Can a Murtad (Apostate) Be Sentenced to Life Imprisonment?
Taken from: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Can a Murtad (apostate) be sentenced to life imprisonment?
The punishment for a Murtad is execution. Authentic Ahadith and the consensus of the Ummah affirm this. It is not permissible to give him life imprisonment or any other punishment.
❀ Hafiz Nawawi رحمه الله (676H) stated:
أجمعوا على أن المرتد لا يسبى
The consensus of the scholars is that a Murtad will not be imprisoned; rather, he is to be executed.
(Sharh al-Nawawi, 1/204)
❀ Narration of Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari رضي الله عنه:
لما قدم عليه ألقى له وسادة، قال: انزل، وإذا رجل عنده موثق، قال: ما هذا؟ قال: كان يهوديا فأسلم ثم تهود، قال: اجلس، قال: لا أجلس حتى يقتل، قضاء الله ورسوله، ثلاث مرات، فأمر به فقتل
When Sayyiduna Mu‘adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه came to him (in Yemen), Abu Musa spread a cushion for him and said: “Please dismount.” Meanwhile, Mu‘adh رضي الله عنه saw a man bound there and asked: “What is this?” Abu Musa replied: “He was a Jew, then he accepted Islam, and afterwards he became a Jew again (apostate).” Mu‘adh رضي الله عنه said: “Please sit down.” He replied: “I will not sit until this apostate is executed; this is the judgment of Allah and His Messenger.” He repeated this three times, so Abu Musa رضي الله عنه gave the order and the man was executed.
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 6923, Sahih Muslim: 1733)
❀ Hafiz Nawawi رحمه الله (676H) stated:
فيه وجوب قتل المرتد وقد أجمعوا على قتله
This Hadith proves that killing the Murtad is obligatory, and the scholars have consensus on this ruling.
(Sharh al-Nawawi, 12/208)
❀ Amir San‘ani رحمه الله (1182H) stated:
الحديث دليل على أنه يجب قتل المرتد، وهو إجماع
This Hadith is evidence that it is obligatory to kill the Murtad, and this is a matter of consensus.
(Subul al-Salam, 2/383)
Taken from: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
Can a Murtad (apostate) be sentenced to life imprisonment?
❖ Answer:
The punishment for a Murtad is execution. Authentic Ahadith and the consensus of the Ummah affirm this. It is not permissible to give him life imprisonment or any other punishment.
◈ Statements of Scholars and Ahadith
❀ Hafiz Nawawi رحمه الله (676H) stated:
أجمعوا على أن المرتد لا يسبى
The consensus of the scholars is that a Murtad will not be imprisoned; rather, he is to be executed.
(Sharh al-Nawawi, 1/204)
❀ Narration of Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari رضي الله عنه:
لما قدم عليه ألقى له وسادة، قال: انزل، وإذا رجل عنده موثق، قال: ما هذا؟ قال: كان يهوديا فأسلم ثم تهود، قال: اجلس، قال: لا أجلس حتى يقتل، قضاء الله ورسوله، ثلاث مرات، فأمر به فقتل
When Sayyiduna Mu‘adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه came to him (in Yemen), Abu Musa spread a cushion for him and said: “Please dismount.” Meanwhile, Mu‘adh رضي الله عنه saw a man bound there and asked: “What is this?” Abu Musa replied: “He was a Jew, then he accepted Islam, and afterwards he became a Jew again (apostate).” Mu‘adh رضي الله عنه said: “Please sit down.” He replied: “I will not sit until this apostate is executed; this is the judgment of Allah and His Messenger.” He repeated this three times, so Abu Musa رضي الله عنه gave the order and the man was executed.
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 6923, Sahih Muslim: 1733)
❀ Hafiz Nawawi رحمه الله (676H) stated:
فيه وجوب قتل المرتد وقد أجمعوا على قتله
This Hadith proves that killing the Murtad is obligatory, and the scholars have consensus on this ruling.
(Sharh al-Nawawi, 12/208)
❀ Amir San‘ani رحمه الله (1182H) stated:
الحديث دليل على أنه يجب قتل المرتد، وهو إجماع
This Hadith is evidence that it is obligatory to kill the Murtad, and this is a matter of consensus.
(Subul al-Salam, 2/383)
