What is the justification for issuing a death sentence against a person such as "Salman Rushdie" for words he uttered, even though human beings are not entitled to make such decisions, for God alone is the one who judges in such matters?

Apostasy is disbelief after Islam. It can occur through belief, such as polytheism or denying an attribute of God; through words, such as reviling God or the Messenger; through actions, such as desecrating the Qur'an or prostrating to other than God; and through abandonment, such as complete turning away from the rituals of the religion. The ruling for an apostate, if they are sane, mature, and acted by choice, is execution by order of the Imam or his representative, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Whoever changes his religion, kill him." This ruling is not a human interpretation but an command from God, and it aims to preserve the religion and punish those who knew the truth yet abandoned it.