knowing it. Such a person is like a diseased limb that must be amputated so society can be spared his harm, for his creed is corrupt and there is the fear that he will corrupt the beliefs of others. Because his heart has become depraved and unstable, he must be put to death: he abandoned the truth not out of ignorance, but out of obstinate defiance after having come to know it. For that reason he is no longer fit to remain alive and must be executed.

Accordingly, there is no contradiction between the Almighty’s words, “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256) and the ruling that the apostate is to be killed. “There is no compulsion in religion” applies to entering Islam, whereas the penalty for apostasy applies to someone who leaves Islam after having known and embraced it.

Exegetes hold various opinions about the verse “There is no compulsion in religion.” Some maintain that it is specific to the People of the Book, who are not to be forced; rather, they are asked either to believe or to pay the jizya (poll-tax). If they pay the jizya and submit to the authority of Islam, they are allowed to remain on their religion, and thus the verse is not general to every disbeliever. Other scholars say it has been abrogated by the Almighty’s words, “Then kill the polytheists wherever you find them” (9:5), commonly called the Verse of the Sword.

The correct view, however, is that the verse has not been abrogated and is not limited to the People of the Book. Its meaning is that this religion is manifest, clear, and naturally acceptable to sound dispositions and intellects, and that no one enters it under duress; rather, a person embraces it out of conviction, love, and willing desire. This is the sound interpretation of the verse.