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Abdul Rahman Abdul Talib's letter has only added to the misinformation over the 'Hadith'.

The writer makes the claim that the 'Hadith' is also another form of divine revelation from God. This is misleading.

Let me clarify yet again that Hadith are not instructions from God nor are they direct reports from the Prophet. The Hadith were compiled 300 years after the death of the Prophet.

If the origins of Hadith are divine, why have scholars abrogated numerous Hadith in the past and categorised some as more reliable than others?

Truth Seeker is right to say that Hadith can be subjective as the different schools of Islamic thought regard particular Hadith with varying degrees of reliability.

Purely as a matter of fact, by relying on the Hadith, one is not relying on the advice of the Prophet but (at best) secondhand accounts of the Prophet's statements and actions.

Given the primacy of the Quran, it is unsurprising that Muslims are taught to set aside Hadith which run counter to the Quran. Supporters of the death penalty for apostates have regularly quoted a Hadith that is regarded as 'da'if' (weak) by many prominent scholars.

Contrary to such a Hadith and apart from not specifying a worldly punishment for apostates, the Quran states very clearly that there must be 'no compulsion in religion'.

In support of his views, Abdul Rahman quotes verse 2:54 from the Quran which reads thus:

"And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves. That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful." (Pickthal).

However no mention is made of the proceeding verses:

2:55 (Pickthal): 'And when ye said: O Moses! We will not believe in thee till we see Allah plainly; and even while ye gazed the lightning seized you.'

2:56 (Pickthal): 'Then We revived you after your extinction, that ye might give thanks.'

To my understanding, these verses describe a situation in which upon returning to his people, Moses found that they were worshiping the image of a calf (ie, an idol). Obviously, the punishment came not from mortals but from God and those killed were subsequently resurrected.

This same incident is further elaborated on in verses 7:148 7:153. Tellingly, verse 7:153 closes the commentary on this parable thusly:

'But those who do ill-deeds and afterward repent and believe - lo! for them, afterward, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.'

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines apostasy as 'renunciation of a religious

faith'.

Going by the above definition of apostasy, the cited verses appear to describe a situation in which people have partaken not in the act of apostasy but in the act of idol worship.

From all these verses I understand the following:

  1. These verses relate an incidence of idol worship, not apostasy.

  • In this instance it was God that punished idol worshipers, not man.
  • People must be provided the opportunity to genuinely repent and believe.
  • On a closing note, there have been allegations that those who rely on translations to understand the Quran are in danger of being led astray. I can only say that if my understanding of the above verses is flawed due to a mistranslation of the Arabic, then please feel free to correct me.

    The challenge remain open to provide a clear example of a Quranic verse that prescribes an earthly punishment for apostates.

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