is apostasy, and the apostate must be asked to repent, and his repentance is valid. Our argument is that this is a hadd for slander, so it does not lapse by repentance, just like slandering someone other than the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Furthermore, if his repentance were accepted and his hadd were to lapse, it would be lighter in ruling than slandering ordinary people, because the slander of others does not lapse by repentance, and it must be carried out. There is a difference in narration from Ahmad concerning the case where the slanderer was a disbeliever and then embraced Islam; it is narrated that it does not lapse by his conversion, because it is a hadd for slander, so it does not lapse by Islam, just like slandering anyone else. It is also narrated that it does lapse, because if he had insulted Allah Almighty while in his state of disbelief and then embraced Islam, the execution would be lifted from him, so insulting His Prophet is even more deserving of this. Additionally, Islam wipes away what came before it. The disagreement concerns the lapsing of execution; however, his repentance between him and Allah Almighty is accepted, for Allah Almighty accepts repentance for all sins. The ruling regarding slandering the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the same as the ruling regarding slandering his mother, because slandering his mother only necessitates execution because it is a slander of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and an aspersion against his lineage.
Section: Slandering the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and slandering his mother is apostasy from Islam and an exit from the religion. The same applies to insulting him by means other than slander. However, insulting him by means other than slander lapses upon embracing Islam, because insulting Allah Almighty lapses upon embracing Islam, so insulting the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is even more so. It has come in the tradition (athar) that Allah Almighty says: "The son of Adam insulted Me, and it does not befit him to insult Me. As for his insulting Me, it is his saying that I have taken a son, while I am the One, the Eternal Refuge, Who neither begets nor is begotten." There is no disagreement that the conversion of a Christian who says this saying wipes away his sin.
1576 - Issue: He said: (And if he slanders a group with a single statement, there is one hadd if they demand it, or one of them.)
(1) In B: "in". (2) In B and M: "a slanderer". (3) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on what has come regarding the saying of the Almighty: {And it is He who begins creation, then repeats it}, from the Book of the Beginning of Creation; and in: The Chapter on {And they say, 'Allah has taken a son.' Exalted is He!}, and the Chapter on: Abu al-Yaman narrated to us..., from the Book of Interpretation. Sahih al-Bukhari 4/129, 6/24, 222. And al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on the Souls of the Believers, from the Book of Funerals. Al-Mujtaba 4/91. And Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 2/317, 350, 351, 393, 394. (4) In B: "is accepted".
