Apostasy

If ever he renounces Islam after accepting it, he has committed Riddah or Irtidaad which means apostasy. The person who commits it is called a Murtad.

The gravity of Riddah (apostasy)

A Murtad is worse than an original Kafir. The position of a person who renounces Islam by accepting another religion or by becoming an atheist is worse than that of a person who has never embraced Islam. It is perfectly normal to understand this because a friend who becomes (converts to) an enemy is more detestable than an enemy from all time who was never one’s friend. One cannot have any feeling of negativity for a person who one never knew and who was a stranger to one, but a person who has already been one’s partner in life, becomes one’s most detestable enemy when he turns his back on one. Similarly, a person who renounces Islam after embracing it, is like a person who turned his back on one after being one’s friend. It is an act of treason / treachery. It is betrayal towards the Supreme Creator! Thus, this is the greatest betrayal that a person can commit. That is why its consequence also is very serious.

The consequence of Riddah (apostasy) in Dunya

The moment a person renounces Islam, his Nikah breaks. All his actions that he did are nullified. His Salah, his fasts, his Hajj and all his other Ibaadah become void. Now, if he makes Taubah and he enters the Deen again, he must renew his Nikah with his wife. If he obtains the means again to perform Hajj, he must perform it again.

If he gets the opportunity and the Tawfeeq to enter the Deen again, he must consider this occasion as the greatest favour of Allah Ta’ala because he has escaped from an eternal suffering. To suffer forever is not something trivial. But if, by misfortune, he died on Kufr and did not return to Deen, he is ruined forever. There is no success. There won’t be the thing which is called well-being. Now, there is nothing besides suffering.

Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an-e-Kareem:

"Whoever turns away from his Deen and then dies as a Kaafir, such people are the ones whose actions are lost in this world and in the Aakhirah. These are the dwellers of the fire where they shall live forever." (S 2: V 217)

[English version of "L’apostasie" – Al Jamiat – Vol.4 No.8]