I think sharia law was meant for a certain people and a certain time, similar to the Old Testament being meant for a certain people and certain time.
My second paragraph is evidently vague because I wrote a bunch of sentences and then removed them because I didn't want the discussion to go on a tangent plus it sounded fairly condescending and defeatist. So, all in good time :)
I commented on your sentence "I have to wonder if Islam is the perfect religion". May be I misinterpreted it. I apologize if I did.
Though, in your last post you said "I think sharia law was meant for a certain people and a certain time". I disagree again. As a muslim I believe Islam is universal and is not bound by geography or time. We can discuss more later.
So then you think sharia law should be implented in all Muslim majority countries with a central government? And then you would approve of capital punishment for apostates?
Re: your first sentence, personally, I am not sure. For me its not a very appetizing thought actually. Though I think that is more a commentary on my views than a judgement on anything else :)
I am somewhat confused. If tomorrow a Muslim living in US or Canada goes outside the masjid he used to visit and publicly says that he no longer embraces Islam, then what should the Muslims do?
I once asked the same question from a scholar and he put a finger on his lips indicating that such orders of Allah should not be questioned. I don't have the sources available at the moment but according to my knowledge a person who misbehaves towards the Last Prophet (saw) is also "Wajib-ul-Qatl"
I think that sometimes we can't question the orders of Allah (swt) because Allah knows the best and our mental capabilities are too limited to understand the "Maslehat" (wisdom) behind Allah's orders.
Remember that Shaitaan's logic of not bowing in front of Hazrat Adam (A.S) was apparently reasonable (that fire is superior to soil ) but he forgot that he is using this logic infront of someone WHO can tear apart all logics.
I think that sometimes we can't question the orders of Allah (swt) because Allah knows the best and our mental capabilities are too limited to understand the "Maslehat" (wisdom) behind Allah's orders.
Remember that Shaitaan's logic of not bowing in front of Hazrat Adam (A.S) was apparently reasonable (that fire is superior to soil ) but he forgot that he is using this logic infront of someone WHO can tear apart all logics.
That is IF in fact Allah said kill the apostates. The whole debate is about this very point.
Bukhari, volume 9, #37
"Narrated Hazrat Abu Qilaba (R.A): Once Umar bin Abdul Aziz sat on his throne in the courtyard of his house so that the people might gather before him....He replied "By Allah, Allah's messenger never killed anyone except in one of the following three situations: 1) A person who killed somebody unjustly, was killed (in Qisas,) 2) a married person who committed illegal sexual intercourse and, 3) a man who fought against Allah and His messenger, and deserted Islam and became an apostate....
Bukhari, volume 9, #64
Narrated Hazrat Ali (R.A), "Whenever I tell you a narration from Allah's messenger, by Allah, I would rather fall down from the sky, than ascribe a false statement to him, but if I tell you something between me and you, (not a Hadith), then it was indeed a trick (i.e., I may say things just to cheat my enemy). No doubt I heard Allah's messenger saying, ‘During the last days there will appear some young **foolish people, who will say the best words, but their faith will not go beyond their throats (i.e. they will have no faith) and will go out from (leave) their religion as an arrow goes out of the game. So, wherever you find them, kill them, **for whoever kills them shall have reward on the Day of Resurrection.’"
I can't believe it! you people make it sound like Islam is mafia or something once you join (by your choice or by birth) you cannot leave. Whatever happened to "ISLAM HAS NO COMPULSION". I find it contradictory in the current situation.