From: ekrem@vlsivie.tuwien.ac.at (Ekrem Saban)
Subject: Re: Usual stereotypical....
Organization: Technical University of Vienna
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 10:01:54 GMT


Hello, 

I got a letter from a Mr. who wants me to send my answer to his
question originally sent to soc.religion.islam. Here it is:

In article <1ddodoINN5gm@life.ai.mit.edu> f43703a@nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp(SUPRATIC GUPTA) writes:

   Can any one tell me where it is writen in Quran that a
   Muslim cannot convert to other religion? Can any one
   enlighten me why (Some wrote so) that all muslims should
   kill a person who has come in and out of Islam 3 times?
   Is it written in Quran?

It is not written in the Qur'aan (forgive me if I'm wrong), but in at
least one of the Six Hadith Books, which are considered to be the
second important "source of knowledge" in (Sunnite) Islam.

(One of) The reason(s) is that if smb. decides not to believe in this
religion of fitra (i.e. the religion which accepts our needs AND
complies with logic, which is the most important difference between
humans and animals and which makes us supreme to animals) after being
a Muslim, this person will become a danger to Muslims; actually
apostates and hypocrites have been the greatest enemies of Muslims in
history. However, I can't prove you that this is the (only) reason.

The punishment is at least clear in the case of those who were practicingbelievers and became apostates after that. I can bring a hadith which
I heard a few years ago from a Sahaba who was also one of the Qur'aan
writers of the Prophet. He decided freely to go from Medina to Mekka
and converted there to his old pagan religion. At Dar-ul Nadwa, he was
mocking about the Prophet, saying that he was writing "Gafuurur
Raheem" when the Prophet dictated "~Azeezul ~Aleem", or smt. similar.

When Mekka was conquerd, he was one of the 10 (or 12?) persons about
the Prophet had spoken the death sentence: "Kill them even if they
hide in Mescid-ul Haraam behind the (black) cover of the Kaaba( --> a
place where killing was prohibited all the time!)", he said. His name
was Abdullah smtg., and he knew that if smb. would be executed, it
would be himself. So, he hided in a use of one of his Muslim relatives and
couldn't be reached by the believers, as he was under the protection
of his relative... Umar bin Khattaab (ra, the second Khaleef) came
twice with his sword to this house, asking the relatif to extradite
Abdullah ibn ..., but the relative refused. After a few days, Abdullah
decided to ask forgiveness of the Prophet, as most of them upon the
death penalty was due had been forgiven by him. He went under the
protection of his relative to the Kaaba where the Prophet was sitting
with his Apostels. The relative stood in front of him, asking him to
forgive Abdullah, but the Prophet turned away his face. The relative
didn't give up but stood looked again in his face and continued to ask
for forgiveness of Abdullah. After the Prophet turned away his face a
few times, he accepted.

The Apostels asked the Prophet, after Abdullah and his protector had
gone, why he first refused to forgive him. He replied: "I hoped that
somebody of you stood up and beheaded him." (And so on...)

   How do a person become Islamic????

In accepting the belief and living according the Laws.


[...]

The rest is not of importance...

SAVRVB,
--
_____ ___ _________________________________________________________ _ ______
  /|  |    	A. Ekrem SABAN	        / 	Technische Universitat Wien
 /_|_ |_  ekrem@vlsivie.tuwien.ac.at /Inst.f.Techn.Informatik, VLSI-Design
/  |    | "Not only is UNIX dead, /Tel:(43-1)58801/8147,/3384(Mo.17-19 CET)
|  |__ _| it's starting to smell really bad." Rob Pike /Fax:(43-1)569697  
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