Question:

I want to inquire that if a person 'A' for the purpose of immigration to Canada show false documents that he 'A' in now converted from Muslim to Christian. So please tell me what does Sharee'ah say in this regard either this person 'A' remain Muslim or not as 'A' is saying that from heart he is Muslim but he is only showing false document of his Christianity prove. And what Sharee'ah says about those persons like 'X, Y' who are helping 'A' for creating false documents both 'X,Y' are Muslims?

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

If this behaviour, which is the writing of such words which mean that the person apostates from Islam and embraces Christianity, is accompanied with the uttering of such a word, then the person who does so becomes a non-Muslim and goes out of the fold of Islam. The scholars stated that uttering the word of disbelief takes the person out of the fold of Islam whether the person who utters it is joking or is serious.

Ibn Nujaim said: 'Whoever says the word of disbelief jokingly, he becomes a non-Muslim according to all scholars and it does not matter what his intention was.' Moreover, Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah said: 'If a person utters the word of disbelief voluntarily, he is indeed content with disbelief.'

However, if such behaviour is limited to the writing of the word only without any intention or being content with such words he has written, then it appears that this is below the degree of apostating, but the one who says it faces a great danger. Allah may be angry towards him and thereby seal his heart, consequently he will fall into real disbelief. So a Muslim has to be very careful not to sell his religion for a meaningless temporary worldly benefit, and so he will lose his worldly life and his Hereafter.

Anyone who helps someone to do this is sinful as Allah says (which means): {Help you one another in virtue, righteousness and piety but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.} [Quran 5:2].

Allah knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb