الإصدار 7 - العدد 19 (2026-10-20)

Religious Freedom, Apostasy, And Islamic Legal Theory: Conceptualizing the Thought of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

Dr: Syed Mahmudul Hasan

Lecturer- Department of Da’wah and Islamic Studies -International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC)-Chattogram-Bangladesh

In Islamic legal theory, the issues of religious freedom and apostasy are highly sensitive and debated topics that reflect the contrasting positions between classical traditional jurisprudence and modern human rights frameworks. Traditionalists often constrain the scope of freedom and associate apostasy with capital punishment, while Western modernists uphold it as an absolute, unrestricted right to exercise, even to change to another belief. This study examines the view of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, reflecting how he presents the relation between religious freedom, apostasy, and Islamic legal tradition. It argues that he represents a moderate holistic approach by employing it with the objective of Shariah and contextual reasoning, by distinguishing between private belief and socio-political rebellion. Thus, it plays a mediating and constructive role in reconciling between classical fiqh and the contemporary human rights framework. Using qualitative, doctrinal, and analytical methodologies based on primary and secondary sources, the study finds that Qaradawi’s approach represents a broader perception of religious freedom and limits punishment until it threatens political or communal stability. The study concludes that while this approach narrows the scope of classical rulings and engages with modern pluralism, further maqāṣid-based reform is needed to clarify legal categories and enhance compatibility with contemporary standards of religious freedom.