Punishment of Apostacy in Islam — Page 13
13 punishment for apostacy. There have been cases in Muslim history in which a person became an apostate, murdered Muslims and was guilty of armed rebellion. Allover the world a murderer forfeits his life, and armed rebellion is put down with the use of force. If a person is guilty of apostacy, that is to say, voluntarily announces his repudiation of Islam and takes up the sword to kill Muslims, murders them and is punished with death or is suppressed by the sword, it does not at all mean that he is put to death because of his repudiation of Islam. The penalty for the offences committed by such people, irrespective of their apostacy, is death. In such a case it cannot be said that they are punished for their apostacy. Their punishment would have been the same even if there had been no question of apostacy. Holy Quran Comprehensive Guide It is a clear and acknowledged verity that the Holy Quran is a complete and perfect Book. There is no shortcoming in it for the making up of which we have to have recourse to some historical event or to some uncertain hadees. Therefore, we believe that all the directions and admonitions of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, are illustrative of some direction of the Holy Quran and that there is no direction of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, which is inconsistent with the Holy Quran or which adds to it or makes up any shortcoming in it. There can be no greater offence than to charge the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, with having failed to act in accordance with some directive of the Holy Quran or having urged others to refrain from acting upon it. Muhammad,