Khasiat Fadhilat (Isnad) Doa Haikal - Majmu' Syarif

No compulsion in religion revisited It is one of the established teachings of Islam that non-Muslims should not be compelled, threatened, intimidated let alone harmed in any way if he/she does not wish to accept Islam in particular and its laws in general. VERSE 256 of Chapter 2 (al-Baqarah) in the Quran states that “There shall be no compulsion in religion”. This verse establishes a very fundamental principle that nobody can be coerced to accept or embrace Islam. According to Abdullah Yusuf Ali, a modern Muslim Quranic commentator, compulsion is incompatible with religion. He reasons that religion depends upon faith and will, and these would be meaningless if induced by force; and that truth and error have been so clearly explained by Allah to the extent that there should be no doubt in the minds of persons of good will as to the fundamentals of belief. Another commentator, Muhammad Asad, says that the application of coercion in anything that pertains to faith or religion is categorically prohibited. He observes that all Muslim jurists (and my addition: all Quranic exegetes) unanimously agreed without any exception that forcible conversion is under all circumstances null and void, and that any attempt at coercing a non-believer to accept Islam is a grievous sin. Therefore, non-Muslim(s) should not be compelled, threatened, intimidated let alone harmed in any way if he/she does not wish to accept Islam. The above Quranic verse has a bearing on the celebrated modern human right doctrine of freedom of religion. It proves that Islam does recognise such a right from its early days not only in the case of its own adherents but the followers of other religions as well, even in the case of those who do not believe in God. In the light of the human rights principle to practise religious freedom, it is vital to re-emphasise that the verse aforementioned applies not only to non-Muslims but also to Muslims, in different perspectives. While the position is definitely clear in the case of non-Muslims, the situation seems hazy and full of controversies in the case of Muslims. The big question is – is the Quranic dictum “no compulsion in religion” applicable to Muslims who want to leave Islam? Many are of the impression that once a person becomes a Muslim, either by birth or by conversion, his/her freedom ceases to exist. A Muslim is not free to give up Islam. Its acceptance signifies a one-way ticket journey of no return, no U-turn. If one embraces or converts to Islam, one’s identity and new status is irrevocable. In Islam, its law (Syariah) prescribes that Muslims who renounce Islam (apostate) and then engage in activities against the State or fellow Muslims were subject to a variety of punishments up to and including death. A group of scholars holds that the main crime here is treason, not apostasy per se. Thus, the offenders deserve capital punishment. Another group of jurists is of the opinion that the Quran does not provide any specific punishment for apostasy in this worldly life. To them, the ultimate destiny of an apostate in the hereafter lies with God alone. It appears that the majority of ulama and modern Muslim intellectuals tend to uphold the second position. However, this does not mean that they sanction that a Muslim may leave his/her religion at will. Certain things need to be sorted out as such an attempt carries social, legal and religious implications. A considerable number of people fail to understand that “no compulsion in religion” relates to a situation before one makes up one’s mind and decides to accept Islam. Once one embraces Islam, one is subject to all its rules, law and regulations, i.e. Syariah. To a lesser degree, it is like one’s decision to join a military service. The moment one is officially accepted, one is bound by all the rules and regulations enforced in the employment. Therefore, if one were to subscribe to Islam, it is one’s responsibility to carefully study the religion and ensure a reasonably sufficient level of understanding is acquired. One is not supposed to accept Islam merely for personal pleasures or other material purposes. In this regard, as indicated by the second part of the verse 256, Islam has made the truth clear from error and falsehood. A proper, careful and sincere study will affirm this. After that, whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah, i.e. accepts Islam, he has indeed grasped the most reliable trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And whoever wishes to defy the truth may do so. The situation is comparable to choosing one’s citizenship. One must study and understand the social, legal, political, cultural and economic set-up of any given country prior to applying to become its citizen. Similarly, if one were to enter into a marriage contract, one has to diligently choose one’s spouse because he/she will become one’s partner for life. For all decisions made out of wisdom, i.e. based on proper understanding and knowledge, one will steadfastly stick firm to it whatever happens. One will do all things necessary with all forms of sacrifices even to the extent of giving up one’s life to preserve, protect and to be loyal to what one holds dearly to one’s heart. By the same token, one has to be willingly ready to be rectified or punished should one breach any terms and conditions of his service, citizenship or contract. Religion is by far of greater importance compared to one’s contract of employment, citizenship or marriage. It is unthinkable that if one were to renounce one’s religion, one is left free without any investigation or corrective measures being taken by the authorities concerned. In the case of Islam, the religion is not just a set of personal convictions, or a set of socio-legal and moral obligations, or a set of obligations to God. Islam is a combination of all. When one undertakes to become a Muslim, there are always social, ethico-legal and religious implications attached to it. The same applies if a Muslim decides to go out of Islam. That means the Muslim community and Muslim governments are under certain duties to introduce mechanisms or to enforce certain injunctions of Syariah against those who claim to be no longer Muslims.