Fate of an Apostate - III

The above interpretation is further supported by another famous scholar of 20th century, Dr. Muhammad Hamid Ullah. In response to a question "Why should an apostate be executed?", his contention was:

"My personal opinion about this matter is that an apostate is not punished regarding his religion but due to the breach of his political affiliations i.e betrayal to the state. No state in the world forgives a traitor. As in Islam there is no distinction of state and religion, thus it appears that this punishment is NOT due to the rejection of religion. We do not force anyone to accept Islam and enter in the Islamic Community, but if he rebels against that collective system after embracing Islam then he would be punished, according to the political laws and requirements, as a traitor."
- "The Best Writings of Dr. Hamid Ullah", edited by Sayyed Qasim Mehmud (originally in Urdu), page 338, question 38.

Thus, following two important points emerge from the above discussion. Any person who:

1- Chooses to leave Islam peacefully and leads his life outside the borders of an Islamic state cannot be executed! (In case an Islamic state exists)

2- Leaves Islam and lives among Muslims and interacts with them in the absece of an Islamic state cannot be executed. In the absense of an Islamic state, such laws are rendered null and void and that's what they are in our today's world.

Besides, even if a person leaves Islam and continues his peaceful and non-violent existence within an ISLAMIC STATE, there is no evidence and that he SHOULD BE executed, as per Islamic law and legislation. It is clearly manifested that even if the Prophet of Islam ordered to kill someone who left Islam in his time, it was because Madina was an Islamic state and any person who left Islam was considered (and there was very less probability that actaully didn't prove him to be) a traitor and a conspirator against Islam. Any person who peacefully rejected Islam and showed no signs of violence against the state and society was not harmed. Here's an authentic hadith to support this claim:

"A bedouin gave the Pledge of allegiance to Allah's Apostle for Islam. Then the bedouin got fever at Medina, came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Cancel my Pledge," But Allah's Apostle refused. Then he came to him (again) and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Cancel my Pledge." But the Prophet refused Then he came to him (again) and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Cancel my Pledge." But the Prophet refused. The bedouin finally went out (of Medina) whereupon Allah's Apostle said, "Medina is like a pair of bellows (furnace): It expels its impurities and brightens and clears its good."
- [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 9, #319]

As far as other hadiths that are generally cited in regard to apostasy (riddah), (a) there is not a single hadith that is authentic or without any problem as per the standards of usul (principles) of hadith, and (b) none of these hadiths pertain to solely for apostasy. After examining all the pertinent hadiths and classical commentaries on the issue of apostasy, former Chief Justice of Pakistan, S. A. Rahman, observes:

“It has been seen that even the strongest bulwark of the orthodox view, viz. the Sunnah, when subjected to critical examination in the light of history, does not fortify the stand of those who seek to establish that a Muslim who commits apostasy must be condemned to death for his change of belief alone. In instances in which apparently such a punishment was inflicted, other factors have been found to co-exist, which would have justified action in the interest of collective security. As against them, some positive instances of tolerance of defections from the Faith, with impunity for the renegades, suggest that the Prophet acted strictly in conformity with the letter and the spirit of the Qur’an and mere change of faith, if peaceful, cannot be visited with any punishment.”
-S. A. Rahman. Punishment of Apostasy in Islam [New Delhi, India: Kitab Bhaban, 1996], pp. 85-86.

Finally a friendly piece of advice to those emotional and imbecile Muslim friends who, falling in the trap of hypocrite clergy and thinking to do a huge service to their faith and Lord: It's good to be sincere with what one believes to be true, but blind faith and unexamined confidence in authority results not in sincerity but fanaticism and extremism which ultimately approaches to severe intolerence and finally brutal terrorism, exactly what we are witnessing within the followers of Islam today.