Apostates

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings ‎of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to ‎uncover the origins of the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam ‎delight in pointing to the death penalty as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and ‎flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the correct ‎Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic principles of justice, as well as ‎failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate to the ‎demand for religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be no compulsion ‎in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, the issue ‎remains one of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the centuries. It is also ‎the source of much damaging media coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a ‎flagrant disregard for human rights and freedom of expression. The subject of this book is a highly ‎sensitive and important one. The author rightly concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical ‎origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as well as the many moral and contextual issues surrounding it. ‎Disputing arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he contends that both the Qur’an ‎and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and do not support ‎capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is ‎qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be ‎deemed a criminal act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it ‎remains a matter strictly between God and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an ‎significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to unbelief after having believed but does not ‎mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been written at a time of great ‎complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of the Qur’an ‎and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional ‎approaches to the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge, as well as ‎analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the killing of the ‎whole of mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and justice, as well as ‎freedom of belief, this subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

To properly understand the apostle John's Epistles (in keeping, indeed, with many expressions of our Lord Jesus Himself as recorded in John's Gospel), it is essential that we grasp their particularly "abstract" nature. The First Epistle of John, especially, "is mainly abstract (i.e., deals with truth in its principles) and [as such] draws a sharp distinction between light and darkness and between the old nature and the new" (RAH), with no shades of gray in such expressions, and generally not stopping to address the mixed condition that believers often find in themselves, who possess both the divine life/new nature and the old lawless nature-with such abstract statements further serving to both encourage and admonish us, stirring us to enter into by faith and realize in daily practice the profound blessings of the new nature and position we have in Christ and to walk accordingly. "It is of great value to view things in this abstract way [that is, according their fundamental nature by which they are characterized before God, without introducing any qualifying clauses related to varying experiential condition], for thereby we are instructed in the true nature of things, and see things as God sees them. Moreover [in the case of the children of God] we are seeing things as they will be displayed in the day to come when God has finished His work with us [in our glorified state]." (FBH) "Needless to say, that when we look into daily conversation [daily walk], there is failure too often. But John is not occupied with the shortcoming as a general rule, but with the principle, and therefore he puts it in all its simplicity as he was entitled to do. .. 'In this are manifest the children of God and the children of the devil.' The apostle regarded the difference as plain enough. He looks as usual at broad, clear, and practical proofs." "John as a rule [with few exceptions] does not occupy himself with the details of fact [as to modifications in the believer's spiritual condition or lapses of unfaithfulness]. He looks at truth in its own proper abstract character apart from passing circumstances; and if you do not read John's writings thus, especially the epistle before us, I am afraid that there is little prospect that you will ever understand them." (WK) "The ascribing to a person what is true only of a nature [the nature by which he is viewed before God], runs through all John's epistle." (JND) Thus, with respect to the believer, while he still has the old nature, the flesh, in him (Rom. 7:18), he is no longer "in the flesh" as to his standing or what characterizes him before God (Rom. 7:5; 8:8-9; Eph. 2:11; Col. 2:11). He is viewed as such all through this First Epistle-according to the new nature which alone characterizes him before God (in contrast with the falsely professing unbeliever whose sole nature, the flesh, characterizes him before God).

For a sampling of such “abstract” expressions of our Lord in John’s Gospel as well, see: 5:28-29; 8:12, 31-32, 34, 36, 42, 47, 51; 10:4-5, 27; 12:25-26; 14:21, 23-24; 15:14; 17:6, 8; etc. Likewise with respect to His characterization of “him that overcomes” in Revelation 2-3 (the real believer, 1 John 5:4-5), also recorded by John. Such may be found, to a lesser extent, in our Lord’s words in each of the other Gospels too, e.g.: Matt. 5:3-11; 7:17-19; 10:32-33, 37-39; 16:24-25; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 6:43-45; 8:21; 9:23-26; 14:26-27. Nor is this type of expression absent elsewhere in the NT, key examples of which may be noted in this striking set of related passages: 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5-8; Col. 3:5-6; Rev. 21:8.

Appendix 1: Know” in First John:  The Occurrences of and Shade of Difference between Ginosko and Oida

Appendix 2: Personal Assurance

Appendix 3: Divine Preservation of Faith in His Own Contrasted with Apostasy of False Professors

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate to the demand for ‎religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be no compulsion in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, the issue remains one ‎of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the centuries. It is also the source of much ‎damaging media coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for human rights and ‎freedom of expression. The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly ‎concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as well as the many ‎moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he ‎contends that both the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and ‎do not support capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is ‎qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal ‎act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter strictly between God ‎and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to ‎unbelief after having believed, but does not mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been ‎written at a time of great complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of ‎the Qur’an and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional approaches to ‎the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the killing of the whole of ‎mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and justice, as well as freedom of belief, this ‎subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

يتناول عدداً من القضايا المهمة التي تؤسس للإصلاح الإسلامي الإنساني، تستعيد بها الأمة مكانة العقل والتفكير المنهجي في تحقيق ‏مقاصد الشريعة، وتعيد بناء مناهج التربية التعليم لتحقيق الأصالة الإسلامية المعاصرة.‏‎ ‎كما بقدم إعادة نموذجية لقراءة الأنظمة الإسلامية ‏قراءة منهجية، تزيل ما أصابها تشوه، وتجسيد بذلك نموذجاً جيداً للأصالة المعاصرة. ويعرض كذلك قواعد الحوار والتواصل بما يحقق ‏الغايات الإنسانية الراشدة لعالم تسوده روح الإخاء والعدل والسلام. كما يضع هذا الكتاب بين يدي القارئ الكريم تجربة الجامعة ‏الإسلامية العالمية بماليزيا، وما قدمت من إصلاحات منهجية غير مسبوقة في الفكر التربوي والتعليمي والبحث العلمي وتأهيل الكوادر ‏الفكرية والمهنية؛ مما أهل هذه الجامعة العالمية لمكانة عالمية مرموقة،‎ ‎ويقدم أيضاً مزيداً من الاصطلاحات والتطوير للتعليم عامة،‎ ‎والجامعي ‏على وجه الخصوص.‏

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate to the demand for ‎religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be no compulsion in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, the issue remains one ‎of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the centuries. It is also the source of much ‎damaging media coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for human rights and ‎freedom of expression. The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly ‎concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as well as the many ‎moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he ‎contends that both the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and ‎do not support capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is ‎qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal ‎act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter strictly between God ‎and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to ‎unbelief after having believed, but does not mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been ‎written at a time of great complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of ‎the Qur’an and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional approaches to ‎the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the killing of the whole of ‎mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and justice, as well as freedom of belief, this ‎subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings ‎of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to ‎uncover the origins of the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam ‎delight in pointing to the death penalty as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and ‎flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the correct ‎Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic principles of justice, as well as ‎failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate to the ‎demand for religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be no compulsion ‎in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, the issue ‎remains one of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the centuries. It is also ‎the source of much damaging media coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a ‎flagrant disregard for human rights and freedom of expression. The subject of this book is a highly ‎sensitive and important one. The author rightly concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical ‎origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as well as the many moral and contextual issues surrounding it. ‎Disputing arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he contends that both the Qur’an ‎and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and do not support ‎capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is ‎qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be ‎deemed a criminal act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it ‎remains a matter strictly between God and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an ‎significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to unbelief after having believed but does not ‎mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been written at a time of great ‎complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of the Qur’an ‎and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional ‎approaches to the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge, as well as ‎analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the killing of the ‎whole of mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and justice, as well as ‎freedom of belief, this subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate to the demand for ‎religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be no compulsion in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, the issue remains one ‎of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the centuries. It is also the source of much ‎damaging media coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for human rights and ‎freedom of expression. The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly ‎concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as well as the many ‎moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he ‎contends that both the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and ‎do not support capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is ‎qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal ‎act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter strictly between God ‎and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to ‎unbelief after having believed, but does not mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been ‎written at a time of great complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of ‎the Qur’an and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional approaches to ‎the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the killing of the whole of ‎mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and justice, as well as freedom of belief, this ‎subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings ‎of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to ‎uncover the origins of the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam ‎delight in pointing to the death penalty as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and ‎flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the correct ‎Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic principles of justice, as well as ‎failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate ‎to the demand for religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be ‎no compulsion in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, ‎the issue remains one of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the ‎centuries. It is also the source of much damaging media coverage today as Islamic ‎jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for human rights and freedom of ‎expression. The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly ‎concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as ‎well as the many moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing arguments put forward ‎by proponents of the death penalty he contends that both the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote ‎freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and do not support capital punishment ‎for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is qualification: as long ‎as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal ‎act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter ‎strictly between God and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly ‎refers to individuals repeatedly returning to unbelief after having believed but does not mention ‎that they should be killed or punished. This work has been written at a time of great complexity ‎and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of the Qur’an and ‎the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration ‎traditional approaches to the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of ‎knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the ‎killing of the whole of mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and ‎justice, as well as freedom of belief, this subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings ‎of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to ‎uncover the origins of the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam ‎delight in pointing to the death penalty as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and ‎flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the correct ‎Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic principles of justice, as well as ‎failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate ‎to the demand for religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be ‎no compulsion in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, ‎the issue remains one of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the ‎centuries. It is also the source of much damaging media coverage today as Islamic ‎jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for human rights and freedom of ‎expression. The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly ‎concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as ‎well as the many moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing arguments put forward ‎by proponents of the death penalty he contends that both the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote ‎freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and do not support capital punishment ‎for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is qualification: as long ‎as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal ‎act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter ‎strictly between God and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly ‎refers to individuals repeatedly returning to unbelief after having believed but does not mention ‎that they should be killed or punished. This work has been written at a time of great complexity ‎and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of the Qur’an and ‎the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration ‎traditional approaches to the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of ‎knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the ‎killing of the whole of mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and ‎justice, as well as freedom of belief, this subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings ‎of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to ‎uncover the origins of the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam ‎delight in pointing to the death penalty as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and ‎flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the correct ‎Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic principles of justice, as well as ‎failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings ‎of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to ‎uncover the origins of the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam ‎delight in pointing to the death penalty as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and ‎flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the correct ‎Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic principles of justice, as well as ‎failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate ‎to the demand for religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be ‎no compulsion in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, ‎the issue remains one of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the ‎centuries. It is also the source of much damaging media coverage today as Islamic ‎jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for human rights and freedom of ‎expression. The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly ‎concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as ‎well as the many moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing arguments put forward ‎by proponents of the death penalty he contends that both the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote ‎freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and do not support capital punishment ‎for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is qualification: as long ‎as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal ‎act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter ‎strictly between God and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly ‎refers to individuals repeatedly returning to unbelief after having believed but does not mention ‎that they should be killed or punished. This work has been written at a time of great complexity ‎and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of the Qur’an and ‎the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration ‎traditional approaches to the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of ‎knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the ‎killing of the whole of mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and ‎justice, as well as freedom of belief, this subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

What is the legally prescribed penalty, if any, for apostasy (al-riddah), and how does this relate to the demand for ‎religious tolerance as stipulated in verse 2:256 of the Qur’an “There shall be no compulsion in matters of faith”?‎
It is an established fact that the Prophet never, in his entire life, put an apostate to death. Yet, the issue remains one ‎of the most controversial to have afflicted the Muslim world down the centuries. It is also the source of much ‎damaging media coverage today as Islamic jurisprudence stands accused of a flagrant disregard for human rights and ‎freedom of expression. The subject of this book is a highly sensitive and important one. The author rightly ‎concentrates on evidence, to examine the historical origins of the debate in rigorous detail, as well as the many ‎moral and contextual issues surrounding it. Disputing arguments put forward by proponents of the death penalty he ‎contends that both the Qur’an and the Sunnah promote freedom of belief including the act of exiting the Faith and ‎do not support capital punishment for the sin of al-riddah. Note that attention is on the word sin, for there is ‎qualification: as long as one’s apostasy has not been accompanied by anything else that would be deemed a criminal ‎act, particularly in terms of national security, then according to the author, it remains a matter strictly between God ‎and the individual. Of interest is the fact that the Qur’an significantly refers to individuals repeatedly returning to ‎unbelief after having believed, but does not mention that they should be killed or punished. This work has been ‎written at a time of great complexity and vulnerability when a true understanding of the higher intents and values of ‎the Qur’an and the Sunnah, maqasid al-shariah, is sorely needed. The author employs a strong evidence-based ‎approach examining in detail the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, taking into consideration traditional approaches to ‎the study of the Islamic textual sciences and other fields of knowledge, as well as analyzing scholastic interpretation.‎

Taking the life of a person without just cause is according to the Qur’an equivalent to the killing of the whole of ‎mankind. It is vital therefore, that in the interests of compassion and justice, as well as freedom of belief, this ‎subject is clearly addressed once and for all.‎

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings of the ‎Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to uncover the origins of ‎the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam delight in pointing to the death penalty ‎as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a ‎complete misunderstanding of the correct Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic ‎principles of justice, as well as failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎

In this new and important analysis of apostasy (al-Riddah), the author examines fundamental teachings of the ‎Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as historical as opposed to scriptural postulates, to uncover the origins of ‎the debate and refute misconception. Mainstream media and critics of Islam delight in pointing to the death penalty ‎as evidence of Islam’s draconian tenets, moral flaws and flagrant disregard for human rights. This demonstrates a ‎complete misunderstanding of the correct Islamic position, what apostasy signifies in Islam, ignorance of Islamic ‎principles of justice, as well as failure to comprehend the manipulation of religion for political purposes.‎