WHAT ISLAM SUGGESTS ABOUT A PERSON WHO BECOMES APOSTATE ,THEN REPENTS AND AFTER REPENTING ONCE AGAIN COMMITS APOSTASY.DOES HE CAN ESCAPE AGAIN FROM SEVERE PUNISHMENT BY REPENTING OR BE PUNISHED AS AN APOSTATE ?

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 is His slave and Messenger.

If a person apostated more than once, then his repentance is accepted if he had sincerely repented. But as regards its acceptance in the Hereafter, then there is no difference of opinion among the scholars about its being accepted.

As regards its being accepted in this world, some scholars are of the view that if one has apostated more than once, he is to be killed in all cases and if he repents, his repentance is beneficial for him between him and Allaah The Almighty.

However, the most preponderant opinion is that his repentance is accepted in this worldly life and in the Hereafter, and that he is not to be killed and the penalty is waived off him if he repents, even if he apostated more than once. Ibn Qudaamah said in Al-Muqni’: “Is the repentance of the Zindeeq (a person who proclaims himself to be Muslim while at the same time prescribing to kufr beliefs) and the apostate who apostated more than once, or the one who insults Allaah or insults His Messenger, or the magician accepted? There are two narrations (from Imaam Ahmad ) on this: One narration says that his repentance is not accepted and that he is to be killed in all cases, and the second narration says that his repentance is accepted like any other person.”

Al-Mardaawi said in Al-Insaaf while clarifying that the difference of opinion is only in regard to the ruling in this worldly life: “The difference of opinion that has already been stated regarding their repentance being accepted or not accepted is related to the rulings in this world, like not killing them, and applying the rulings of Islam to them. As regads the Hereafter, if he has sincerely repented, then his repentance is accepted without any difference of opinion. This is what Ibn ‘Aqeel had stated.” [End of quote]

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 85488 and 90584.

Allaah Knows best.