# Does the Quran prescribe a punishment for apostasy?

*Pleasing the kuffar? And the Quran's position on apostasy: no worldly penalty, no compulsion*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ksqksrxndnw/s/4/
- Date: 2020-04-22 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Shaykh Dr. Shabir Ally | Juxtaposing the Quran, Jumbling Aisha's age & Jinn Possession | MindTrap#16 (11:34–14:11)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsQKsrXndNw&t=694s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ksqksrxndnw/

**Topics:** Apostasy and blasphemy; Guest conversations

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The Quran prescribes no worldly penalty for apostasy, only punishment in the hereafter, and 'there is no compulsion in religion' is stated as emphatically as the testimony of faith. Rightly representing the Quran is about pleasing Allah, not the kuffar.

## Longer summary

The guest answers the objection that this approach tries to please the kuffar: even if that were the intention, ultimately the aim is to please Allah, and Allah cannot be pleased by misrepresenting his book and his Prophet; the best explanation of why the hadith differ from the Quran is that somebody foisted this law on the Prophet, whose law is in the Quran. Mufti Abu Layth raises the penalty for apostasy as another example often brought up in the media, on which the guest has also spoken. The guest says the Quran's only 'law' on apostasy is that those who turn away after the message is made clear face grievous punishment in the hereafter unless God forgives them; no penalty in this life is prescribed for any governing body or state, and the Quran tells the Prophet he is not a supervisor over them. He cites 'there is no compulsion in religion' in al-Baqara 256, says killing apostates would force people to stay in the religion and contradict this verse, and notes that the phrase has the same emphatic grammatical form as 'there is no god but Allah'. Mufti agrees.

## Sources and names cited

- Dr Shabir Ally (guest)
- Quran 2:256 (there is no compulsion in religion): https://quran.com/2/256
- Quran 88:22 (you are not a supervisor over them): https://quran.com/88/22

## Transcript (machine tier, 11:34–14:11)

[11:19] explain to the public that Islam is something that is benign and even beneficial to them we need to start with the Quran and we need to show them that the Quran in fact does not have that law no sometimes when we speak like this some people say oh but why are you trying to please the Cofer and the answer to that is that we're not even if that was our intention to please the coffer in the end when we step back at this we have to say that ultimately what we want to do is to please Allah Azza WA JAL and to please allows our job we cannot misrepresent him enrich breatharian misrepresent his book and misrepresent his profit we have to tell

[11:58] people what the Quran actually says and we have to explain why they had each says something different and the best explanation for that is that somebody foisted this on our Prophet Muhammad SAW Allah labor selling and this was not the law that he left behind the law that he left behind is in the Quranic Scripture that we have and we read and behold so dear another example all of this as well that is often brought up in contemporary kind of discussions on the media is the law of or the penalty of apostasy that's another example I mean you've also

[12:36] spoken about this having share yes so shaker to be their laws apostasy in the Quran if we were to call it that is simply that people after the messages been made clear to them then they will face grievous punishment in the life Hereafter unless of course God decides to forgive them no penalty is mentioned in this life that you know that that should be implemented by by a governing body or a state and more specifically by the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu verse Allah the Quran is very clear to the Prophet peace be upon him last Ally him a messiah you are not the supervisor over them

[13:16] Ron says like or are fifteen there is no compulsion in religion and if we are to start killing people because they apostate then basically we are forcing people to stay within the religion and we are contradicting this verse which says logic raha 15 and it is so clear and certain baccarat the 256 worse so if they are open for everybody to see it and it is stated in an emphatic way like as you know Sheikh he know the Arabic teach me la ilaha 15 this has the same sort of grammatical formulation as la ilaha illaallah so justice la illaha

[13:56] says there is no God with with emphasis in a similar way la illaha says there is no compulsion with with emphasis yeah absolutely sure one of the and one of the surprising things is that read this whole so-called rule if you want to call it the height of apostasy as people call it is really based on a singular narration from a coma and Bihari which is problematized in and of itself but but people will ask here like I mean

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment KsQKsrXndNw/s/4. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ksqksrxndnw/s/4/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.