Was the punishment for apostasy by death restricted to the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and not applicable in our current era, similar to how it was applied to the Jews who embraced Islam and then apostatized to weaken Islam?

The punishment for apostasy (killing the apostate) is established by sound legal texts and by the practice of the Islamic Ummah throughout history. The claim that it was legislated in response to the policy of the Jews mentioned in Surah Al Imran (72) is baseless for several reasons:

1. The verse does not indicate that the punishment of killing is specific to Jews or to the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, but rather it informs about a Jewish stratagem.

2. The generality of the Prophet's saying, peace be upon him: "Whoever changes his religion, kill him," includes every apostate in every time and place.

3. The practice of the Islamic Ummah after the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, where Abu Bakr fought the apostates, and Umar, Ali, Muadh, Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, and others killed apostates without denunciation from the people of knowledge.

4. The consensus of Islamic scholars on the obligation to kill the apostate, as stated by Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi.

Apostasy is not merely a mental stance but a change of allegiance and a separation from the Muslim community. Lenience in the punishment of an apostate exposes society to danger and opens the door to fitna (strife/discord).