Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India c7.s2.10

c7.s2.10

It is a very great crime to apostatize from Islam (*irtidad*) and its punishment is death. The Quran gives the broad outline of these punishments, all Hadis collections provide many details of the same. Both Quran and Hadis are specific about punishment of death for giving up islam.⁶⁴ One can accept Islam freely; one can be forcibly converted or could be captured in war and made a Muslim, but once converted, one cannot abjure Islam. Once a group of men apostatized from Islam. Ali burnt them to death. Eight men of the tribe of Ukl became Muslims. They went to Madinah, but away from the control of the Prophet, they turned away from Islam. The Prophet sent twenty Ansars after them. They were captured and brought back. The Holy Prophet "got their hands cut off and their feet, and put out their eyes, and threw them on the stony ground until they died". Another *hadis* adds that "while on the stony ground they were asking for water, but they were not given water."⁶⁵ The rules are so strict that if a Muslim does not deny Islam, if he adheres to all injunctions but denies one single principle, he becomes Kafir and deserves to be killed.⁶⁶ There was no effective law to hinder the infliction of many other forms of cruel punishment according to the caprice of the local official. For example, killing a man by making a snake bite him became a common Muslim punishment in India.⁶⁷