Freedom of Conscience: Many modern Muslim thinkers and legal scholars argue that the Quran guarantees freedom of belief, pointing to verses like "there is no compulsion in religion" (Quran 2:256). To the Muslims, there is no worldly punishment for apostasy in Islam In this post I will argue from the Quran and Hadith that there is no worldly punishment for someone leaving their religion according to Islam. Many scholars argue that there is no punishment for apostasy unless they start preaching against Islam and start trying to convert people out of Islam, I reject this as well and will show evidence against this. Any punishment for apostasy, if any, will occur after we have died and it is only between Allah and the person. I am not sure whether any of the Muslims in this subreddit believe that the punishment for apostasy is death, but unfortunately many Muslim countries and Muslims themselves around the world support death penalty for apostasy. No Compulsion in Religion Holy Quran 16:93: And if Allah had enforced His will, He would surely have made you all one people; but He lets go astray him who wishes it, and guides him who wishes it; and you shall surely be questioned concerning that which you have been doing. Holy Quran 2:257 There should be no compulsion in religion. Surely, right has become distinct from wrong; so whosoever refuses to be led by those who transgress, and believes in Allah, has surely grasped a strong handle which knows no breaking. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Holy Quran 18:30 And say, 'It is the truth from your Lord; wherefore let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve.' Verily, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose flaming canopy shall enclose them. And if they cry for help, they will be helped with water like molten lead which will burn the faces. How dreadful the drink, and how evil is the Fire as a resting place! In the above verses Allah affirms that there is freedom in religion in this world and the consequences for the choice of religion will only manifest in the after life. This freedom is applied to those who leave Islam as well otherwise it would contradict these verses. The people can choose who and what to believe and disbelieve in. Death for Apostasy - A Characteristic of the Enemies of Prophets Throughout time the prophets were raised against disbelievers to try and convert them. Many were tyrannical and would kill those who changed their religions and accepted the Prophets and would even try to kill the prophets. The example of Pharaoh in 20:72: Pharaoh said, 'Do you believe in him before I give you leave? He must be your chief who has taught you magic. I will therefore surely cut off your hands and your feet alternately, and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm-trees; and you shall know which of us is severer and more abiding in punishment.' Prophet Abraham (as) was threatened with death by stoning for leaving idolatry in Quran 19:47: He replied, 'Dost thou turn away from my gods, O Abraham? If thou cease not, I shall surely stone you (to death). Now leave me alone for a long while.' We also saw this in the time of Muhammad ﷺ where the Quraysh would torture and kill slaves and other poor people who converted to Islam. To the Muslims who believe in death penalty for apostates of any kind, I ask that if you desire people to convert from other religions and be able to become Muslims safely, how can you then kill those who choose to leave Islam to another religion or belief? Unless you believe that Christians should be able to kill those who convert to Islam, but you certainly wouldn't like that. In my view, you would become exactly like the enemies of the Prophets throughout history if you advocate for the killing of apostates. Freedom of Speech and Encouragement for Dialogue Many times the Quran asks people of other faiths and beliefs to produce their proofs. Quran 2:112: And they say, 'None shall ever enter Heaven unless he be a Jew or a Christian.' These are their vain desires. Say, 'Produce your proof, if you are truthful.' Quran 27:65 Or, Who originates creation, and then repeats it and Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Is there a God besides Allah? Say, 'Bring forward your proof if you are truthful.' Quran 21:25 Have they taken gods beside Him? Say, 'Bring forth your proof. Here is the Book of those with me, and the Book of those before me.' Nay, most of them know not the truth, and so they turn away. This is clear evidence for the fact that those who belong to other faiths and beliefs should engage in dialogues and debates with Muslims. It is completely illogical to say that this right to produce proof of their belief would not be applicable to an apostate. Apostate's enjoy the same right to freedom of expression as people born into other religions, it does not make any sense as to why apostates should not be afforded the same right to publicly declare their apostasy and discuss amongst the community as to why they left and produce their proof. No Verse in the Quran declares Death for Apostates The Quran mentions apostates a few times but it never once prescribes the death penalty for them. If Allah required apostates to be killed there certainly would have been a verse to confirm this. Quran 47:25: Surely, those who turn their backs after guidance has become manifest to them, Satan has seduced them, and holds out to them false hopes. (see also Quran 16:6-9) Possibility of Repentance Quran 3:90 on apostates: Except those who repent thereafter and amend. And surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. The verses before this verse speak of apostates and it says they will be condemned by Allah, the Angels and all of humanity. If there was a worldly punishment for apostasy Allah would surely have stated it here. Quran 4:138: Those who believe, then disbelieve, then again believe, then disbelieve, and then increase in disbelief, Allah will never forgive them nor will He guide them to the way. If we were to kill apostates how would they be able to repent or be able to believe and disbelieve multiple times? Still in the case of those who apostate multiple times Allah does not say to kill them and rather gives glad tidings of forgiveness if they repent or warnings of punishment from Allah if they do not repent. Apostasy would Encourage Hypocrisy Hypocrisy is worse than disbelief from an Islamic point of view. Quran 4:146: The hypocrites shall surely be in the lowest depth of the Fire; and thou shalt find no helper for them, No one is able to control what is within a persons heart. If a person no longer has faith in Islam and is no longer a Muslim at heart, but stays a Muslim in name just because his/her government would kill them otherwise, then they are now a hypocrite which is even worse than disbelieving. This would not save them from the hellfire so there is literally no point in promoting punishments for apostates. Instead, such force and oppression would lead people to hate Islam even more and who can blame them for that? Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ After the Holy Quran, the most authoritative source for laws in Islam is the practice and sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In his life, Muhammad ﷺ never killed anyone for mere apostasy. For example, the prophet ﷺ never killed any of the apostates that left the religion after the Isra (night journey). In the treaty of Hudabiya, anyone who left the Muslims to go to the Quraysh could not be returned and this term was agreed on by the Prophet ﷺ. If Allah had commanded to kill apostates, Muhammad ﷺ would never agree to a term that would not let him carry out Allahs commands. Quran 3:73: And a section of the People of the Book say, 'Believe in that which has been revealed unto the believers, in the early part of day, and disbelieve in the latter part thereof; perchance they may return; In his Tafseer Behrul Muheet, Abu Hayyan Al-Gharnati mentions that this was decided upon by twelve Jewish rabbis of Khaibar and Urainah: Twelve rabbis from amongst the Jews of Khaibar and the town of Urainah (decided to act upon this) and said to one another: enter into the faith of Muhammad (sa) in the beginning of the day by confessing faith by the tongue but not in actual beliefs, and disbelieve in the later part of the day.' There is no record of these Jews ever being killed and they certainly would not have tried this plan if they knew that they would be liable to be killed for apostasy. An example of a Bedouin who blamed his fever on the acceptance of Islam in Sahih Bukhari 7216: A bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "Please take my Pledge of allegiance for Islam." So the Prophet took from him the Pledge of allegiance for Islam. He came the next day with a fever and said to the Prophet (ﷺ) "Cancel my pledge." But the Prophet (ﷺ) refused and when the bedouin went away, the Prophet said, "Medina is like a pair of bellows (furnace): It expels its impurities and brightens and clears its good." The Prophet ﷺ never once warned him that apostasy would be punished by death nor did the Prophet ﷺ order people to track him down to execute him. Rather it was seen as good that only the pure would stay and there would be no hypocrites staying in Islam. There is also the example of the apostate Abdullah bin Abi Sarh who committed treason. Sunan Abu Dawud 3458: Abdullah ibn AbuSarh used to write (the revelation) for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Satan made him slip, and he joined the infidels. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded to kill him on the day of Conquest (of Mecca). Uthman ibn Affan sought protection for him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave him protection. The war was now over, and his treason had not included murder of innocent Muslims, unlike others. His crime had been inciting other tribes against Islam and abandonment of the Muslim forces during a time of war. Abdullah had surrendered of his own accord and asked to accept Islam, which was a declaration of repentance. Thus, he had put himself under the mercy of the ruler of the time. The Qur'an states that the default punishment for treason and rebellion is death, but those who surrender themselves before they are caught should be shown leniency (Quran 5:34-35). Hadith - Narrations on Apostasy Sunan an-Nasa'i 4059 "The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: 'Whoever changes his religion, kill him.'" The Quran is the supreme source for Muslims and the Hadith should be interpreted in a consistent manner with the Quran. As I have set out that the Quran allows for religious freedom and freedom of speech in religious matters. We also need to look at the context of the time. In that time the Arabs were tribal and family connections meant everything. When Islam came, the brotherhood of Islam superseded any familial and tribal connections which upset the pagan Arabs and for that, and other reasons, they became hostile to the Muslims. Eventually the Pagans and Muslims were at war with each other and fought many battles. in this time, when people generally deserted religion they did not merely abandon their doctrine but they would be changing their allegiance either between the Muslims or the pagans and joining their military. Hence, apostasy was equivalent to "harb" meaning rebellion or treason. This interpretation is more consistent with the verses of the Quran and the practice of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who allowed people to leave the religion so long as they didn't intend to commit treason and start rebellions. Hence, this is why the bedouin and the Jews who deserted from Islam weren't killed, because they weren't starting war against the Muslims. Other Hadiths provide the qualification of rebellion and war: Sahih Bukhari 6899: "By Allah, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never killed anyone except in one of the following three situations: (1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,) (2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and (3) a man who fought against Allah and His Apostle and deserted Islam and became an apostate." Sunan an-Nasai 4048: The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim except in three cases: An adulterer who had been married, who should be stoned to death; a man who killed another man intentionally, who should be killed; and a man who left Islam and waged war against Allah, the Might and Sublime, and His Messenger, who should be killed, or crucified, or banished from the land." Hence, the overwhelming evidence is that death is not for apostasy but for rebellion and in that specific time apostasy and rebellion were generally the same. As stated, there are examples of those who deserted Islam such as the bedouin and the Jews and those who left after the night journey who were not killed. No Rationale for Death for Apostasy For a missionary religion that wants to spread its message to the whole world and win the hearts of every people, death for apostasy makes no sense. Death for mere apostasy is morally reprehensible and many people rightfully critique it. How can a religion claim to be perfected in morals and from God when it kills its people if they leave the religion and preach against it. I believe Islam is the true religion and it is able to refute any arguments put against it. There is no threat from apostates or anyone else who try and preach against it, hence why Allah invites people from other religions to produce their proofs multiple times. The very name Islam requires there to be a wilful submission to the will of Allah by a person. If people were under threat of the death penalty for apostasy by the government and that is the only reason they call themselves Muslim, then they are no longer wilfully submitting to Allah's will, rather they are submitting to the government which defeats the purpose of the very core of Islam. Allah bestows love of Himself and Islam when believers strive towards Him as is stated in many verses of the Quran and Hadith, hence there is no good reason to have the threat of death towards its followers in order to keep them in the religion.

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