In July, the celebrated Sheikh of al-Azhar University,...

In July, the celebrated Sheikh of al-Azhar University, the late Mahmud Shaltut who was esteemed for his vast knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and Koranic interpretation, wrote that many ulama (doctors of law) are in agreement that hudud [Koranic punishments] cannot be established by a solitary hadith (tradition) and that unbelief by itself does not call for the death penalty. The current Sheikh of al-Azhar, who was Egypt's former Grand Mufti, Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, also declared that apostasy is not a capital crime. Many scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah, Shaltut and Tantawi, said that the death penalty was not meant to apply to a simple change of faith but to hirabah, that is, when apostasy is accompanied by rebellion against the community and its legitimate leadership.