وَٱلَّٰتِى يَأْتِينَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مِن نِّسَآئِكُمْ فَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟ عَلَيْهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةًۭ مِّنكُمْ ۖ فَإِن شَهِدُوا۟ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ فِى ٱلْبُيُوتِ حَتَّىٰ يَتَوَفَّىٰهُنَّ ٱلْمَوْتُ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًۭا
Wallaatee yaateenal faahishata min nisaaa'ikum fastashhidoo 'alaihinna arba'atam minkum fa in shahidoo fa amsikoohunna fil buyooti hatta yatawaffaa hunnal mawtu aw yaj'alal laahu lahunna sabeelaa
Those who commit unlawful sexual intercourse of your women - bring against them four [witnesses] from among you. And if they testify, confine the guilty women to houses until death takes them or Allah ordains for them [another] way.
Themes in this ayah
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Justice & honesty
4:15Ayah 1176
27 ayahs in An-Nisaa are strongly about justice and honesty.
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Tafsir
Scholars largely agree on this ayah
As for those of your women who commit lewdness adultery call four Muslim men of you to witness against them; and if they witness against them such lewdness then detain them in their houses and prevent them from mixing with people until the angels of death take them or until God appoints for them a way out of it. This was stipulated for them at the very beginning of Islam but then a way out was appointed for them through the stipulation that the virgin should receive a hundred lashes and be banished for a year and the married woman be stoned. The prescribed punishment was explained thus in the hadīth ‘Come listen to me! Come listen to me! God has now made a way out for them’ as reported by Muslim.
Related Hadiths
The Qur’anic verse goes: “If any of your woman are guilty of lewdness, take the evidence of four (reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them, and if they testify, Confine them to houses until death do chain them or Allah ordains for them some (other) way. Allah then mentioned man after woman and combined them in another verse : “If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, leave them alone. This command was abrogated by the verse relating to flogging : “The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication – flog each of them with one hundred stripes.
Take from me. Verily Allah has ordained a way for them (the women who commit fornication),: (When) a married man (commits adultery) with a married woman, and an unmarried male with an unmarried woman, then in case of married (persons) there is (a punishment) of one hundred lashes and then stoning (to death). And in case of unmarried persons, (the punishment) is one hundred lashes and exile for one year.
“Learn from me. Allah (SWT) has ordained for them (women) another way. (If) a virgin (commits illegal sexual intercourse) with a virgin, (the punishment is) one hundred lashes and exile for one year. (If) a Thayyib (commits adultery) with a Thayyib (the punishment is) one hundred lashes and stoning.”
The Jews brought a man and a woman of them who had committed fornication. He said: Bring me two learned men or yours. So they brought the two sons of Suriya. He adjured them and said: How do you think about the matter if these two persons bear witness to the effect that they have seen his sexual organ in her female organ (penetrated) like a collyrium stick when enclosed in its case, they will be stoned to death. He asked: What is there which prevents you from stoning them: They replied : Our rule has gone, so we disapproved of killing. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then called four witnesses. They brought four witnesses. Who testified that they had seen his sexual organ (penetrated) in her female organ like a collyrium stick when enclosed in its case. The Prophet (ﷺ) then gave orders for stoning them.
Messenger of Allah, if I were to find with my wife a man, should I wait until I bring four witnesses? He said: Yes.
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