16
On this view, monks and laymen alike are to be put to death simply because of their unbelief. Allah has linked the death penalty to polytheism itself, as in His words: “Then kill the polytheists.” Consequently, every polytheist must be killed, just as his slaughtered meat and intermarriage with him are forbidden for the sole reason of his associating others with God.
Likewise, anyone who renounces his religion must be executed for that very act of apostasy, even if he is not among those who take up arms—monks being a case in point. On this matter there is no disagreement (1); the only difference of opinion concerns a woman who apostasizes specifically (2).
(1) Shaykh al-Islam stated in al-Fatawa 20/100: “The apostate is to be executed by unanimous agreement, even if he is not a combatant, such as a blind man, a cripple, or a monk.”
(2) Shaykh al-Islam stated in al-Fatawa 18/274: “If one says about an apostate woman that she has disbelieved after accepting Islam and must therefore be executed by analogy with the man—citing the Prophet’s words: ‘The blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is no deity but Allah is not lawful except in three cases: a man who disbelieved after his Islam, an adulterer after lawful marriage, or a murderer who is killed in retaliation’—and it is then objected that the clause ‘disbelieved after his Islam’ carries no weight because the man is executed merely for disbelief, whereas the woman is not, he replies: this rationale is affirmed by the textual proof and by the Prophet’s saying, ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’ As for the man, I do not execute him merely for disbelief but for his disbelief combined with his aggression; for that reason I do not kill those incapable of fighting, such as the very elderly and the like…"
وَعَلى هَذَا القَولِ: يُقْتلُ الرُّهْبَانُ وَغَيرُ الرُّهبَانِ لوُجُودِ الكُفِرِ؛ وذَلك أَنَّ الله عَلَّق القَتْل لِكَونِهِ مُشْرِكًا بِقَوْلِهِ: ﴿فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ﴾، فَيجِبُ قَتْلُ كُلِّ مُشْرِكٍ، كَمَا تَحْرُمُ ذَبِيْحَتَهُ ومُنَاكَحَتُهُ لِمُجَرَّدِ الشِّركِ.
وَكما يَجِبُ قَتْلُ كُلِّ مَنْ بَدَّلَ دِينهُ؛ لِكونِهِ بَدَّلَهُ، وإنْ لمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ القِتَالِ، كالرُّهْبَانِ، وهَذَا لا نِزَاعَ فِيهِ (١)، وإِنَّمَا النِّزَاعُ فِي المَرْأَةِ المُرْتَدَّةِ خَاصَّة (٢).
(١) قال شيخ الإسلام في الفتاوى (٢٠/ ١٠٠): (المرتد يقتل بالاتفاق، وإن لم يكن من أهل القتال إذا كان أعمى، أو زمنًا، أو راهبًا).
(٢) قال شيخ الإسلام في الفتاوى (١٨/ ٢٧٤): (إذا قيل في المرأة المرتدة كفرت بعد إسلامها فتقتل قياسًا على الرجل؛ لقول النبي: "لا يحل دم إمرىء مسلم يشهد أن لا إله إلا الله إلا بإحدى ثلاث رجل كفر بعد إسلامه أو زنى بعد إحصانه أو قتل نفسا فقتل بها" فإذا قيل له: لا تأثير لقولك كفر بعد إسلامه، فإن الرجل يقتل بمجرد الكفر، وحينئذ فالمرأة لا تقتل بمجرد الكفر، فيقول: هذه علة ثابتة بالنص، وبقوله: "من بدل دينه فاقتلوه". وأما الرجل فما قتلته لمجرد كفره بل لكفره وجراءته، ولهذا لا أقتل من كان عاجزًا عن القتال كالشيخ الهرم ونحوه، =