Abdul Rahman Abdul Talib in his letter, Clearing the confusion on hadith , took up the challenge to proffer Quranic proof that God had decreed an earthly punishment for apostates from Islam.

He then cited verse 54 of Surah Baqarah and then chastised me for 'conveniently leaving out' this verse in my earlier letter wherein my slant was that there is no Quranic injunction calling for the temporal punishment of apostates.

Let us note that out of a total of 6,348 verses of the Quran, Abdul Rahman has proffered 1 verse, which reads: "And remember Moses said to his people: my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf: So turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker." Then He turned towards you (in forgiveness): For He is Oft- Returning, Most Merciful."

I have my own views on the meaning and the lesson to be discerned from this verse, but even if I were to apply it as Abdul Rahman suggests, all one could read from it is that apostates should kill themselves, and not that Muslims should kill the apostate.

Abdul Rahman, if this is your best shot, I think you have actually made out the case of Truth Seeker and my own , that the Quran does not legitimise any punishment to be inflicted by man upon apostates.

Your contention that Muslim scholars contrived the punishment for apostasy founded upon the Quran and the hadith is pointedly untrue and unfounded.

Abdul Rahman also claims that the hadith is another form of divine revelation from God. Whilst it is his right to believe this, how does he reconcile this view with the following verses wherein the word hadith appears in the Arabic text.

1. "Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful hadis in the form of a book, consistent with itself, repeating; the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble thereat; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of Allah's praises. Such is the guidance of Allah. He guides therewith whom He pleases, but such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to

guide." - Surah 39 verse 23.

Note that God refers to the Quran as the "most beautiful hadis". Bear this in mind when the following verses are considered.

2. "Allah. There is no god but He: of a surety He will gather you together against the Day of Judgment, about which there is no doubt. And whose hadis can be truer than Allah's?" - Surah 4 verse 87.

3. "Do they see nothing in the government of the heavens and the earth and all that Allah hath created? (Do they not see) that it may well be that their terms is nigh drawing to an end? In what hadis after this will they then believe?" - Surah 7 verse 185.

4. "Such are the Signs of Allah, which We rehearse to thee in Truth; then in what hadis will they believe after Allah and His Signs? - Surah 45 verse 6.

5. "Then what hadis, after this, will they believe in?" - Surah 77 verse 50.

6. "But there are, among men, those who purchase idle hadis, without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty. When Our Signs are rehearsed to such a one, he turns away in arrogance, as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in both his ears: announce to him a grievous

Penalty." - Surah 31 verses 6 & 7.

Abdul Rahman says that the hadith, other than the "most beautiful hadis", are also divinely revealed. In keeping with the Quran I must now ask : "Have ye any (certain) knowledge? If so, produce it before us." - Surah 6 verse 148.