But those who reject Faith after they accepted it, and then go on adding to their defiance of Faith,- never will their repentance be accepted; for they are those who have (of set purpose) gone astray. (Quran 3:90)

Others you will find that wish to gain your confidence as well as that of their people: Every time they are sent back to temptation, they succumb thereto: if they withdraw not from you nor give you (guarantees) of peace besides restraining their hands, seize them and slay them wherever ye get them: In their case We have provided you with a clear argument against them. (Quran 9:91)

As opposed to the two classes of deserters to whom clemency may be shown, there is a class which is treacherous and dangerous and cannot be left alone. They try to win your confidence, and are all the time in the confidence of the enemy. Every time they get a chance, they succumb to the temptation of double-dealing. The best way of dealing with them is to treat them as open enemies. Keep them not in your midst. If they give you guarantees of peace and do not actually fight against you, well and good. If not, they are deserters actively fighting in the ranks of the enemy. They have openly given you proof, and you can fairly seize and slay them in war as deserters and enemies.

Make ye no excuses: ye have rejected Faith after ye had accepted it. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you, for that they are in sin. (Quran 9:66)

Anyone who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief,- except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty. (Quran 16:106)

The exception refers to a case like that of 'Ammar, whose father Yasir and mother Sumayya, were subjected to unspeakable tortures for their belief in Islam, but never recanted. 'Ammar, suffering under tortures himself and his mind acted on by the sufferings of his parents, uttered a word construed as recantation, though his heart never wavered and he came back at once to the Prophet, who consoled him for his pain and confirmed his faith.

This is the only verse revealed in Mecca where apostacy is mentioned. At this point, we are still a long way from the establishment of the Islamic city of Medina. There is no state, no institutions that can portray apostasy as a conspiracy against the state. Here it gets a positive judgement. Ammar left his faith in words but remained Muslim in his heart. Therefore, the wrath of Allah will seize to whom compelled him to do so. But still, it is the anger of Allah and not of man.

Hadith Bukhary 9:83:17

Narrated `Abdullah: Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."

The same is confirmed in Sahih Hadith Muslim 16:4152:

'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying: It is not permissible to take the life of a Muslim who bears testimony (to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am the Messenger of Allah, but in one of the three cases: the married adulterer, a life for life, and the deserter of his Din (Islam), abandoning the community. (Sahih Muslim 16:4152)

What I write now is my personal opinion.

Let’s see the different ayas from Quran, Ahadith and historical background. Finally, the first state of Islam was established in Medina. When these verses were revealed, apostacy meant treachery of state. Why? Because state of Medina was based on Islamic faith and Shariya. This state was obstructed by external and internal factors. One of these was the integration to the society of Muslims by conversion of Islam, then spying and disruption. So, the sanction concerns the treachery and not the apostasy directly.

What can be our opinion about the sanction today? Nothing at all! It has become obsolete for two reasons. If this sanction would be enforced, half of the Islamic world should be sentenced. Put up the hands of those administrations who didn’t betray their nation and religion? The other reason is that jurisprudence of Islam went through the same progress in history as the secular law systems. The point is here in drawing attention for betrayal, no matter it was committed against another life, spousal covenant or a state. Not the sanction has to be considered, as it varies according to age and location. Anybody who blames the Muslim Ummah because of the death sentence for apostasy in some places, I can say that our Ummah culturally is very heterogenic. Part of them lives in atomic age, the other part in stone age. The way how one conducts his religious life depends on the cultural level of the particular region and person. Quran has nothing to do with that issue. This exclusively depends on humans. According to my personal opinion anybody can leave his religion or convert to another freely. You can leave your faith but you can never leave God. The real consequence of a deed will come after the eartly life.

I ask Allah to accept my reasoning above. Amen.