Are There Any Incidents of Companions during the Prophet’s (Allah Bless Him and Give Him Peace) Time Who Returned to Islam after Leaving It?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Are there any stories about people who were Muslims during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), then left Islam, then returned to Islam and repented?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are well. Thank you for your question.
It has been mentioned in the definition of a “companion” that it is he who has met the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), has faith in him, and died upon Islam, even if apostasy was in between, like Ash’ath ibn Qays (Allah be pleased with him) who committed apostasy, then came to Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) as a prisoner, Islam was accepted from him and was married off with his sister.
Khattabi says none of the companions committed apostasy; however, some of those from the desert Bedouin Arabs did. [Abd al-Haq Dehlawi, Lama’at al-Tanqih, Sharh al-Mishkat al-Masabih; Taqi Usmani, Takmila al-Fath al-Mulhim]
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on Seekersguidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
