Punishment of Apostacy in Islam — Page 37
37 Method of Propagation of Islam Islam is a religion the followers of which are under obligation to constantly invite non-Muslims to its acceptance. The manner of such invitation is also set out clearly in the Holy Quran. It is said: Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and contend with them on the basis of that which is best. Thy Lord knows best those who have strayed away from His path, and He knows best those who are rightly guided (16:126). Indeed guidance is bestowed by God and the business of a believer is only to present Islam to non-Muslims wisely and with kindly reasoning. It is for God Almighty to bring about a change of heart. For instance, it is said: Whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his mind to the acceptance of Islam (6:126) ; and it is said: Surely, thou canst not guide whomsoever thou pleasest; but Allah guides whomsoever He pleases, and He knows well those who would be guided (28:57). Freedom of Change of Faith As Islam constantly invites non-Muslims to enter its fold, every non-Muslim who accepts that invitation necessarily repudiates his original doctrine to the extent to which it is inconsistent with Islam and wholeheartedly subscribes to Islam. Thus he becomes an apostate in the eyes of his original co-religionists. If the penalty of apostacy from Islam is death, would it be unreasonable for other faiths also to impose the penalty of death for apostacy from those faiths? This would mean that no change of faith would be permissible under any circumstances and that everyone must