6/6/2015

Islam,Saudiandapostasy
DoesIslamiclawreallyproscribethedeathpenaltyforapostasy?
10May201412:55GMT|US&Canada,Afghanistan,Canada,SaudiArabia

MohamedGhilan
MohamedGhilanisaneurosciencePhDcandidateatthe
UniversityofVictoria,Canada,andastudentofIslamic
jurisprudence.

@mohamedghilan

However,this
matterisnotso
straightforward.
NesrineMalik
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

1/11

6/6/2015

highlightsina
recentarticlean
oftenignored
distinctionbetween
theprivate,and
public,more
politicalformsof
atheism.Indeed,as
Malikpointsout,in
anultraconservative
countrylikeSaudi
Arabiawhere
religion,tribe,family
andpolitics,are
interlinkedandof
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

2/11

6/6/2015

utmostimportance,
totakean
antagonisticstance
againstIslam
necessarilyentails
anantagonistic
stanceagainstthe
fabricofsociety.
Itisacommonly
heldbeliefthat
Islamiclawdictates
thedeathpenaltyas
anabsolute
punishmentfor
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

3/11

6/6/2015

apostasy.However,
thisreadingofthe
IslamicTradition
reliesonrestricting
theroleofthe
Prophet
Muhammadtothat
ofareligiousfigure
issuingtimeless
decrees.Sucha
restrictionofthe
Prophet'srolewill
undoubtedlygive
risetonumerous
paradoxes,
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

4/11

6/6/2015

Justwhenwethoughttheterm"terrorism"couldnotbecome
moremeaninglessormanipulated,SaudiArabia'sgovernment
seemstohaveproveduswrongbyrecentlyaddingatheism
underthecharge.Basedonpollsrevealingthatselfidentified
atheistsconstitute5percentofSaudipopulation,thismakes
forastaggeringnumberofterroristsinthekingdom,mostof
whommaintainexternalreligiousobservanceinsocietywhile
usingonlineanonymitytoexpresstheirtruebeliefs.
However,thismatterisnotsostraightforward.NesrineMalik
highlightsinarecentarticleanoftenignoreddistinction
betweentheprivate,andpublic,morepoliticalformsof
atheism.Indeed,asMalikpointsout,inanultraconservative
countrylikeSaudiArabiawherereligion,tribe,familyand
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

5/11

6/6/2015

politics,areinterlinkedandofutmostimportance,totakean
antagonisticstanceagainstIslamnecessarilyentailsan
antagonisticstanceagainstthefabricofsociety.
ItisacommonlyheldbeliefthatIslamiclawdictatesthedeath
penaltyasanabsolutepunishmentforapostasy.However,
thisreadingoftheIslamicTraditionreliesonrestrictingthe
roleoftheProphetMuhammadtothatofareligiousfigure
issuingtimelessdecrees.SucharestrictionoftheProphet's
rolewillundoubtedlygiverisetonumerousparadoxes,asit
willdecontextualiseallhisstatementsandactionsinaway
thatnotonlymakesIslamincoherentasareligion,butalso
incompatiblewithcertainsocietaldevelopments.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

6/11

6/6/2015

Interpretingthescriptures
MuhammadalShawkani(d.1834),anauthoritativeMuslimscholarandjurisprudent,outlinesinhis
criticalappraisaloftheprinciplesofIslamiclegaltheorythatPropheticactionsfallintoseven
differentcategories,notallofwhichcanbeusedtoissueabsolutelegalrulingsbindinguponall
Muslimsforalltimes.LestonethinkthatalShawkanibeingconsideredareformerwasconcocting
thiscategorisationanew,hecitesanumberofeminentearlierscholarswhohadprecededhimin
doingsobyseveralhundredyears.
ThisisquitesignificanttotakeheedofincurrentdiscussionsonIslamicreform.Thereisatension
betweenstayingauthentictoIslamwhileatthesametimeallowingfordevelopmentofIslamiclegal
theoryinawaythatdoesnotrenderclaimsofadherencetothereligionmeaningless.
ThedeathpenaltyforapostasyreliesatthecoreofitonanauthenticallyverifiedHadithfrom
ProphetMuhammadwhosaid,"Whoeverchangeshisreligionkillhim."Thisstatement,however,
wouldseemtocontradictnumerousversesintheQuranthatguaranteefreedomofbelief,fewof
whichinclude"Thereisnocompulsioninreligion"[2:256],and"Whoeversowillsmaybelieveand
whoeversowillsmaydeny"[18:29].
HowcouldonereconciletheQuranwiththeHadithinthisissuewithoutcommittinganinconsistency
wherebytheHadithisrejectedoutofhand,eventhoughthesametransmissionrulesforaccepting
veracityofanyotherHadithwereappliedtothisone?Moreover,onecouldaskwhetheritisan
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

7/11

6/6/2015

IslamicobjectivetoartificiallyinflatethenumbersofMuslimsbyincludingthosewhowouldnotbeso
iftheyhadtheoption.
AlthoughtheabovementionedHadithisauthentic,itisalsoestablishedthatProphetMuhammad
neverorderedthedeathpenaltytobecarriedoutonpeopleknownduringhistimetohave
apostatised.OfsuchpeoplewasaBedouinmanwhocametoMedina(duringatimeofpoliticaland
militarypowerforMuslims)toannouncehisIslam,butapostatisedandleftthecityashortperiod
laterwithoutreceivinganypenaltyforhissubsequentrejection.
GivenhowtheProphettreatedindividualswhoenteredandleftIslam,andthenumerousversesin
theQuranguaranteeingfreedomofbelief,theHadithdecreeingadeathpenaltyforapostasy
becomesmorepuzzling.ThiscanberesolvedbyturningtoanotherauthenticHadithwherethis
penaltyismentioned,butwithaqualifier:"theoneleavinghisreligionandabandoningthegroup".
Inaddition,anotherverseintheQuran,whichcanfurtherresolvethisconundrumspeakstoa
strategyadoptedbyarivalsectinMedinainoneoftheirattemptstocreateaschismwithinthe
nascentMuslimcommunitybypretendingtoenterIslaminthemorning,thenleavingitinthe
evening[3:72].

Religionorpolitics?
ItisinterestingtonoteherethatpriortoenteringIslam,thetwobiggesttribesinMedinawere
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

8/11

6/6/2015

engagedinalengthycivilwarthatonlyendedwhentheirallegianceswereredefinedfromthetribal
tothereligious.Ifthesenewallegianceswerejeopardised,itwashighlylikelytoleadtocivilstrife
andlossoflifeagain.Hence,theHadithaboutthedeathpenaltyisnotaboutapostasyinthestrict
senseofnolongerbelievinginIslamperse.Rather,itisaboutwhatcanbeconsideredinmodern
termspoliticaltreason.
InhisbookTheEmpathicCivilization,socialcriticJeremyRifkinnotestheevolutionofhumansocial
unitsovertimeandhowthataffectedouraffiliationsandallegiances.Inourearlyhistorywebegan
withbloodties,progressedtotribalallegiances,thentoreligiousassociationaltiesandfinallytoday
tonationalties.Significantly,althoughthetribalallegiancesinMedinawereinitiallyredefinedon
religioustermswhenProphetMuhammadmovedtoMedina,hequicklycommissionedthedrafting
oftheConstitutionofMedina,whichforgedaformalcommunaltiebetweeneveryoneinthecity
irrespectiveofreligiousortribaldifferences.
TheroleofProphetMuhammadcannotbereducedtoastrictlyreligiousonethatmerelydelivers
decrees,whichcanbedecontextualisedasiftheywereissuedinavacuum.Islamiclawincludes
religiousandpoliticaldomainsoflegislation,andonehastobecognizantofwhereaparticularruling
wouldfit.ContemporaryMuslimscholarAbdallahbinBayyahpreviouslycommentedonaproblemin
howmodernMuslimsapproachscripturalsourceswherethey"misunderstandthetext,ignorethe
context,andthusmisapplytheruling".
Thosewhosupportthedeathpenaltyforapostasycitethe1978overthrowingofAfghanistan's
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

9/11

6/6/2015

centristgovernmentbyleftwingmilitaryofficersledbyNurMuhammadTaraki,whosenew
governmentformedclosetieswiththevehementlyantireligionSovietUnion.Thisnewcommunist
governmentinAfghanistanatthetimebeganextensivelandandsocialreformsthatwereresented
bythedevoutMuslimpopulation.
ThisledtoanumberofuprisingsandinternalfightingthateventuallypromptedtheSovietstoinvade
thecountryin1979totryandsetuptheirownsatellitegovernmentinplace.Thecountryhasever
sincebeeninnonstopturmoil.Still,evenwiththisconcerninmind,itshouldbepointedoutthatthe
supportforthispenaltyisnotaboutachangeinbeliefasmuchasitisaboutachangeinpolitical
allegiances.
WhethertheseconcernsareinthemindsoftheSaudirulingfamilyisyettobeestablished.
Interestingly,theirlatesteffortstosuppresspoliticaldissentcomeatacriticaltimeforpowertransfer
betweentheAlSaudfamilymemberswhilebeingsurroundedbyaturbulentpoliticalclimateinthe
region.InanticipationofpossibleupcominginternalproblemsasanewgenerationofAlSaudtakes
oversuccessiontothethrone,itseemsthatthefamilyisnotsparinganymeasurestocircumventall
possiblemeanstocreatingunrestinthekingdomastheysecuretheirfutureasitscontinuingrulers.

MohamedGhilanisaneurosciencePhDcandidateatthe
UniversityofVictoria,Canada,andastudentofIslamic
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

10/11

6/6/2015

jurisprudence.Heblogshereandhasanactiveselftitled
podcastoniTunes.
FollowhimonTwitter:@mohamedghilan

Source: AlJazeera

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/05/islamsaudiapostasy201458142128717473.html

11/11