Jesus, Muhammad, and the Lost Sheep

The right to choose your own faith has long been considered a fundamental human right that should be followed and practiced all over the world.  Unfortunately, we have witnessed religious based persecution all across the planet.  All over the world people have been persecuted if they choose to leave one spiritual path and look toward another one for guidance.  Leaving a faith is commonly known as "Apostasy."  


It's certainly understandable that those who follow a faith devoutly are not particularly happy when people that they know choose to leave it for other spiritual pursuits.  The question that they have to ask themselves though is "How are we to respond to this situation?"  To answer this question, many turn to the teachings given by the founders of their faith.  In terms of Christianity and Islam, let us look at the teachings of the founders in regards to Apostasy: Jesus & Muhammad.

The term Apostasy means "to fall away from the truth."  So faiths essentially teach that Apostasy are ones who fall away from the Truth about God.  In Christianity, the Bible states that if you deny Jesus is God, you are dead in your sins (John 8:24,58 cf. Exodus 3:14); that if you deny Jesus' physical resurrection, your faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:14, cf. John 2:19-21); that if you add works to salvation, you are not in Christ (Gal. 3:1-3; 5:1-4); and that if you preach a gospel contrary to what the apostles preached, you are accursed (Gal. 1:8-9, cf., 1 Cor. 15:1-4).  Therefore, to deny any of these doctrines, according to scripture, is to be outside the camp of Christ, and invited eternal damnation.  Now over the centuries there have been many Apostates from Christianity.  According to the teachings of Jesus, how are we to deal with them?  

In the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly warns that false teachers would come forward seeking to deceive us from the Truth (Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:24, Acts 20:28-30), and warns that they will lead us away from the salvation of God.  However, he does not command that Apostates be treated with harshness and disdain.  Quite the contrary.  In Luke 15:11-32, which is known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son, a Son fell away from his Father and turned from the path of righteousness to the path of false beliefs that initially seemed to bring happiness, but ultimately led him to ruin.  

Realizing the error of his ways, he returned to his Father to beg his forgiveness as ask only to be his servant, as he was not worthy to be his son.  However, his father did not react to his son's proclamation with disdain, or even with agreement.  He embraced his son, clothed him, and gave him a great feast.  The father welcomed his son home with open arms.  This example was again found in Matthew 18:10-12 in what is known as The Parable of the Lost Sheep in which a loving Shepherd would unhesitatingly leave his flock of 99 sheep behind to save the one that was lost.  It shows us that God cares for all of us, but wants to reach out to those who are lost more than anything else, because they are the ones who need God's love and care more than any other.  So the message we receive is that we must try and show that the path that the Apostate is looking toward is not the right one, but to maintain our Unconditional Love and show them that we will never give up on them and that they will always be welcomed back with open arms.  

Now let us look at Islam.  What is it that Muhammad, the founder of Islam, had to say about the issue of Apostasy?  We have born witness that Apostates from Islam have been attacked and killed all over the world has had many asking this question.  There are some who believe that this is a perversion of the Islamic faith as in centuries past Christian leaders in Europe executed religious dissidents, so they clearly were perverting their teachings.  If fact, Jesus warned us that false Christians would distort his teachings to serve their own purpose in Matthew 7:21-23, and stated that on their Judgement, they would be turned away.  

So we need to step away from what individual Christians did over history and look specifically at what Muhammad commanded.  Those who believe that Muhammad did not command death for Apostasy cite Qur'anic verses such as Surah 2:256 which states "There is no Compulsion in Religion," as well as Surah 109:1-6 which is a verse revealed early on in Muhammad's prophetic revelations in Mecca in which he essentially said "To you be your religion, to me be my religion."  

Now when we look at these individual verses, we tend to think "OK, it seems Muhammad is against killing Apostates."  However, when we go on through the Qur'an, we begin to see changes.  Surah 4:89 "They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah . But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper" & Surah 9:11-12 "But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail Our revelations for a people who have knowledge. And if they break their pledges after their treaty (hath been made with you) and assail your religion, then fight the heads of disbelief - Lo! they have no binding oaths - in order that they may desist." give strong inclination that if one Apostasies from Islam that they may face a sentence of death unless they repent and return.  In these verses, it makes it clear that Muhammad wants those who commit Apostasy to return, but his method of getting them back is through force, not love.  

Now some will still point out that the Qur'an is not specific enough on this to declare that Muhammad did not order the killing of Apostates unless they returned to Islam.  However, one must understand that not all the answers to the Islamic faith are found in the Qur'an.  In fact, the Five Pillars of Islam and the Six Articles of Faith, which form the foundation of the Islamic Faith are not specifically described in the Qur'an.  That's done in the Hadith, which are collections of words, actions, & deeds ascribed to Muhammad.  It is through the Hadith that the Qur'an is interpreted & it is through the Hadith that much of Sharia Law is found and implemented.  The sad truth is that the Hadith makes it very clear that the punishment for Apostasy is Death:

Sahih Bukhari (52:260) - "...The Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.' " 

al-Muwatta of Imam Malik (36.18.15) - "The Messenger of Allah said, "If someone changes his religion - then strike off his head."

Reliance of the Traveller (Islamic Law) o8.1 - "When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to be killed."

As Sharia Law is principally derived from the Hadith, it is therefore of no surprise that there is a consensus by all four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (i.e., Maliki, Hanbali, Hanafi, and Shafii), as well as classical Shiite jurists, that apostates from Islam must be put to death.  


The reason for this harsh decree because Jesus and Muhammad had vastly different views on the relationship that exists between God and Man.  In Islam, Muhammad teaches in Surah's 2:23, 4:80, 59:7, & 4:115 that Allah is our Master and we are his Slaves.  It is the duty of a slave to submit to his Master without question.  This is why the word Islam means "Submission."  Slaves do not question their Master, and any who try to escape from their Master are to be harshly punished.  This is why Muhammad ordered the death of Apostates.  It is to serve as a warning to all other slaves who try to defy their Master and escape his control.  Jesus on the other hand describes the relationship as Father and Son and it was a relationship of mutual Love: Matthew 17:5 & 12:18, John 14:31, Mark 14:36.  When his Child falls away onto the wrong path, God desires to seem him saved, not killed as an example for others not to stray, for any true, loving father would do anything in his power to save his child.  So we see, both Jesus and Muhammad had different views on what to do with the "Lost Sheep."  Jesus urges us to do all we can to save the Sheep with the same Unconditional Love that God shows us.  Muhammad on the other hand, urges his followers to bring the sheep back and kill it, as a warning to the other sheep not to stray.  This vastly different teaching clearly shows us why that Allah of the Qur'an and the God of the Bible cannot be one in the same.  

Sources:

Gabriel, Mark.  Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities.  Lake Mary, FL: FrontLine, 2015.