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Can apostates be forgiven according to Islamic theology?

ZooGirl02

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone. At one point in time I converted to Islam but I eventually left and became Catholic. My question is: Can someone who apostatizes from Islam be forgiven according to Islamic theology? Thank you in advance.
 

TashaN

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Muslim scholars differ on this matter but most of them believe it's not allowed to do so, and some even suggested it's punishable. From my own research i concluded from the various opinions that if it was just a personal choice and wasn't used to stir up fitnah or attack Islam then this is between him/her and God and it depend on the sincerity of that person, but if the person become an enemy of Islam and of the community as a whole then in an Islamic state he/she would have to stand in front of a court to listen to him first and see his case to determine if it's punishable or not. I'm no scholar but i just gave a summary from my own personal research of the matter and of course i could be wrong because i'm no scholar.
 

ZooGirl02

Well-Known Member
I think I need to clarify what apostasy is in Islam. I talked to a Why Islam associate earlier and he said that it is when you join Islam but then publicly leave Islam and tell people publicly that you have left. Is that true or is it as simple as when you just quit believing and go back to another religion?

For example, I converted to Islam many years ago but then I left and went back to Catholicism. Is that apostasy? Also, what about Shirk? Can Shirk be forgiven?
 

TashaN

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I think I need to clarify what apostasy is in Islam. I talked to a Why Islam associate earlier and he said that it is when you join Islam but then publicly leave Islam and tell people publicly that you have left. Is that true or is it as simple as when you just quit believing and go back to another religion?

Apostasy is when you embrace Islam then simply quit whether you made it public or not. Regarding making it public will matter only to the court who might make you stand in front of it if you made it public.

For example, I converted to Islam many years ago but then I left and went back to Catholicism. Is that apostasy? Also, what about Shirk? Can Shirk be forgiven?

Yeah, that's apostasy. Regarding shirk, Allah forgive everything except shirk as he said in the Quran but what matters is what you believe in before you die because early Muslims originally were doing shirk then they became Muslims.
 

ZooGirl02

Well-Known Member
Apostasy is when you embrace Islam then simply quit whether you made it public or not. Regarding making it public will matter only to the court who might make you stand in front of it if you made it public.



Yeah, that's apostasy. Regarding shirk, Allah forgive everything except shirk as he said in the Quran but what matters is what you believe in before you die because early Muslims originally were doing shirk then they became Muslims.

Does this mean that I cannot return to Islam and be forgiven of my sins?
 

Gharib

I want Khilafah back
Yeah, that's apostasy. Regarding shirk, Allah forgive everything except shirk as he said in the Quran but what matters is what you believe in before you die because early Muslims originally were doing shirk then they became Muslims.

Allah doesn't forgive the person who dies in a state of shrik, but he forgives those who repent while alive. There are hundreds of thousands of people who accept Islam yearly and were indulging in shirk prior to Islam.
 

ZooGirl02

Well-Known Member
Allah doesn't forgive the person who dies in a state of shrik, but he forgives those who repent while alive. There are hundreds of thousands of people who accept Islam yearly and were indulging in shirk prior to Islam.

Oh okay. And the same is true of apostasy right? I can be forgiven of apostasy as well?

I ask these questions because I am strongly leaning towards embracing Islam again but I definitely want to do more research before I make a final decision.
 

Gharib

I want Khilafah back
Oh okay. And the same is true of apostasy right? I can be forgiven of apostasy as well?

I ask these questions because I am strongly leaning towards embracing Islam again but I definitely want to do more research before I make a final decision.

Yes it is the same for apostasy. Allah loves those who turn to him in repentance.

In a hadith Qudsi it states:

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: Allah the Almighty said:
O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it.

It was related by at-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal). Its chain of authorities is sound.

Ones repentance is accepted for any kind of sin so long as they believe that Allah is only one.

In your case, if you ask Allah to forgive you and accept Islam then Allah has promised forgiveness to those who turn to him with sincere repentance.
 

TashaN

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Does this mean that I cannot return to Islam and be forgiven of my sins?

You can return to Islam as long as you still alive. Allah will always accept those who repent but will not forgive those who die in a state of shirk as my brother Gharib said.

Allah doesn't forgive the person who dies in a state of shrik, but he forgives those who repent while alive. There are hundreds of thousands of people who accept Islam yearly and were indulging in shirk prior to Islam.

Of course. :)
 
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TashaN

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Oh okay. And the same is true of apostasy right? I can be forgiven of apostasy as well?

I ask these questions because I am strongly leaning towards embracing Islam again but I definitely want to do more research before I make a final decision.

It's better to do more research before re-embracing Islam definitely. All of us have our own doubts and Prophet Mohamed said doubts are signs of faith. Those who doubt have an alive heart, have great and open mind which they can think with. I personally had doubts in the past but i didn't leave it, i re-searched more to know the truth, read lots of books, do online search, discuss with people. The more i stumble upon difficult things, the more joy i find because it will push me to learn more about my religion, and about myself on the first place. Even while you are a Muslim, you don't have to abandon the religion in order to re-think and research the religion. You can remain a Muslim even if you have doubts and you can simply learn more, that's all. Just because you think something wrong is with Islam, that doesn't mean you are automatically out. Islam is not as strict as some might make it appear to be so.

May Allah guide you to the right path and make your heart at ease, full of joy and happiness.


Peace be upon you. :)
 
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ZooGirl02

Well-Known Member
It's better to do more research before re-embracing Islam definitely. All of us have our own doubts and Prophet Mohamed said doubts are signs of faith. Those who doubt have an alive heart, have great and open mind which they can think with. I personally had doubts in the past but i didn't leave it, i re-searched more to know the truth, read lots of books, do online search, discuss with people. The more i stumble upon difficult things, the more joy i find because it will push me to learn more about my religion, and about myself on the first place. Even while you are a Muslim, you don't have to abandon the religion in order to re-think and research the religion. You can remain a Muslim even if you have doubts and you can simply learn more, that's all. Just because you think something wrong is with Islam, that doesn't mean you are automatically out. Islam is not as strict as some might make it appear to be so.

May Allah guide you to the right path and make your heart at ease, full of joy and happiness.


Peace be upon you. :)

Thanks. :)
 

Union

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone. At one point in time I converted to Islam but I eventually left and became Catholic. My question is: Can someone who apostatizes from Islam be forgiven according to Islamic theology? Thank you in advance.

Hi . It might be too much to dare to ask you why you had left Islam , but I am really interested to know that . Forgive me if somehow I interfere in your very personal matter . Secondly in endeavoring inquiries about Islam I do request you to look into the Qur'an than anything else . Anyway here is a link where apostasy is discussed from the Qur'an-alone :

Rules of apostatsy in Qur'an : don't kill them
 

Rational_Mind

Ahmadi Muslim
Oh okay. And the same is true of apostasy right? I can be forgiven of apostasy as well?

I ask these questions because I am strongly leaning towards embracing Islam again but I definitely want to do more research before I make a final decision.

According to mainstream views you would shouldn't be alive right now. But I wouldn't be concerned as Islam is defined by the teachings of the Quran as expounded by the Holy Prophet (saw), not by how many people preach it.

From a historical perspective if you apostatized during the time of the Holy Prophet (saw) you would be allowed to leave as many people did. In fact there is not a single incident reported where a person apostatized and was punished to death by the Holy Prophet (saw). There are multiple incidents reported where an apostate was brought to the Holy Prophet (saw), but none were executed for apostasy, rather often other heinous crimes such as murder. The Holy Quran also teaches that the punishment for apostasy is in the hands of God.

When studying Islam I would advise you to ask them to support their views using references from the Holy Quran, Sunnah, and Hadith. If you chose not to do so you will find yourself in a very confusing place full of divisions. Islam is not defined by what one tells you, it is firmly based on the teachings of the Holy Quran.

For more information and references please have a look at this publication Apostasy in Islam.

Since you are interested in Islam once again I would advise you to investigate with scrutiny and pray to Allah (swt) to guide you. Make sure you chose to believe with a firm basis, if Islam is a true religion like I believe, you will have no problem getting answers from the Quran which convince the heart.
 

Alulu

Member
As long as you breath in this life Allah tells you in the Quran that He is always willing to forgive you as long as you are sincere in your repentence. And being sincere means also at least trying to live a better life. Allah's mercy is overwhelming all things, literally mentioned in the Quran.
 

Aquitaine

Well-Known Member
Hi ZooGirl.

The answer to your question is yes. In the Qur'an it states that Allah forgives all sins except that of a person who dies in a state of disbelief.

However, if the living repent for whatever kind of sin they have committed and are sincere about it then Allah is surely most forgiving.

Here is a short read for you in support to what I've said:
Returning to Islam after Apostasy: How to Repent? - Muslim Belief - counsels - OnIslam.net

Forgive my intrusion, but didn't you say Apostates of Islam will be killed a while back?
 

Assad91

Shi'ah Ali
Can I have your sources for this please?
I don't have a source. But as with all punishments, one must be convicted. One can't be convicted unless the sin is revealed.


But here is a relevant answer from one of the websites I use for fiqh questions
Question:
What is the proof that mere apostasy equals waging “war against Allah and His Messenger”(5:33) ? Jalalyn explains it as “fighting against Muslims”. This verse was revealed for those who not merely apostated but killed the shepard & stole the camels. Then how can this & related hadith :
Narrated Aisha: The Prophet (pbuh) said: The blood of a Muslim man who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle should not lawfully be shed except only for one of three reasons: a man who committed fornication after marriage, in which case he should be stoned; one who goes forth to fight with Allah and His Apostle, in which case he should be killed or crucified or exiled from the land; or one who commits murder for which he is killed. (Abu Dawud)
be used as evidence as for mere apostasy ?
Answer:
First of all the translation is not “one who goes forth to fight with Allah and His Apostle” but rather “one who goes forth to fight against Allah and His Apostle.”
The answer is that mere apostasy is not equal to waging war in the sense of that verse and that hadith. According to the scholars, there has to be active hostility and enmity [hiraba] on top of apostasy [kufr/ridda] for the latter to amount to waging war. And Allah knows best.

http://eshaykh.com/hadith/on-apostasy-and-waging-war-against-allah-his-messenger/
 
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