The Truth about the Alleged Punishment for Apostasy in Islam — Page 67
67 conditions, qualify as those who wage such a war: 1. They are armed with weapons, e. g. , guns, swords, and spears etc. 2. They commit highway robbery and banditry, away from the populated area, or in a desert. [But, according to Imam Sh a f i ‘, Auz a ’ i and Laith (may Allah have mercy on them), those who commit robbery in an urban area, too, would qualify as ‘those who wage a war’ and would deserve the same punishments]. 3. They do not lie in ambush; rather, they commit overt attacks and engage in plun- der. 67 So, this is an example of the interpretative analysis by their own ulema, which is in conformity with the rules of the Arabic grammar, the idiom of the Holy Qur’an, and fits the context. It is impossible for a normal person, even if he possesses a modest level of rationality, to deduce from the verse under discussion the sanction for killing an apostate. Unless ones own mental faculties are impaired, one cannot vitiate the meaning of this verse. 67 Op cit.