He says those words in the most canonical hadith collection, Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 84, Hadith 57.
Various other canonical hadiths attest that Muhammad called for death to those who leave Islam. That's why even today all the schools of Islamic law prescribe death for apostasy from Islam.
Check out these links to news stories, and also these links to news stories about people being killed for daring to leave Islam. And many, many more such stories have been reported in the global media.
A December 2010 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found relatively widespread popular support for the death penalty as a punishment for apostasy from Islam: in Egypt (84% of respondents in favor of death penalty), Jordan (86% in favor), Indonesia (30% in favor), Pakistan (76% favor) and Nigeria (51% in favor).
To help people assess Islam, this site presents core Islamic texts. So readers can verify that we are correctly presenting these, each text includes reference links. The links lead to the most widely accepted Qur'an translations, the most canonical Hadith collections, and the earliest Muslim biography of Muhammad.
Activism
Useful Books and Videos
- Video: expert in the core Islamic texts explains why he left Islam
- Video explaining the best way to resist Islam
- Persuading others about Islam: Getting Through
- Best Islam intro book: The Third Choice
- Video Series on the Muslim Brotherhood in America
- The daring escape of an Iraqi apostate: Price to Pay
Some Useful Sites
- Andrew Bostom
- Answering Muslims
- Bill Warner, Physicist, on Political Islam
- Bosch Fawstin (cartoonist)
- Chronological Qur'an
- Center for Security Policy (with Frank Gaffney)
- Citizen Warrior
- Diana West
- Gates of Vienna
- Gavin Boby's Law and Freedom Foundation
- Jihad Watch
- Mark Durie
- New English Review
- Raymond Ibrahim
- Religion of Peace
- The United West (with Mark Trento)