Islamic Center of Long Island’s Position Regarding Apostasy:
April 18, 2006
The recent public debate about conversion of Abdul Rahman, an Afghani citizen, to Christianity and the possible death sentence by Afghan courts have raised questions about the legality or otherwise of the conversion out of Islam, and the extent of the freedom of religious expression in Islam. Islam has two clear sources for guidance. First and foremost is Islam’s reveled text, the Quran. The second source for guidance is the exemplary life of Prophet Muhammed (prayers and peace be upon him). The modeled life of Prophet Muhammed has been collected in a set of writings called Hadith. These two sources of guidance espouse two fundamental tenets i.e. the freedom of religion and the sanctity of life:
- Freedom of religion: The Quran states categorically and unequivocally, there shall be no coercion in matters of faith. (2:256). This cornerstone tenet of Islamic faith is violated when an individual is put on trial for converting away from Islam. This verse, very clearly teaches that faith is a personal matter between the individual and God. The Quran further states “If it had been the will of your Lord that all the people of the world should be believers, all the people of the earth would have believed! Would you then compel mankind against their will to believe? (10:99)
- Sanctity of Human Life is one of the paramount goals of the Islamic law (Sharia). There is an example from the life of the Prophet Muhammad about the protection of human life in the context of apostasy. During the Prophet’s life a man by the name of Abdullah bin Saad was an appointed scribe to write down verses of the Quran when revealed. Whilst in Medina, Saad made the decision to revert to the pagan religion followed by the tribe of Quraysh in Mecca (from where the Muslims had fled persecution). When brought before the Prophet (as the head of state in the Medina community) for committing apostasy, the Prophet pardoned Abdullah and allowed him to leave.
During the early period of Islam when the Muslims in Medinah concluded treaties with the non-Muslims of the region it was established that the parties involved will defend each other against the invaders. When some of the parties aided the invaders against the Muslims it was agreed that the violators will be subjected to the death penalty as provided by the norms and conventions of the time, e.g. the laws of the Old Testament in regard to the People of the Book. Same penalty was provided for those who maliciously entered into Islam and then left it with plans and/or actions to harm the Muslims. However in instances where treason was not clearly established the application of death penalty, both during the early period of Islam and later on has remained debatable. More recent opinions, e.g. from twentieth century are more clearly stated to eliminate the application of death penalty from instances where treason is not established for leaving Islam.
The seminal question is if the Prophet decided to pardon a man for converting back to a system that eschewed God altogether, then what justification does Afghanistan have in putting Abdur Rahman on trial (Incidentally Abdur Rehman is a free man now)?
Our thanks to Imam Ibrahim Nagm and Br Syed Zafar Sayeed for their assistance in preparing this statement.
Dr. Faroque Khan – Chair ICLI Board of Trustee
Br. Habeeb Ahmed – President ICLI
Any inquiries regarding detailed references and/or clarifications may be addressed to ICLI.
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