Why is conversion from Islam punishable by death?

Question

Is this a common belief within Muslim countries or merely segregated to certain sects within the religion? Or is it only a myth?

Answer 1

for the same reason conversion from Christianity is

Deuteronomy 13:6-10
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die.

2 Chronicles 15:13
Whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

Answer 2

All praise is due to Allah and peace and blessings be upon the beloved Prophet Muhammad. Way to go melanie T! Thanks, i never knew that. More people are embracing Islam than leaving.
The numbers speak for themselves. You can look them up for yourself, the numbers I am providing will be slightly similar to anywhere you probably look. There is a 2.9% growth in Islam each year compared to a 1.0% growth in Christianity each year. And this isn't just by babies! This includes the great number of people embracing Islam and accepting the message, without a "sword". Especially in the USA! The figures predict that by the year 2015, Muslims will be the majority religion in the world.
Regardless of the scare tactics and anti-Muslim propaganda used by non-Muslims to deter people from learning and accepting the message, it is not up to them. It is not even up to Muslims! Anyone can see we do nothing in terms of missionary work or door to door preaching. It is in the hands of the Creator. Allah knows best.

Answer 3

Conversion from Islam is wrongly punishable by death in some countries. As it clearly states in the Quran 2:256 "Let there be no compulsion in religion...". And it also states that if they choose to leave than Allah's penalty will be upon them, i.e. it is between Allah and the person.

Answer 4

Another excellent question by you.

This belief has been misinterpreted by some Muslims to believe it is their right to do this type of thing, however it is not. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), when he began teaching the message, he had many enemies as all prophets and messengers did. They tried any and everything they could think of to stop him in his tracks. One of these methods were to get many people to convert to Islam with the intentions of spreading confusion inside the community then a mass conversion out of Islam. This punishment was a means to prevent liars from performing their act, yet it wasn't simply meant as a way to keep people from leaving Islam. It was also to make people think long and hard and study just as long and hard BEFORE becomming a Muslim, to persuade only the serious to enter the Muslim community.
In conclusion, it is not a right or a rule of Muslims or of Islam to take the life of someone who leaves Islam. And to be more honest with you, God's judgement far exceeds ours anyway, so why take the risk of doing something unacceptible in God's eyes when His judgement of the person is far better than your own?

Edit:
In addition to my last comment, how do we know that we did everything we could to properly educate the person leaving Islam? If we were to take his/her life without knowing all the details, that would be a major sin on our hands, and no one but God knows what is in the mind and heart of a person.


There are only two cases in which a Muslim has permission to take another life.
1. In justice (ie as punishment for murder)
2. in self-defense, which means when being attacked

Answer 5

Can Islam be imposed forcefully on non-Muslims? Or we may even ask: Is the minor jihãd a means of imposing the faith of Islam on non-Muslims?


I do not intend to get into the issue of the minor jihãd; but, briefly stated, the majority of Sh`iah jurists (mujtahidin) do not believe in initiating a jihãd without the clear permission of an infallible (ma`sum) Imam. Even those who allow the initiation of jihãd, do not believe that jihãd can be used to impose Islam on non-Muslims. At the most, they say that jihãd can be initiated to remove tyranny and oppression from a non-Muslim society in order to eliminate the factors that prevent the Divine message from reaching to the masses. Jihãd cannot be used for imposing Islam on others; it is just for putting an end to the aggression on Muslims or for helping the oppressed non-Muslims. (The history of Muslims bears out this idea; an unbiased historian can clearly separate the spread of the Muslim rule over areas outside Arabia ­by military might­ and the spread of Islam ­without force­ in those same regions.)


The Qur'ãn clearly says that, "There is no compulsion in the religion." (2:256) What this verse actually means is that: "There is no compulsion in (accepting) the religion (of Islam)." Why? The verse continues, "Surely the Right Path is clearly distinct from the crooked path."So Muslims can always show the difference between the right and the wrong paths, but not force the non-Muslims to accept Islam. The Prophet of Islam has also been mentioned as a reminder, not as a person who forces Islam upon others. "Therefore, you remind (them), for you are only a reminder; you are not a watcher over them." (88:21-22)In many other verses, the Prophet is described as "a bearer of good news and a warner of God's punishment." (2:119) His role was just to remind the people about their natural instinct of believing in God. Force is not needed because the right way is clearly distinct from the crooked way. Even during the conquest of Mecca, the idol-worshippers were given a grace time of four months to study Islam, and thereafter either become Muslims by their own choice or leave the sacred city.




The punishment prescribed by the shari`ah for apostasy is death.


Even the terms used by the shari`ah for apostates give the idea of treason to this whole phenomenon. "Murtad" means apostate. Murtad can be of two types: fitri and milli.



(1) "Murtad Fitri" means a person who is born of a Muslim parent and then he rejects Islam. "Fitrah" means creation. The term "murtad fitri" implies that the person has apostated from the faith in which he was born.



(2) "Murtad Milli" means a person who converted to Islam and then later on he rejects Islam. Milli is from millat which means religion. The term "murtad milli" implies that the person has apostated from his religion and the Muslim community.


In the first case, the apostasy is like the treason against God; whereas in the second case, the apostasy is like the treason against the Muslim community. Probably, that is why the Sh`iah jurisprudence deals with these two kinds of murtads differently:



· A former kãfir who became a Muslim and then apostates (murtad milli), he is given a second chance: if he repents, then he is not to be killed; but if he does not repent, then he is to be killed.



· But one who is born as a Muslim and then apostates (murtad fitri), he is to be killed even if he repents. It is important to understand that in case a murtad fitri repents, Allãh may accept his repentance and he may be forgiven in the hereafter, but he still has to go through the punishment prescribed for his treason in this world.


This punishment is only applicable in case of apostasy by men; in case of women, the punishment is not death but life imprisonment. And if such a woman repents, then her repentance is accepted and the punishment is lifted.


In writings of some of the Sh`iah jurists, one gets the sense that the punishment of murtad is to be implemented only in dãru 'l-Islãm (i.e., the Muslim world), and that if the murtad flees to dãru 'l-kufr (i.e., the abode of kufr), then he is not to be pursued.

Answer 6

The only way to keep thier false religion alive is to threaten the lives of thier people. Mohammed was just a criminal like osama who had alot of money, therefore had alot of followers, which in turn created this so called "islam" false religion. And some idiot "the prophet" felt he had to write a book about it. "the koran"

Answer 7

Very effective way to keep from losing converts, wouldn't you say? Christian sects have been known to do that also. Hell, ever hear of a little bit of fun called the Inquisition?

Answer 8

there is no selection to cajole each person that a concentrated faith is the "genuine faith". that is my best predicament with faith is they go round to persons speaking about how theirs is the reality and the entire aspect else is incorrect, all and sundry else will burn in eternal hellfire... it truly is in effortless words ignorant... i think that there is a particular element of reality in all religions... Stuff like be a good individual, manage others the way you are able to wish to be dealt with, ect... those are issues we are able to study from. notwithstanding declaring your faith is genuine and others are incorrect is strictly why there are the kind of large quantity of wars in this international... can not all of us in simple terms stay consisting of our variations?? Sorry.... I type of neglected the aspect of your question. :)

Answer 9

I only think its punishable in Afghanistan and in certain extreme sects and schools of Islam.

Answer 10

its a myth. but christians like to make uo stories about muslims.

thumbs down accepted in bottom corner or you can turn the other cheek.