Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 106

(Ayah106) ➊ { مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللّٰهِ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ اِيْمَانِهٖۤ …:} Tabari has narrated with an authentic chain the statement of Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Allah Almighty said: [ مَنْ كَفَرَ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيْمَانِهِ فَعَلَيْهِ غَضَبٌ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَلَهُ عَذَابٌ عَظِيْمٌ فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ فَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ لِسَانُهُ وَ خَالَفَهُ قَلْبُهُ بِالْإِيْمَانِ لِيَنْجُوَ بِذٰلِكَ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ فَلَا حَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ لِأَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَأْخُذُ الْعِبَادَ بِمَا عَقَدَتْ عَلَيْهِ قُلُوْبُهُمْ ] [ طبری : ۱۷ /۳۰۵ ] "Whoever disbelieves after having believed, upon him is Allah's severe wrath and for him is a great punishment, except for the one who is compelled and utters something with his tongue while his heart is opposed to it due to faith, so that he may save his life from the enemy; there is no sin upon him, because Allah, the Exalted, holds His servants accountable only for what is firmly established in their hearts."

➋ Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: [ كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَظْهَرَ إِسْلَامَهُ سَبْعَةٌ : رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَأَبُوْ بَكْرٍ، وَعَمَّارٌ، وَأُمُّهُ سُمَيَّةُ، وَصُهَيْبٌ، وَبِلاَلٌ، وَالْمِقْدَادُ، فَأَمَّا رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَمَنَعَهُ اللّٰهُ بِعَمِّهِ أَبِيْ طَالِبٍ، وَأَمَّا أَبُوْ بَكْرٍ فَمَنَعَهُ اللّٰهُ بِقَوْمِهِ، وَأَمَّا سَائِرُهُمْ، فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْمُشْرِكُوْنَ وَأَلْبَسُوْهُمْ أَدْرَاعَ الْحَدِيْدِ وَ صَهَرُوْهُمْ فِي الشَّمْسِ، فَمَا مِنْهُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا وَقَدْ وَاتَاهُمْ عَلٰی مَا أَرَادُوْا، إِلَّا بِلاَلاً، فَإِنَّهُ هَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ نَفْسُهُ فِي اللّٰهِ، وَهَانَ عَلٰی قَوْمِهِ، فَأَخَذُوْهُ، فَأَعْطَوْهُ الْوِلْدَانَ، فَجَعَلُوْا يَطُوْفُوْنَ بِهِ فِيْ شِعَابِ مَكَّةَ وَهُوَ يَقُوْلُ : أَحَدٌ، أَحَدٌ ] [ابن ماجہ، السنۃ، باب فضل سلمان و أبی ذر والمقداد رضی اللہ عنھم اجمعین : ۱۵۰، قال البوصیري رجالہ ثقات و قال الحاکم صحیح الإسناد و أقرہ الذھبی، وقال الألباني حسن ] "The first people to openly declare their Islam were seven: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, Ammar, his mother Sumayyah, Suhaib, Bilal, and Miqdad (may Allah be pleased with them all). Allah Almighty protected the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) through his uncle Abu Talib, and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was protected by his people. The rest were seized by the polytheists, who made them wear iron armor and threw them out in the sun to burn. So all of them said what the disbelievers wanted, except for Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him). In the matter of Allah, his own life became worthless to him (and he did not care about it), and he became so worthless in their eyes that they handed him over to the children, who would take him around the valleys of Makkah, and he would keep saying, 'Ahad, Ahad' (Allah is One, Allah is One)."

➌ After mentioning the doubts of the disbelievers above, the ruling is stated regarding the person who, being influenced by such doubts, turns away from faith and accepts disbelief with an open heart—that upon him is the severe wrath of his Lord and for him is a great punishment. Regarding the person in {’’ اِلَّا مَنْ اُكْرِهَ ‘‘ } upon whom a tyrant compels and who, to save his life, utters a word of disbelief with his tongue, this is a concession. But if someone chooses to die and does not utter a word of disbelief or anything against Islam, this is resolve, and such a person will be a great martyr, as the prophets of Allah, such as Ibrahim and Isa (peace be upon them), did not utter a word of disbelief out of fear of death and accepted martyrdom, though Allah Almighty saved them. Similarly, there is the incident of the People of the Ditch and the person mentioned in Surah Yasin who was martyred, and in Islam there are countless such examples, as with Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) and other companions and followers.

➍ Some people who harbor enmity against Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them), when they saw that Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and other Banu Hashim (may Allah be pleased with them) pledged allegiance to the three caliphs, which is proof of their rightful caliphate, these enemies of the companions fabricated the claim that they did so out of compulsion and taqiyyah. However, taqiyyah is a concession for the weak; if the Lion of Allah also practices taqiyyah, then who will declare the truth and act with resolve? Furthermore, in the book "Al-Kafi" of those who make the excuse of taqiyyah, it is written that their Imams know the time of their death and die only when they wish. So according to their statement, when Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) knew that his death would be at the hands of Abdur Rahman bin Muljam, what compulsion did he have to pledge allegiance to the three caliphs or to marry his beloved daughter Umm Kulthum to Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him)?

➎ The scholars have deduced from this verse that any statement or action done under compulsion is not valid; neither does divorce occur, nor marriage, nor the freeing of a slave, nor transferring property in someone's name, nor any confession or denial or statement of disbelief. Yes, whatever is done with an open heart is valid. (Suyuti in Al-Iklil)

➏ { فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ : } In this world, Allah's great wrath is that if a man or woman becomes an apostate and does not repent, then their killing is obligatory. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ بَدَّلَ دِيْنَهُ فَاقْتُلُوْهُ ] [ بخاری، استتابۃ المرتدین والمعاندین و قتالھم، باب حکم المرتد… : ۶۹۲۲ ] "Whoever changes his religion, kill him." And the greatness of the great punishment in the Hereafter is best known to Allah Almighty.

➐ Some people have said on their own accord that if a woman becomes an apostate, she should not be killed; this is not correct, because the Arabic pronoun "man" (مَنْ) includes both men and women, and there is no evidence for the woman being an exception.