The Truth about the Alleged Punishment for Apostasy in Islam — Page 28
28 "let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve. " 21 But if apostasy [ irtid a d ] is punishable by death, or if disbelief [ kufr ] is punishable by death, then what meaning can be attributed to the phrase "let him who will"? One’s 'will' can only be arrived at by one’s own self. Thus, if someone is asked, "Do you want to become a kafir or remain among the faithful?", and he replies, "I am one among the faithful—I am a Muslim", then—since the act of ‘willing’ is associated with one’s own heartfelt desire the Holy Qur’an does not, in any way, grant permission to another person to state how someone else’s heart feels about his faith. THE HOLY QUR’AN’S VERDICT ON THE IDEA OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR AN APOSTATE I will now present a few verses that exemplify Islam’s marvelous teaching regarding freedom of religion and, subsequently, I will advert to those arguments that are advanced by the ulema to legitimize capital punishment for an apostate. 21 ibid. [Publisher]