The Truth about the Alleged Punishment for Apostasy in Islam — Page 11
11 The context of this Hadith was the occasion when the Holy Prophet sa ordered a census in Medina. Since, a census, by its very nature, is a broad ranging entity, the most broad-ranging definition by him was given in the context of that particular occasion. He did not allow dabbling into any contentious issue—he did not even mention the Kalima —and said that, as far as the general census of population and national political realm is concerned, only this much is adequate by way of a definition that whoever calls himself a Muslim, you should record the name of all such individuals for me. The phrase "for me" is a beautiful expression and it signifies: this definition ‘will be acceptable to me’, regardless of whether or not it is acceptable to thousands of other people. For me—for Muhammad sa who has been appointed as the Messenger sa of Allah— only this general definition is adequate that a person declares himself to be a Muslim. THE SECOND DEFINITION BY THE HOLY PROPHET The second definition, by comparison, has a greater religious flavour. But this, too, is so simple, so transparent, so beautiful and so unambiguous that after listening to even this definition there does not remain any basis for contention. He said: