Islam Its Belief and Practices - Radical Truth

96 ISLAM ITS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES HOLY WAR
and one-fifth must be divided into equal portions for the
relief of the orphans, the feeding of the poor, the entertainment
of the travellers, and the support of the poor
members of Mul;1ammad's family, (See Sura 59:6).
Mul;1ammad was entitled to a portion of the spoil like
other members of the expedition; but on the basis of the
regulation in the Qur'an (Sura 8: I, 41) he enjoyed the
privilege of choosing and appropriating to himself, before
the general distribution, as a part of his portion, any
object he desired to possess. Thus he took possession of
a valuable sword called Qbu'l-Fiqar and ~afiyya the beautiful
girl, from the spoil taken after the conquest of Khaybar.
Captives.
Unbelievers taken in war who refuse to embrace Islam
may either be killed, or made captives, or be granted
liberty on condition of their becoming Qbimmis. Female
captives, even if married, according to the injunction of
the Qur'an are at the disposal of the Muslim conquerers
and they can become concubines.
Women and children of infidels, who refuse to embrace
Islam and who cannot be carried away must be left
in a desert place, where they find neither water nor food
so that they may die of hunger and thirst, because it is not
lawful to kill them.
Irtidad. Apostasy.
Apostasy is defined as the forsaking of Islam by expressing
such disbelief with tongue, after one has been a
believer.
Jihad being an incumbent duty, also seems to govern
the question of the death penalty for apostasy. The
Muhammadan community being Allah's army apostasy
deserved the punishment of death in no lesser degree than
desertion in holy war.
A Muslim who apostatizes is to be brought before the
Imam and called upon to give up his unbelief and return
to Islam. He is imprisoned for three days and invited
every day to recant; if he asks for a further delay, he is to
be granted the same; but if after that delay, he does not
recant, he is to be killed. A female apostate is not subject
to capital punishment, but must be kept in confinement
till she recants or dies. The person who thus kills her, is
not guilty.
Apo.tasy from Islam to infidelity places the apostate
outside the protection of law, and if even before the
chance of reembracing the faith has been given to him, a
Muslim kills an apostate, it would be considered an improper
act, but he would incur no penalty of the law.
Apostasy dissolves the marriage without any decree
of the magistrate. Ifeither the husband or wife apostatize
from the faith of Islam, a divorce takes place ipso facto;
the wife is entitled to her whole dower, but no sentence
of divorce is necessary. If the husband and wife both
apostatize together, their marriage is generally allowed to
continue. But if, after their joint apostasy, either husband
or wife were singly to return to Islam, then the marriage
would be dissolved.
If a boy under age apostatizes, he is not to be put to
death, but to be imprisoned until he come to full age,
when, if he continue in the state of unbelief, he must be
put to death. Neither lunatics nor drunkards are held to
be responsible for their apostasy from Islam. If a person
upon compulsion become an apostate, his wife is not
divorced, nor are his lands forfeited. If a person become
a Mussalman upon compulsion, and afterwards apostatize,
he is not to be put to death. If the declaration of apos·
tasy can possibly be explained in a different way, this
must be done so as to clear the person from infidelity,