Is a ten-year-old boy who cursed the religion, has not yet reached puberty, then sought forgiveness, repented, and resolved not to repeat his action, judged to be an apostate?
If an adult or a child apostatizes from Islam through any type of disbelief, and then repents, their repentance is valid and accepted by Allah. Allah Almighty says: "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'" (Az-Zumar: 53). Some scholars hold that a child's apostasy is not valid, while others believe in its validity and that the rulings of apostasy apply to it, but a child is not to be executed before reaching puberty.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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