Avoiding the Conflict between Freedom of Belief and Apostasy Punishment

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the extent of the conflict between the religious freedom that Muslims talk about and the limit of apostasy, and to study the limits of religious freedom that Islam has granted to man, then to show how to distinguish between freedom of belief and the limit of apostasy that is a reason for leaving the system of society. The study followed both the descriptive analytical and the comparative methods. One of the most important results of the study is that the punishment for apostasy is a fixed punishment by consensus of Muslims, and it is one of the rulings of the Imamate and Islamic politics that change and shift with the different eras according to the opinion of the ruler. The distinction between religious freedom and the punishment for apostasy, which is a reason for deviating from the system of society, is clear and evident in the verses of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Belief in creation and the existence of God means freedom, while belief in evolution means inevitability, competence and entitlement. There is no meaning for feelings of mercy, solidarity and justice. God did not mention any worldly punishment for those who apostatize from the Islamic religion, while He mentioned the punishment for the adulterer and the thief. When we mention this, we do not diminish the importance of the Sunnah of the Prophet, as it is like the Qur’an in legislative value. However, God mentions in several places in the Qur’an punishments for apostates in the afterlife without specifying a worldly punishment, which carries clear implications and meanings.