Monday 16 July 2012

What Sharia says about apostasy...

Apostates are to be killed:
“Someone raised among Muslims who denies the obligatoriness [sic] of the prayer, zakat, fasting Ramadan, the pilgrimage or the unlawfulness of wine and adultery, or denies something else upon which there is scholarly consensus and which is necessarily known as being of the religion… thereby becomes and unbeliever (kafir) and is executed for his unbelief….” (f1.3)
“When a person who has reached puberty an is sane voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deservers to be killed.” (o8.1)
Sarcasm about Islam constitutes unbelief, for which the penalty is death (supra):
“Leaving Islam is the ugliest form of unbelief (kufr) and the worst.  It may come about through sarcasm, as when someone is told, ‘Trim your nails, it is sunna,’ and he replies ‘I would not do it even if it were,’ as opposed to when some circumstances exists [sic] which exonerates him of having committed apostasy, such as when his tongue runs away with him, or when he is quoting someone, or says it is out of fear.)” (o8.0)
There is no expiation for killing an apostate:
“There is no expiation for killing someone who has left Islam, a highwayman or a convicted married adulterer, even when someone besides the caliph kills him.)” (o5.4)
There is no indemnity for killing an apostate:
“There is no indemnity obligatory for killing a non-Muslim at war with Muslims (harbi), someone who has left Islam, someone sentenced to death by stoning (for adultery(def: o12)) by virtue of having been convicted in court, or those it is obligatory to kill by military action…” (o4.17)
Just to be clear…
There is no expiation or indemnity for killing an apostate:
“There is no indemnity for killing an apostate (or any expiation, since it is killing someone who deserves to die).” (08.4)
And, to avoid all doubt…
Killing an apostate is without consequences:
“(… while killing an apostate from Islam is without consequences)” (o1.2(3))
The property of apostates is to be seized by the state:
“… if they die as non-Muslims their property is not subject to zakat (because their property is considered to belong to the Muslim common fund (bayt al-mal) from the moment such people leave Islam).” (h1.2)

PF: Is there anything positive for apostates?

Not really, just that one can return to Islam and must make up any prayers that have been missed:
“An apostate from Islam (murtadd, def: o.8) who then returns must make up every prayer missed….” (f1.1)