Excerpt from “Islāmī Qānūn-e-Wirāthat” by Maulānā Abū Nuʿmān Bashīr Ahmad
❖ Definition
A Murtadd (apostate) is a person who, after embracing faith (īmān), renounces Islam and utters words of disbelief (kufr) voluntarily and consciously, without any coercion.
❖ Ruling Regarding Inheritance
A Murtadd neither inherits from anyone nor can anyone inherit from him.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا يرث المسلم الكافر ولا الكافر المسلم
“A Muslim does not inherit from a disbeliever, nor does a disbeliever inherit from a Muslim.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Farā’iḍ, Bāb Lā Yarith al-Muslim al-Kāfir, Ḥadīth: 1614)
Therefore, if a person leaves Islam, his estate — whether earned during Islam or after apostasy — is not passed to heirs, but instead transferred in full to Bayt al-Māl (the public treasury).
✅ Summary
- A Murtadd is one who abandons Islam after accepting it.
- He loses all rights of inheritance, both as an heir and as a deceased person.
- His entire wealth is confiscated to Bayt al-Māl, regardless of whether it was acquired before or after apostasy.
