MUSLIMS: THE COMMUNITYverb (Ar. aslama) and continuing membership was put in terms of
political allegiance. It was normal for communities to apply sanctions
to discourage the defection of their members. Jews used social ostra-
cism and excluded apostates from their religious courts. Christians
used excommunication, and Magians executed and disinherited un-
repentant apostates. At first, Muslims seem to have applied moral
sanctions to renegades. A believer who was forced to recant because
of persecution but was still a believer at heart was excused. Otherwise
the Qur'an says that a genuine renegade (Ar. man yartadid) who
withdraws his recognition of God's messenger after declaring his belief
will suffer the wrath of God, forfeits God's guidance in this world,
will not have his repentance accepted, will have his face blackened on
the Day of Judgment, and will be punished in Hell.^41 God will forgive
some hypocrites and punish others in Hell, but a hypocrite who returns
to open opposition (without having been a genuine convert) is to be
killed.^42 At Hudaybiya, Mu!).ammad himself agreed in principle that
any Muslim who wished to return to Makka could do so. After Mu-
l)ammad died and the community at Madina was faced with a struggle
for its very survival, Arabs who withdrew their allegiance and opposed
Islamic rule were defined as apostates and fought until they surren-
dered or were killed in order to reconstruct and to extend Madinan
domination over Arabia.
The first really serious case of apostasy in Iraq was that of the Banii
Najiya clan of the tribe of 'Ijl. They were converts from Christianity
who had become disillusioned by the fighting among Muslims during
the first {itna, who returned to Christianity, and joined the Khawarij
under al-Khirrit ibn Rashid in Fars in 658. In this context, 'All is
supposed to have issued a decree concerning Christians who converted
to Islam and then became Christians again in which he declared "Do
not listen to them, do not excuse them, do not accept repentance from
them, do not summon them to repentance ... behead them as soon
as they are seized. "43 There are two versions of what happened to the
Banii Najiya. According to one account they were given the choice of
reconversion or death, and all of them reconverted except Mustawrid
al-'IjII, whom 'All had executed and whose possessions were divided
among his Muslim heirs. The children were ransomed and freed by
41 Qur'an, 2:217; 3:86-90, 106; 9:73-78; 16:106.
42 Ibid., 4:89; 9:66-68.
43 Tabari, Ta'rtkh, I, 3434.