him or did not pardon him. This differs from one who reviles Allah, for his execution is a right due to Allah, and Allah, Exalted is He, has informed us that He forgives all sins for whoever repents. Thus, execution is waived from one who reviles Allah.
As for one who reviles the Messenger—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—we accept his repentance, but execution remains obligatory, because this is a right due to the Messenger. We say: he is a Muslim; he is washed, shrouded, prayed over, and buried with the Muslims. He inherits from his deceased relatives, and his own estate is inherited. Shaykh al-Islam—may Allah have mercy on him—wrote a book on this entitled al-Ṣārim al-Maslūl ʿalā Shātim al-Rasūl (The Drawn Sword against the Insulter of the Messenger), maintaining that whoever reviles him—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—is to be executed in all circumstances.
If someone were to say: “This ruling is left to the judgment of the ruler: if he considers it in the public interest to execute him, he executes him, so that people will not dare to violate the sanctity of the Messenger—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. But if he considers it in the public interest not to execute him, in order to win him over to Islam and likewise win over others like him, then he does not execute him”—if this view were adopted, it would be a sound view and a middle course between the two opinions. It would not be considered outside the scope of the two opinions, nor would it contradict consensus. Rather, it agrees with one of the two opinions in one respect while differing from it in another. Thus, if we execute him for the public interest, we have adopted part of the view of those who hold that execution is mandatory; and if we do not execute him for the public interest, we have adopted part of the view of those who hold that he is not executed if he repents.
Third: his statement, “Nor is the repentance of one whose apostasy is repeated accepted; rather, he is executed in all circumstances.” Whoever repeatedly apostatizes is executed, such as one who disbelieves, then repents, then disbelieves again, so that his apostasy has been repeated. His repentance is not accepted the second time. The evidence is the saying of Allah, Exalted is He: “Indeed, those who believed, then disbelieved, then believed, then disbelieved, and then increased in disbelief—Allah will never…”