Before delving into instances of apostasy throughout history, a familiarity with the legal definition of

apostasy from within the Islamic tradition is needed. Once clarified, […]

The importance is such that, whenever discussing such issues, those involved would not succumb to
temporal, linguistic usages of the word. By adhering to the semantic fields established by the Qur’an
and clarified further by the Hadith tradition, the relevant term would have its contextual meaning
preserved, thereby eliminating ambiguities that typically occur amidst translations.

What is Ridda/Apostasy?

[definition here]

The Qur’anic parallel to the English word ‘apostasy’ is ridda or irtidad. Both terms carry the
signification of ‘returning to what one had left after having reached something.’ [Apostasy IIIT-in-
brief pg 7] Etymologically, the verb radda carries the meaning of ‘to avert; to turn away’. Al-Alwany
further elaborates that, within the provenance of Qur’anic exhortations, radda asserts the wilful
nature of the agent committing the act, in light of the Qur’an itself stressing believers to remain
steadfast to the religion. […]

Therefore, the individual making the conscious decision to leave Islam carries immense weight.

As typically occurs in translation, the English translation lacks the precise […] Jonathan Brown

Briefly put, discussions surrounding apostasy in Islam culminate into two distinctions: individual and
collective/communal [check back later] apostasy.

According to Taha Jabir al-Alwany, individual apostasy has more to do with “a change in an
individual’s doctrinal beliefs and a resulting modification in thought, conceptions, and behavior”.
[Apostasy IIIT-in-Brief].

Apostasy, generally speaking, has been regarded as an issue of serious importance. Within
monotheistic confessional communities, apostasy—or its benevolent twin brother, conversion—is
inextricably tied with notions of membership in said communities. […] It can also be said that the
social cohesion within a community is preserved largely through its constituents practicing similar
sets of customs, understandably maintained through the religion they embody and the cultural
practices that emanate from it.
Qur’anic Verses Pertaining to Apostasy & Historical Precedence Revolving Around Apostasy

The most oft-quoted hadith in regards to the issue of apostasy is

Different Juridical Opinions Regarding Apostasy

Apostasy & Re-Entry

[…]

The implication evident from Simonsohn’s article is: the notable examples of people (clergy,
missionaries etc) reconverting to their prior faiths (Christianity or Judaism) implies the apparent
leniency surrounding the apostasy of former Muslims from the religion. In spite of the seemingly
harsh rulings revolving ridda, […]

What of the Modern Phenomenon of ‘Ex-Muslims’?

[…]

[…]

After the preceding etymological examination of ridda, it is clear that an apostate to be put to death
is bound by the punishment only if he had voluntarily converted, then repeatedly returned to his
original faith for whatever reason.

- Should concept of takfir be discussed as well?

Within the larger umbrella of this paper’s concerns, takfir comes under the purview of discussions
revolving around apostasy.

- Claimants to the “upholding Islamic law” argument within the ruling government assert their
usage of apostasy law to regulate dissenters/opponents—often regarding apostasy (in the
 form of apostates as well as converts leaving Islam) as a threat to the state, Muslim, and the
religion. Hence, in the guise of protecting the sacred religion, the apostasy law is utilized too
- Contemporary demands for the implementation of apostasy laws have more to do with
former colonies remedying the psychological trauma inflicted upon them by their colonial
masters. The subjugation and resulting shift into the modern nation-state has led to Muslim
countries vying to reestablish their identity in light of the humiliation they experienced. […]
o The lack of jurisprudential literacy amongst lay Muslims is fertile ground for Muslim
governments to implement slogans and laws that are passed off as “sharia law”
 Purposes of demagoguery
 Attempts at “sacralizing”  stoking fires via religious sentiments cause
Muslims to succumb to popular narrative
o Calls for revival of caliphate/Islamic state invokes loss of identity + Islam @ the
solution
 Implementation of apostasy laws to curb dissent: one such measure

 Dichotomy of Islam vs the West
- Possibility of conflating interpreter of God’s Will with the actual thing itself
- Question isn’t “What does Islam say about apostasy?”, but “Why do Muslims choose a
certain position on apostasy when the jurists differ in the actual rulings for apostasy?
- Imam Shafi’i’s ruling:
o “The public proclamation of one's faith (iz1ha:r al-ı :ma:n) protects one's life
indiscriminately in both of the following cases: that someone (1) professes
his faith publicly, who is (in fact) still an idolater, and (2) that someone
professes publicly, then commits idolatry after he has professed publicly
(his Islamic faith) and then again professes publicly his faith.
Whichever sort of unbelief it is, secret unbelief, or unbelief which is
publicly professed (there is no difference).24
The proper understanding regarding the issue of apostasy becomes a much more pressing
concern, with relation to
The notion of the confessional identity is rooted in an individual’s relationship with his
community, more specifically the religious practices that bequeath their values and
principles. In pre-modern society, the individual would derive his sense of self with relation
to the family structure, which in turn is connected to the larger community. […] In this
context, religious practice serves as the mechanism

To spell it out further: the implementation of apostasy as a political safeguard was

historically tied to the continued existence of the caliphate as a governing entity. The
previous paragraphs have endeavoured to illustrate, via the rulings surrounding irtidad, the
importance of the ruling body in preserving the at-times tenuous fabric of Muslim society.
Throughout the instances shown, both the Qur’an and Sunnah have been utilized in
accomplishing the feat. The level of awareness shown in these examples, along with the
resulting ijtihad, reflects the importance of adhering to the principles espoused by the
Islamic tradition

The dissolution of the Caliphate as an overarching body, however, meant that the […] The
separation between church and state as seen during the Reformation period effected the
contemporary understanding of not only identity, but also the role of religion in the private
and public domains. In both cases, the institutional violence of the Church throughout their
missionary activities provoked the perception of their being seen as anathema to individual
liberty—thereby justifying attempts at limiting their power and jurisdiction. With this
development comes the popular discourse of the so-called sovereignty of the self, no longer
confined by the dictums of the Church. As it turned out, the modern paradigm of the nation-
state, imposed upon the world during the colonial period, stands as the manifestation of
this

The Islamic understanding of apostasy is determined by the word al-ridda or al-irtidād,

which stems from the root letters r-d-d, meaning “to avert or turn away”. According to Taha
Jabir al-Alwāny, the linguistic meaning of ridda carries the significance of “[returning] to
something one had left from something one had reached”. [...]
[...] This implies an active abandonment from both the material and spiritual aspects of
Islam after one has consciously embraced it. [...] Specifically, it fails to highlight the context
surrounding the phenomenon: entry points—weak faith, lack of certainty, and failure to
worship God with a pure heart—cultivating a situation whereby he “willingly opens up his
heart to a denial of the truth”, leading to a conscious negation of right guidance and the
willingness to receive it. Hence, it points to a certain psychological state that would give rise
to ridda.
Interestingly, in the commentaries of past scholars quoted by al-Alwāny, none of the verses
employing either ridda or irtidād explicitly endorse any kind of condemnation of apostates;
instead, they strongly emphasize the Qur’an’s clear encouragement of holding fast to the
rope of God.
[...]
Given the kind of picture painted by the Qur’anic verses related to apostasy, it seems clear
that the potential apostate’s own volition plays a crucial role in his eventual abandonment.