18 – At the close of ʿĀʾishah’s report the penalty for ḥarābah (armed banditry) is mentioned; it will be treated in detail in its proper place, God willing.

The well-known view of the two Imams, Aḥmad and Mālik, is that whoever repeatedly apostatizes, the zindīq (religious hypocrite), anyone who reviles Allah or His Messenger, and the like—such people’s repentance is not accepted in this world; rather, they are to be executed in every case.

Al-Shāfiʿī’s school, as well as the second narration from Aḥmad preferred by Abū Bakr al-Khallāl, maintains that their repentance is to be accepted.

This disagreement pertains only to worldly rulings—whether execution is waived or not. As for the Hereafter, if the person’s repentance is genuine, it is accepted unanimously.