Apostates

ʿAbd Allāh reported: When this verse was revealed—“Those who believe and do not mix their faith with wrongdoing”—the Prophet’s Companions were troubled and said, “Which of us has not mixed his faith with wrongdoing?” The Messenger of God said, “It is not that. Have you not heard what Luqmān said: ‘Indeed, associating others with God is a great wrongdoing’?”

Abū Bakra reported that the Prophet said, “The gravest of the major sins are associating others with God, disobeying one’s parents, and giving false testimony”—or “false testimony,” repeated three times—or “speaking falsely.” He kept repeating it until we said to ourselves, “If only he would stop.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr reported: A Bedouin came to the Prophet and asked, “Messenger of God, what are the major sins?” He replied, “Associating others with God.” The man asked, “Then what?” He said, “Disobeying one’s parents.” The man asked, “Then what?” He said, “A perjurious oath.” I asked, “What is a perjurious oath?” He replied, “One by which a person falsely takes the property of a Muslim.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd reported: A man asked, “Messenger of God, will we be held accountable for what we did during the pre-Islamic period?” He replied, “Whoever does well in Islam will not be held accountable for what he did during the pre-Islamic period; whoever does badly in Islam will be held to account for what came before and what came after.”

ʿIkrima reported that some *zanādiqa* were brought before ʿAlī, and he burned them. When Ibn ʿAbbās heard of this, he said, “Had I been in his place, I would not have burned them, because of the Messenger of God’s prohibition. I would have killed them, in accordance with the Messenger of God’s words: ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’”

Abū Mūsā reported: I came to the Prophet accompanied by two men from the Ashʿarīs, one on my right and the other on my left. The Messenger of God was using a toothstick, and both men asked him for an appointment. He said, “Abū Mūsā”—or “ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qays.” I replied, “By Him who sent you with the truth, they did not tell me what they had in mind, and I had no idea they were seeking positions.” It was as if I could see his toothstick drawn up beneath his lip. He said, “We will never—or we will not—appoint to our work anyone who seeks it. But go to Yemen, Abū Mūsā”—or “ʿAbd Allāh ibn Qays.” Then Muʿādh ibn Jabal followed him. When Muʿādh arrived, Abū Mūsā laid out a cushion for him and said, “Dismount.” There was a man held in bonds with him. Muʿādh asked, “What is this?” Abū Mūsā said, “He was a Jew, then became a Muslim, and then became a Jew again.” Muʿādh said, “Sit down.” Abū Mūsā replied, “I will not sit until he is killed. This is God’s and His Messenger’s judgment”—he said it three times. Then Abū Mūsā ordered the man to be killed. Afterward, we spoke about praying at night. One of them said, “As for me, I pray for part of the night and sleep for part of it, and I hope for the same reward during my sleep as I hope for during my prayer.”

Abū Hurayra reported: When the Prophet died and Abū Bakr was appointed caliph, some of the Arabs reverted from Islam. ʿUmar said, “Abū Bakr, how can you fight these people when the Messenger of God said, ‘I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, “There is no god but God.” Whoever says it has protected his property and life from me, except by its due right, and his account is with God’?” Abū Bakr replied, “By God, I will fight anyone who separates the prayer from the alms. The alms are a right due on property. By God, if they withhold from me even a young goat that they used to give to the Messenger of God, I will fight them for withholding it.” ʿUmar said, “By God, it was no more than that I saw God had opened Abū Bakr’s heart to fighting, and I knew that this was the truth.”

Anas ibn Mālik reported: A Jewish man passed by the Messenger of God and said, “Death be upon you.” The Messenger of God replied, “And upon you.” Then he said, “Do you know what he said?” and explained, “He said, ‘Death be upon you.’” They asked, “Messenger of God, shall we not kill him?” He replied, “No. When the People of the Book greet you, say, ‘And upon you.’”

ʿĀʾisha reported: A group of Jews asked permission to see the Prophet and said, “Death be upon you.” I replied, “Rather, death and the curse be upon you!” He said, “ʿĀʾisha, God is gentle and loves gentleness in every matter.” I said, “Did you not hear what they said?” He replied, “I said, ‘And upon you.’”

Ibn ʿUmar reported that the Messenger of God said, “When the Jews greet one of you, they say only, ‘Death be upon you.’ So say, ‘Upon you.’”

ʿAbd Allāh reported: It is as if I can see the Prophet recounting the story of one of the prophets. His people struck him and made him bleed, and he wiped the blood from his face, saying, “My Lord, forgive my people, for they do not know.”

Suwayd ibn Ghafala reported that ʿAlī said: “By God, if I relate a report to you from the Messenger of God, I would rather fall from the sky than lie about him. But when I speak to you about matters between me and you, then war is deception. I heard the Messenger of God say, ‘At the end of time, a people will emerge who are young in age and foolish in judgment. They will speak some of the finest words of creation, but their faith will not pass beyond their throats. They will leave the religion as an arrow passes through its prey. Wherever you encounter them, kill them, for whoever kills them will have a reward for doing so on the Day of Resurrection.’”

Abū Salama and ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār came to Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī and asked him about the Ḥarūriyya, saying, “Did you hear the Prophet speak about them?” He replied, “I do not know what the Ḥarūriyya are. I did hear the Prophet say, ‘A people will emerge in this community’—the wording does not say ‘from it’—‘whose prayers you will consider insignificant beside your own prayers. They will recite the Qurʾān, but it will not pass beyond their throats’—or ‘their throats’ [another wording]. ‘They will leave the religion as an arrow passes through its prey. The archer will look at his arrow, its point and the part where the point is joined to the shaft, then wonder about its notch: did any blood cling to it?’”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar mentioned the Ḥarūriyya and said that the Prophet had said, “They will leave Islam as an arrow passes through its prey.”

Abū Saʿīd reported: While the Prophet was distributing something, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dhū al-Khuwayṣira al-Tamīmī came and said, “Messenger of God, be just.” The Prophet said, “Woe to you! Who would be just if I were not?” ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said, “Let me strike off his head.” The Prophet replied, “Leave him. He has companions whose prayers and fasting will make you think your own prayer and fasting insignificant. They will leave the religion as an arrow passes through its prey. One will look at its feathers and find nothing on them; look at its point and find nothing on it; look at the binding of the point and find nothing on it; then look at its shaft and find nothing on it. It will have passed through dung and blood. Their identifying sign will be a man with one of his hands”—or “one of his breasts”—“like a woman’s breast”—or “like a piece of flesh”—“that quivers. They will emerge when people are divided.” Abū Saʿīd said, “I testify that I heard this from the Prophet, and I testify that ʿAlī fought and killed them while I was with him. The man matching the description given by the Prophet was brought forward.” Then this verse was revealed concerning him: “Among them are those who criticize you concerning the charity.”

Yusayr ibn ʿAmr said: I asked Sahl ibn Ḥunayf, “Did you hear the Prophet say anything about the Khārijites?” He replied, “I heard him say”—and he gestured with his hand toward Iraq—“‘A people will emerge from there. They will recite the Qurʾān, but it will not pass beyond their collarbones. They will leave Islam as an arrow passes through its prey.’”

Abū Hurayra reported that the Messenger of God said, “The Hour will not come until two groups fight each other, each with the same claim.”

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: I heard Hishām ibn Ḥakīm reciting Sūrat al-Furqān during the lifetime of the Messenger of God. I listened to his recitation and found that he was reciting it in many forms that the Messenger of God had not taught me. I nearly seized him while he was praying, but I waited until he had finished the prayer. Then I grabbed him by his cloak—or by my cloak—and said, “Who taught you to recite this sūra?” He replied, “The Messenger of God taught me.” I said, “You are lying! By God, the Messenger of God taught me this very sūra differently from the way I heard you reciting it.” I led him to the Messenger of God and said, “Messenger of God, I heard this man reciting Sūrat al-Furqān in forms that you did not teach me, while you taught me Sūrat al-Furqān.” The Messenger of God said, “Let him go, ʿUmar. Recite, Hishām.” He recited the form I had heard him reciting. The Messenger of God said, “Thus it was revealed.” Then he said, “Recite, ʿUmar.” I recited, and he said, “Thus it was revealed.” Then he said, “This Qurʾān was revealed in seven *aḥruf*, so recite whichever of it is easy for you.”

ʿAbd Allāh reported: When this verse was revealed—“Those who believe and do not mix their faith with wrongdoing”—the Prophet’s Companions found it difficult and said, “Which of us does not wrong himself?” The Messenger of God said, “It is not as you suppose. Rather, it is as Luqmān said to his son: ‘My son, do not associate anything with God. Associating others with God is truly a great wrongdoing.’”