An Investigation in the Sufficiency of Being Muslim for One of the Parents of Murtad Fitri

Apostasy and its punishment is one of the controversial Islamic rulings. In Shiite jurisprudence, apostasy is divided into two types: Fitri and Milli (A person born to a Muslim parent who later rejects Islam is called a murtad fitri, and a person who converted to Islam and later rejects the religion is called a murtad milli). The most severe punishment for apostasy is related to the male Murtad Fitri which, in addition to the death penalty, also has other specific sentences. Famous Shiite juristss have mentioned two conditions in the definition of Murtad Fitri: First, at least one of the parents must be Muslim at the time of conception; second, the person must have chosen Islam at the time of puberty. There are a number of narrated and non-narrated reasons for the first condition. In this study, it can be clear careful investigation of these reasons that none of them are complete, but the narrations of the jurists indicate the need for parents to be Muslim. This idea is also based on the principle of averting and the rule of reservation.