Apostasy in Islam: A Historical and Scriptural Analysis

death. Yet, the issue remains one of the most controversial to have afflicted the

Muslim world down the centuries. It is also the source of much damaging media

coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for

human rights and freedom of expression.

The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly

concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous

detail, as well as the many moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing

arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he contends that both

the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting

the Faith and do not support capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah. Note that

attention is on the word sin, for there is qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has

not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal act,

particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a

matter strictly between God and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an

significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to unbelief after having believed,

but does not mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been

written at a time of great complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of

the higher intents and values of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is

sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based approach examining in

detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional

approaches to the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge,

as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent

to the killing of the whole of mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of

compassion and justice, as well as freedom of belief, this subject is clearly addressed

once and for all.