حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ مَنْ غَيَّرَ دِينَهُ فَاضْرِبُوا عُنُقَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِيمَا نُرَى - وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ - ‏"‏ مَنْ غَيَّرَ دِينَهُ فَاضْرِبُوا عُنُقَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ أَنَّهُ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الإِسْلاَمِ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ مِثْلُ الزَّنَادِقَةِ وَأَشْبَاهِهِمْ فَإِنَّ أُولَئِكَ إِذَا ظُهِرَ عَلَيْهِمْ قُتِلُوا وَلَمْ يُسْتَتَابُوا لأَنَّهُ لاَ تُعْرَفُ تَوْبَتُهُمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسِرُّونَ الْكُفْرَ وَيُعْلِنُونَ الإِسْلاَمَ فَلاَ أَرَى أَنْ يُسْتَتَابَ هَؤُلاَءِ وَلاَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْهُمْ قَوْلُهُمْ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الإِسْلاَمِ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ وَأَظْهَرَ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّهُ يُسْتَتَابُ فَإِنْ تَابَ وَإِلاَّ قُتِلَ وَذَلِكَ لَوْ أَنَّ قَوْمًا كَانُوا عَلَى ذَلِكَ رَأَيْتُ أَنْ يُدْعَوْا إِلَى الإِسْلاَمِ وَيُسْتَتَابُوا فَإِنْ تَابُوا قُبِلَ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُمْ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا قُتِلُوا وَلَمْ يُعْنَ بِذَلِكَ فِيمَا نُرَى وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْيَهُودِيَّةِ إِلَى النَّصْرَانِيَّةِ وَلاَ مِنَ النَّصْرَانِيَّةِ إِلَى الْيَهُودِيَّةِ وَلاَ مَنْ يُغَيِّرُ دِينَهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَدْيَانِ كُلِّهَا إِلاَّ الإِسْلاَمَ فَمَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الإِسْلاَمِ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ وَأَظْهَرَ ذَلِكَ فَذَلِكَ الَّذِي عُنِيَ بِهِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ ‏.‏

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "What is done in our community about someone who consumed an animal without the permission of its owner, is that he must pay its price on the day he consumed it. He is not obliged to replace it with a similar animal nor does he compensate the owner with any kind of animal. He must pay its price on the day it was consumed, and giving the value is more equitable in compensation for animals and goods." Yahya said that he heard Malik say about someone who consumes some food without the permission of its owner, "He returns to the owner a like weight of the same kind of food. Food is in the position of gold and silver. Gold and silver are returned with gold and silver. The animal is not in the position of gold in that. What distinguishes between them is the sunna and the behaviour which is in force. Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "If a man is entrusted with some wealth and then trades with it for himself and makes a profit, the profit is his because he is responsible for the property until he returns it to its owner. " Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone changes his deen - strike his neck!" The meaning of the statement of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in our opinion and Allah knows best, is that "if someone changes his deen, strike his neck!" refers to those who leave Islam for other than it - like the heretics and their like, about whom it is known. They are killed without being called to tawba because their tawba is not recognised. They were hiding their kufr and publishing their Islam, so I do not think that one calls such people to tawba, and one does not accept their word. As for the one who goes out of Islam to something else and divulges it, one calls him to tawba. If he does not turn in tawba, he is killed. If there are people in that situation, I think that one should call them to Islam and call them to tawba. If they turn in tawba, that is accepted from them. If they do not turn in tawba, they are killed. That does not refer as we see it, and Allah knows best, to those who come out of Judaism to Christianity or from Christianity to Judaism, nor to someone who changes his deen from the various forms of deen except for Islam. Whoever comes out of Islam to other than it and divulges that, that is the one who is referred to, and Allah knows best