Do the rights of people fall away from an apostate if he repents, or is it necessary to seek their absolution? And is there a difference in this regard between financial rights and physical rights (such as striking), and rights related to backbiting, reviling, and cursing?

An apostate must immediately repent and embrace Islam to save himself from the Fire and fulfill God's right. As for the rights of individuals, scholars have differed regarding whether an apostate, upon re-embracing Islam, is held accountable for them. Some believe that he is not held accountable for anything he did during his apostasy, similar to an original disbeliever. Others believe that he is obligated to fulfill every right, both God's and those of individuals.

Regarding financial damages, some scholars have reported a consensus that an apostate is liable for any property he damaged. Therefore, when an apostate re-embraces Islam, none of the financial or other rights are waived for him. As for backbiting, the one who repents from it needs only to regret it, seek forgiveness, and mention the good qualities of those he backbited; he is not required to inform them.