Atmam Hujjat and freedom of belief
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Javed Ghamdi explains his view about Punishment for Apostasy. He seems to be a big believer in "Atmam Hujjat" and says killing of those rejecting Islam and punishment of those who wanted to leave it is Quran-based, but limited to the era of the blessed Rasool. It is not applicable for all other times.
How are we, then to understand scores of verses of the Qur'an that show freedom for others to choose Islam or to reject it which were revealed to the blessed Messenger for the people he was dealing with.
Seems as if he is opening up Islam to the accusation that Muslims talk about peace and tolerance and freedom of religion only as long as they don't have power. Once they do, their story changes.
Javed Ghamdi believes that once a Messenger provides enough proof of his mission (Atmam Hujjat), people have two choices; To accept it or to reject it. If they reject it, they are liable to be punished. He rationalizes it by giving examples of those who were punished by natural disasters when they were warned by previous Messengers including Messenger Lot. In the case of the blessed Messenger Muhammad, he says sometimes Allah punishes the rejecters by believers once they have enough power.
Here is the relevant part from a long article (http//www.al-mawrid.org/pages/articles_english_detail.php?rid=1507&cid=301http//monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=445)
- The Punishment of Apostasy
The answer to the second question is that the punishment of apostasy has arisen by misunderstanding a Hadth. This Hadth has been narrated by Ibn Abbs in the following way
( 3017)
Execute the person who changes his faith. (Bukhr, No 3017)
Our jurists regard this verdict to have a general application for all times upon every Muslim who renounces his faith from the times of the Prophet (sws) to the Day of Judgement. In their opinion, this Hadth warrants the death penalty for every Muslim who, out of his own free will, becomes a disbeliever. In this matter, the only point in which there is a disagreement among the jurists is whether an apostate should be granted time for repentance before executing him, and if so what should be the extent of this period. The Hanafite jurists however, exempt women from this punishment. Apart from them, there is a general consensus among the jurists that every apostate, man or woman, should be punished by death.
In the opinion of this writer, this view of our jurists is not correct. The verdict pronounced in this Hadth has a specific application and not a general one It is only confined to the people towards whom the Prophet (sws) had been directly assigned. The Qur?n uses the words Mushrikn and Ummiyyn for these people.
I now elaborate upon this view.
In this world, we are well aware of the fact that life has been endowed to us not because it is our right but because it is a trial and a test for us. Death puts an end to it whenever the duration of this test is over, as deemed by the Almighty. Commonly, He fixes the length of this period on the basis of His knowledge and wisdom. However, in case of the direct and foremost addressees of a rasl (Messenger of Allah), once the truth is unveiled to them in its ultimate form after which they have no excuse but stubbornness and enmity to deny it, they lose their right to live. The Almighty had blessed them with life to try and test them, and since after (itmm al-hujjah6) this trial becomes totally complete, therefore the law of the Almighty in this regard is that generally such people are not given any further right to live and the death sentence is imposed upon them.
This punishment is enforced upon the direct addressees of a rasl in one of the two ways depending upon the situation which arises. In the first case, after accomplishing (itmm al-hujjah) upon his nation, a rasl and his companions (rta) not being able to achieve political ascendancy in their territory migrate from their people. In this case, Divine punishment descends upon their nation in the form of raging storms, cyclones and other calamities, which completely destroy them. The tribes of A^d and Thamd and the people of Noah (sws) and Lot (sws) besides many other nations met with this dreadful fate, as is mentioned in the Qur?n. In the second case, a rasl and his companions are able to acquire political ascendancy in a land where after accomplishing (itmm al-hujjah) upon their people they migrate. In this case, a rasl and his companions subdue their nation by force, and execute them if they do not accept faith. It was this situation which had arisen in the case of the rasl Muhammad (sws). On account of this, the Almighty bade him to declare that those people among the Ummiyyn who had not accepted faith until the day of Hajj al-Akbar (9th hijrah) should be given a final extension by a proclamation made in the field of ?Araft on that day. According to the proclamation, this final extension would end with the last day of the month of Muharram, during which they had to accept faith, or face execution at the end of that period. The Qur?n says
(59)
When the forbidden months are over, slay the Idolaters wherever you find them. Seize them, besiege them and every where lie in ambush for them. But if they repent from their ill beliefs and establish the prayer and pay zakh, then spare their lives. God is Most-Forgiving and Ever-Merciful. (95)
A Hadth illustrates this law in the following manner
( 22)
I have been directed to wage war against these people until they testify to the oneness of God and to the prophethood of Muhammad, establish the prayer and pay zakh. If they accept these terms, their lives will be spared except if they commit some other violation that entails their execution by Islamic law and their account rests with God. (Muslim, No 22)
This law, as has been stated before, is specifically meant for the Ummiyyn or the people towards whom Muhammad (sws) had been directly assigned. Apart from them, it has no bearing upon any other person or nation. So much so, even the people of the Book who were present in his times were exempted from this law by the Qur?n. Consequently, where the death penalty for the Ummiyyn is mentioned in the Qur?n, adjacent to it has also been stated in unequivocal terms that the people of the Book shall be spared and granted citizenship if they pay jizyah. The Qur?n says
(299)
Fight against those among the people of the Book who believe not in God nor in the Last Day, and who do not forbid what God and His Prophet have forbidden and do not accept the religion of truth as their own religion, until they pay jizyah out of subjugation and lead a life of submission. (929)
The foregoing discussion, outlines a law of the Almighty. There is a natural corollary to this Divine law as obvious as the law itself. As stated earlier, the death penalty had been imposed upon the Ummiyyn if they did not accept faith after a certain period. Hence, it follows that if a person among the Ummiyyn after accepting faith reverted to his original state of disbelief, he had to face the same penalty. Indeed, it is this reversion about which the Prophet (sws) is reported to have said ?Execute the person who changes his faith.?
The relative pronoun ?who? in the above quoted Hadth qualifies the Ummiyyn just as the words ?the people? (al-ns) in the Hadth quoted earlier are specifically meant for the Ummiyyn. When the basis of this law as narrated in these Ahdth has been specified in the Qur?n, then quite naturally this specification should also be sustained in the corollary of the law. Our jurists have committed the cardinal mistake of not relating the relative pronoun ?who? in the Hadth ?Execute the person who changes his faith? with its basis in the Qur?n as they have done in the case of ?the people? (al-ns) of the Hadth quoted above. Instead of interpreting the Hadth in the light of the relationship between the Qur?n and Hadth, they have interpreted it in the absolute sense, totally against the context of the Qur?n. Consequently, in their opinion the verdict pronounced in the Hadth has a general and an unconditional application. They have thereby incorporated in the Islamic Penal Code a punishment which has no basis in the shar?ah.
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Peace,
I don't think Verse 59 has anything to do with apostasy. I believe it is in regard to a full fledged war already in progress. I'm not even sure it has anything to do with treason.
In my humble opinion, this view of Ghamdi is just pure speculation and conjecture. There are just way too many verses in the Quran that provide for freedom of religion, whether you choose to remain with it, or terminate your membership.
Another thing, I don't really view Islam as an organized religion. We don't take membership, we cannot excommunicate, nor does it matter whether we think someone is a Muslim or isn't one. In the end, it just doesn't matter what we think. Islam is a state of being, it's a state of mind, and it's exclusively between the individual and God. The condition of that relationship ( in regard to someone other than ourselves) isn't for us to monitor, as we aren't anyone's keeper.
I'm actually even having difficulty associating apostasy with having left Islam. I associate apostasy with organized religion with an overseeing clergy, and Islam is far from that, in my opinion.
By the way, I think we are confusing apostasy for treason here. I believe they are two very separate and distinct things. I'll give Ghamdi the benefit of the doubt and speculate that perhaps he was referring to treason? I just don't see any justification for executing these individuals. There are just way too many verses that work against that theory, in my opinion.
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Salam brother mubashir
this is a quiete interesting post.
I'm not agree with him in many points.In this world, we are well aware of the fact that life has been endowed to us not because it is our right but because it is a trial and a test for us. Death puts an end to it whenever the duration of this test is over, as deemed by the Almighty. Commonly, He fixes the length of this period on the basis of His knowledge and wisdom. However, in case of the direct and foremost addressees of a rasl (Messenger of Allah), once the truth is unveiled to them in its ultimate form after which they have no excuse but stubbornness and enmity to deny it, they lose their right to live. The Almighty had blessed them with life to try and test them, and since after (itmm al-hujjah6) this trial becomes totally complete, therefore the law of the Almighty in this regard is that generally such people are not given any further right to live and the death sentence is imposed upon them.
Yes, our life is a trial and a test. But non other then GOD HIMSELF has the right to punish others no human has the right to decide over life or death - ONLY GOD KNOWS THE FUTUR. A UNBELIEVER CAN BECOME A BELIEVER AND VIA VERSA - we don't know, but God knows everything. Punishment is only possible by God's command through a messenger, whether man or angel - no ordinary mortal has the right to choose over live or death. To make a general law from two quranic verses is not correct in my opinion.
When the forbidden months are over, slay the Idolaters wherever you find them. Seize them, besiege them and every where lie in ambush for them. But if they repent from their ill beliefs and establish the prayer and pay zakh, then spare their lives. God is Most-Forgiving and Ever-Merciful. (95)
the above-cited Aya is disclosed for a particular situation - the context is extremely important. As history has proven it can have fatal consequences when people remodel God's Word in their own thinking or interpreting.On www. quransmessage.com we can found a very good illustration about Sura 9 - These cited unbelievers were not 'normal' unbelievers, but they broke their treaty with the Prophet they had made before and spread evil and tried to harm the Muslim community with the dirtiest tricks .
Many learned men made - guided by Sura 9 - an universally valid law for Apostasy. hypno To make a decision, based on Quranic verses that are taken out of context and ignoring the entire Qur'anic statement is, in my opinion very questionable and dangerous. The following Aya suppose this point of viewFight against those among the people of the Book who believe not in God nor in the Last Day, and who do not forbid what God and His Prophet have forbidden and do not accept the religion of truth as their own religion, until they pay jizyah out of subjugation and lead a life of submission. (929)
Submission means Islam, but not THE RELIGION ISLAM HOW IT IS UNDERSTOOD TODAY. As we know Submission has nothing to do with the so called Islam... jedi
The foregoing discussion, outlines a law of the Almighty. There is a natural corollary to this Divine law as obvious as the law itself. As stated earlier, the death penalty had been imposed upon the Ummiyyn if they did not accept faith after a certain period. Hence, it follows that if a person among the Ummiyyn after accepting faith reverted to his original state of disbelief, he had to face the same penalty. Indeed, it is this reversion about which the Prophet (sws) is reported to have said ?Execute the person who changes his faith.?
This statement is clear false nowhere in the Quran God impose a deadth penalty- this is a clear introduction from evil people we found the statement for punishment to death only in the OT and in the secondary sources...
One point further
How can God speakt about people who believe, then lost their faith, then believe again, then lost their faith again ? in the above written law there would be no chance for people who fall away from the faith to be believe again ... (even if we only apply the law at the time of the Prophet, it remains the same ...)
God further says in this verse that he will never forgive those. Important here God forgives or punishes us.NOT WE.
it is not our case to forgive people or to punish them without a clear law from God - God alone is the 'ahsan al hakimiin' -the best judge.
Salam peace