Assalaamu alaikum, A sister from our forums is asking the following question. We hope you can answer it. Jazak Allah khair: "If someone reverts to islam and after a few years goes back to their former religion (christianity) and then goes back to islam again... is the slate wiped clean again as when they reverted the first time? or is that time counted against them because they knew the truth at one point and left it? also do they need to make up their prayers and fasts?"

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The sins that a Muslim committed before his apostasy are not wiped out when he reverts back to Islam, rather he will be questioned and accounted for them. This does not contradict the saying of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: “Islam wipes out previous sins.” [Muslim] The meaning of this narration, as mentioned by the scholars refers to what a person did before he became a Muslim. Had the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, meant the sins that one committed as a Muslim before apostating, then this would have implied that apostasy wipes out previous sins, and that the one who committed many sins and deserved a Hadd (i.e. a corporal punishment that is determined by the Sharee’ah), he may apostate and then become a Muslim again; in this way, his sins will be expiated and the Hadd will be waved out from him.

On the other hand, we hope that what a Muslim did during his apostasy will be forgiven when he re-embraces Islam, as this might be included in the general narration which is mentioned above. The scholars said that apostasy is not a means of wiping out sins, because if this is the case, this may encourage a person to apostate in order to wave out his previous Hadd; and this does not apply here. Rather, saying that the sins which he committed during his apostasy will be forgiven is more encouraging for an apostate to re-embrace Islam.

As regards an apostate making up for his prayers and fasting, if you refer to the fasting and prayers which he did not observe as an apostate,  then he is not obliged to make them up, however, he is obliged to make up for the fasting and the prayer which he did not observe as a Muslim before he apostated.  Anyway, this is a controversial issue among the scholars but what we have mentioned is the most preponderant opinion.

It should be mentioned that apostasy after embracing Islam is very serious; Allaah Says (what means): {And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever -for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.}[Quran 2:217] Therefore, a Muslim should adhere to the means which help him remain steadfast on the Religion of Allaah, like seeking beneficial knowledge, performing acts of good deeds, and befriending pious and righteous people, and so forth.