ABSTRACT
Apostasy (riddah) is the act of leaving the faith of Islam. According to premodern Islamic jurisprudence, apostasy is punishable by death in nearly all cases, assuming the apostate is an adult of sound mind who leaves Islam by choice and who does not repent of his or her decision. Both Muslims by birth and by conversion can apostatize, though there is usually less opportunity for repentance in the former case. Most evidence for the criminalization of apostasy comes from hadith, such as the frequently quoted “Whoever changes his religion, kill him,” which is found in the two compilations of Bukhari and Muslim.
