand and foot to compel him to remain present during
his sermons.
– (Ibn Saad, Altabga Al-Kabir Vol. 2, 386)
He was an opponent of Hazrat Ali, the forth caliph
of Islam, and was inclined towards the Khawarig
in particular at the time when differences between
Hazrat Ali and Ibn Abbas began to emerge. Later,
during the Abbaside period (the Abbasides, it should
be borne in mind, were extremely antagonistic to
all those who were in any way allied to Hazrat Ali’s
progeny because of political apprehension). Ikramah
acquired great respect as a versatile scholar because
of his hostility towards Hazrat Ali and links with
Khawarig (Mizan Al-Aitadal Vol2, 208.). It has generally
been observed that the tradition of capital punishment
for apostasy emanated mainly from incidents in Basra,
Kufa and Yemen. The people of Hejaz (Mecca and Medina)
were totally unfamiliar with it. The tradition from
Ikramah, under discussion, is known as an Iraqi
tradition. Famous Meccan Iman, Taus bin Kaisan,
used to say that Iraqi traditions were generally
doubtful. – (Abu Daud, Vol 11, 35).
A great scholar, Yahya bin Saeed, Al Ansari, has
strongly censured IKramah for his unreliability
in general and has gone to the extent of calling
him a Kadhab, that is an absolute liar (Abu Jajar
Muhammed bin Amrlin Musa bin Hamad Al-Agbli Al-Mulki,
Kital al-soafa Al-Kabir. Al Safr 111, 1983, 373).
Abdullah bin Al Harith quotes a very interesting
incident which he himself witnessed when he visited
Alli Bin Abdullah bin Abbas. He was deeply shocked
and dismayed to find Ikramah bound to a post outside
the door of Abi bin Abdullah bin Abbas. He expressed
his shock at this cruelty by asking Ali bin Abidullahben
Abbas if he had no fear of God in him. What he meant
was that Ikramah, with all his renown of pity, did
not deserve such a cruel treatment at the hands
of his late master’s own son. In response
to this Ali bin Abdullah bin Abbas justified his
punishment by pointing out that Ikramah had the
audacity to attribute false things to his late father,
Ibn Ablias. (Abu Jasar Muhammad bin-Amr bin, Musa
bin, Hamad Al-Agblial-Mulki, op,cit.) What better
judge of the character of Ikramah could there be
than Ali bin-Abdullah bin Abbas. It is important
to remember that Iman Malik bin Anas (95-179AH),
the pioneer compiler of Ahadees and Iman of jurisprudence
held in the highest repute throughout the Muslim
World, held that the tradition narrated by Ikramah
were unreliable. (Misan Al-Aitadal Vol. 2, 209.)
The following scholars of great repute have declared
that Ikramah had strong disposition towards exaggeration:
Imanyahya bin Saeed Al Ansari, Alibin, Abdullah
bin, Abbas and Ataban-Abi Rabae. – (Fateh
Al-Bari).
Islam grants full
freedom in the choice of religion
Islam demands commitment and obligation from Muslims
to constantly endeavor to change the faith of all
non-Muslims around them by peaceful means.
The Holy Qur’an states, “Call unto the
way of thy Lord with wisdom and good by exhortation,
and reasons with them on the basis of that which
is best. Thy Lord knows best those who have strayed
away from His ways; and He knows best those who
are rightly guided.” – Qur’an
16/126.
Concoction and
Perversion of Verses
God Almighty has decreed that the final and complete
revealed book, the Holy Qur’an, shall be safeguarded
forever. The Holy Qur’an mentions the Jews
did attempt to concoct or pervert verses. “Woe,
therefore, to those who write their book with their
own hands, and then say, (This is from Allah) that
they may take for it a paltry price. Woe, then,
to them for what their hands have written, and woe
to them for what they earn.” – Qur’an
2/80.
This verse points out that Israelites are committing
two offences: 1) writing down a thing falsely, and
2) doing it with the intention of earning some worldly
benefit.
The Qur’an also points to a party of Israelites
who indulged in perverting the verses of the Holy
Qur’an after they had understood them.
“Do you expect that they will believe you
when a party of them hear the word of Allah, then
pervert it after they have understood it, and they
know the consequences thereof.” – Qur’an
2/76.
In conclusion, it may be stated that the naive and
bigoted advocates of inhumane doctrine of death
upon apostasy never realize the international and
inter-religious repercussions and human relationships.
According to their view of Islam, adherents of all
religions have a fundamental right to change their
faith and accept Islam, but Muslins are not allowed
to do so – they face death as a punishment
for apostasy. This view is not true.
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