The Truth about the Alleged Punishment for Apostasy in Islam — Page 86
86 the Day of Judgment. There is no reference at all in this verse that they will get any corporal punishment by the hands of others in this world! On this topic there are other verses, too, which deal with apostasy, but ‘killing’ is not prescribed in anyone of them. On the contrary, their subject matter most clearly presents evidence against killing. THE VIEW OF DEATH PENALTY FOR APOSTASY IN THE LIGHT OF AH ̑ Ā D I TH : Now, I come to A ha d i th. When the ulema cannot find anything in the Holy Qur’an in support of their views, they turn towards A ha d i th. This attitude is permissible only to the extent if we cannot find, because of our ignorance, any verse in the Holy Qur’an dealing with a specific matter and we wish to seek help from A ha d i th. But we cannot make a Hadith to overrule the Holy Qur’an. That was exactly the inviolable principle adopted by the Holy Prophet sa. In itself I have no objection to referring to A ha d i th. But those whom I have mentioned earlier—who did not care to misuse the Holy Qur’an—cannot refrain from misusing A ha d i th too. Those who did not respect the Word of God and forced their misplaced ideas upon it, we should not expect from them that they would not treat A ha d i th in the same manner. And that is exactly what they do.