According to classical Islamic jurisprudence, Apostasy (الردة, Ridda) is the act of a Muslim voluntarily abandoning the religion of Islam, whether by explicit declaration, actions, or uttering words of disbelief. This act is considered a major sin. Based on authoritative Hadiths, the overwhelming consensus (ijma) of classical Sunni and Shia jurists established the punishment for a sane, adult male apostate who refuses to repent as death. These jurists often viewed public apostasy in the early Islamic context as an act of political treason (al-khiyānah al-'uẓmā) that threatened the security and integrity of the nascent Muslim community. However, the Quran itself, while severely condemning apostasy and promising divine punishment in the Hereafter (Quran 16:106), does not prescribe a specific worldly punishment. Many contemporary scholars highlight this absence, alongside the Quranic principle of "no compulsion in religion" (2:256), to argue that the classical ruling was specific to contexts of rebellion and treason, and that personal religious choice is a matter between an individual and God. This distinction between political sedition and personal conviction is central to the modern debate on the topic.