Salaam sister muslimwoman
If you put the 'apostacy' context verse within the context of the rest of the evidence I posted up, then it should be apperant that any person who dies as a disbeliever [kaafir], wether he/she rejected Islam by apostasising or by not even ever embracing it, shall suffer the same fate.
I apologise for a wrong reference I gave, the correct ref is not 3:8 but 3:85
I do not wish to post of topic material in this thread so I'll just show you what the views of the Islamic Scholars are on this issue, and what kind of differences they have on it:
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
“Allah tells us in the Qur’an,
“We are not in the habit of punishing a nation until We have sent a messenger ( to them).” (Al-Isra’: 15) bidding them of what they must be doing and forbidding them of what they must be refraining from. Based on numerous such verses in the Qur’an, great scholars such as Imam Al-Ghazali have stated that those who have not heard of the message of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, will not be punished for failing to accept his message. To punish people for failing to accept a message that they know nothing about is utterly contrary to the divine justice which is at once immaculate and beyond question.
While it is true that they will not be punished for their failure to accept the message of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, however, one must not conclude from this they are totally free of any accountability for their actions. Allah tells us repeatedly in the Qur’an that He has sent a messenger in every nation with the right guidance, and that each messenger spoke the language of the people he was sent to.
Furthermore, we are also told that Allah has created every human being with an innate knowledge of what is good for it and what is bad for it, and that everyone has a responsibility to foster such virtues that his nature recognizes as good and shun those that are abhorrent. (See Surat Ash-Shams: 7-9 )
To conclude: Those who have not heard of the message of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, will be judged by Allah by the message they have received from earlier prophets and messengers that were sent to them as well as by the innate sense of good and bad embedded in their own nature.” (Quoted, with slight modifications, from:
Islamic Institute of Toronto)
IslamonLine.net
The Arabs, who died before the advent of Islam will enter Paradise if they had believed in the Divine Messages sent to them. However, those who did not believe in those Messages are disbelievers and they will not enter Paradise.
However, there is disagreement among Muslim scholars regarding those who had no access to the call of any Prophet during their lifetime.
Some Muslim scholars maintain that this group of people should have pondered over Allah’s Creation till they reach the truth. If they managed to reach the truth by their deep thinking, then they will be spared Allah’s Punishment, but not vice versa.
Other Muslim scholars state that people are to adhere to religious ordinances and to proclaim faith only if Allah Almighty sends them a divine legislation through a Messenger or a Prophet. This group backed their view by citing the following verse:
“We never punish until We have sent a messenger.” (Al-Isra’: 15)
IslamonLine.net
The word Kafir is derived from the root word ‘Kufr’ which means to deny. Any person who is not a Muslim is a Kaafir as he rejects the religion of Islam – its beliefs, principles and practices.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Ask-Imam.com [9939] what is kafir? Is it forbidden to call non-Muslims as “kafirs”? Is this statement correct or the usage of the word “kafir” correct: “Saint Paul is a kafir name, and Ahmed is a Muslim name.”
words of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf:
I interjected at one point and mentioned Imam al- Ghazzali’s orthodox and yet satisfying view presented in his intriguing Faisal al-tafriqah that suggests that the majority of Christians and Jews and even peoples of other faiths and creeds could ultimately gain salvation since they did not reject a true and compelling presentation of Islam.
What they rejected rather was the tragic misrepresentation through distortion or the bad behavior of those who claimed to follow the true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Thus, according to Imam al-Ghazzali, this allowed for God’s ultimate forgiveness for the masses of humanity.
Learn about Islam--Beliefnet.com
Salaam