Stoning in Islamic Law
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Definition
Stoning to death (رجم Rajm), according to traditional interpretations of Islamic law, is primarily a punishment for persons who engage in unlawful sexual relations (which include homosexual relationships), and is one example of abrogation (naskh) being applied to Qur'anic text. The criminals "hands are tied behind their backs and their bodies are put in a cloth sack." They are then "buried in a hole, with only the victims heads showing above the ground. If its a woman, she is buried upto her shoulders."[1] The stones which are to be thrown at the criminal "should not be so large that the offender dies after a few strikes, nor so small as to fail to cause serious injury."[2]
In the Modern World
Due to the Islamic laws on rape requiring four male eye witnesses before guilt can be ascertained, many rape victims end up being charged with 'adultery.' As was the case for 13-year-old Aisha Ibrahim Dhuhulow in Somalia[3] who in October of 2008 was buried up to her neck and stoned to death in front of more than 1,000 people in a football stadium. She was the victim of gang-rape. Another Somalian female who gave birth to a stillborn child, was also stoned to death in front of a crowd of 200 in November (one of at least four Somalians to be stoned for adultery in 2009).[4] Her boyfriend received 100 lashes. Incidents of stoning have also been reported in Iraq and Pakistan, and forms a part of Afghan, Iranian, Nigerian, Indonesian, Sudanese, Saudi Arabian, and United Arab Emirate law.[5] While the modern views of many contemporary Muslims scholars and believers are diametrically opposed to any implementation of such punishments, it is very much an accepted part of Islam for traditional scholars and millions of lay Muslims around the world. In an August 2009 Pew survey[6] that 83% of Pakistanis believe that adulterers should be stoned. In another survey carried out in Indonesia (the world's most populated Muslim country) it found that "almost half the respondents back stoning as a punishment for adulterers."[7]
Qur'an
According to hadith, the Qur'anic verse of rajm (stoning) was originally found in surah Al-Ahzab.[8]
The above verse, along with verses regarding adult suckling, were written on a piece of paper and were lost when a goat ate them.[10] Even Umar had concerns that in the future some Muslims may try to deny that rajm is Islamic.[11] As it stands, the Qur'an itself does not explicitly mention the act, but the majority of Muslims do not follow Qur'an alone Islam. In any event, scholars have still managed to find justification for it from within its pages:
Hadith
Sunnah of Muhammad
There are many sahih (authentic) hadith which speak of Prophet Muhammad ordering people to be stoned to death. Therefore it is considered a part of Muhammad's sunnah and cannot be ignored by Muslims according to the traditional views of the scholars.
Stoning in Judaism vis-à-vis Islam
The Hadith testifies that the Jews of Muhammad's time had ceased to employ such violent forms of punishment, and that it was he who insisted on the reinstatement of stoning.
Sahih Bukhari 4:56:829 adds: "...`Abdullah bin `Umar said, "I saw the man leaning over the woman to shelter her from the stones."
The Man who Couldn't Keep Silent
The Adulterous Bedouin
The Boy
Scholars
Ibn Kathir
(And the two persons among you who commit illegal sexual intercourse, punish them both.) Ibn `Abbas and Sa`id bin Jubayr said that this punishment includes cursing, shaming them and beating them with sandals. This was the ruling until Allah abrogated it with flogging or stoning, as we stated.)
Shaykh Gibril Haddad
. . .
Yes, our liegelord `Umar radyAllahu `anhu reported that when it was revealed, the Prophet salla Allahu `alayhi wa-Sallam refrained from consigning it into writing, so it did not become mass-transmitted from him. (If it had, it would have been meaningless for `Umar to strenuously predict that innovators would one day emerge and deny that rajm was ever in the Qur'an.)
Yet the wording is clearly related from `Umar in the Muwatta' as I mentioned in my previous post, not through al-Zuhri but through Yahya ibn Sa`id al-Ansari.
The wording and its slight variants are also related from (1) `Umar with a weaker chain by al-Nasa'i in the Kubra, (2) Ubay ibn Ka`b by Ahmad, al-Tayalisi, Ibn Hibban etc. with sound chains, (3) `A'isha by al-Qasim ibn Sallam with a weak chain, (3) Zayd ibn Thabit in Ahmad and al-Nasa'i's Sunan al-Kubra with fair chains, (4) Sa`id ibn al-`As in Ahmad, al-Darimi, al-Nasa'i in the Sunan al-Kubra, etc. with fair chains (5) Ibn `Abbas by al-Hakim, and (6) Abu Umama ibn Hunayf's maternal aunt in al-Nasa'i's Sunan al-Kubra and al-Hakim.
And yes, "shaykh" in Arabic does not connote betrothal but only age. `Iyad in his commentary on Sahih Muslim said its wording was plainly not Qur'anic; and al-Tabari narrates with his chain that that very wording was read out to the Prophet from the Torah. Evidently, the Torah wording was written, famous and widespread while Allah Most High lifted up the Qur'anic wording and caused it to be forgotten.
However, the ruling was identical and remained: it is transmitted from al-Zuhri by eight of his students that `Umar said: "Rajm is firmly established in the Book of Allah."Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad, Living Islam, December 23, 2008
Recent Fatwas
. . .
In the Kuwaiti Encyclopedia of Islamic Jurisprudence, we read the following:
Ibn Qudamah wrote: “Muslim jurists are unanimous on the fact stoning to death is a specified punishment for married adulterer and adulteress. The punishment is recorded in number of traditions and the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stands as an authentic source supporting it. This is the view held by all Companions, Successors and other Muslim scholars with the exception of Kharijites.”
Al-Bahuty said: “The authentic practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supports stoning to death as a punishment specified for adultery. In addition, the verse commanding this punishment was revealed in the Qur’an. Later, it was verbally abrogated but its ruling is still binding.
. . .
Stoning to death is a Divine obligation and punishment specified for any married adulterer or adulteress once there is four witnesses or the confession of the accused.”
. . .
Fatwa from Islam Online, March 29, 2005
It is essential to stone the married adulterer until he dies, following the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as it is proven that he said that, did it and enjoined it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stoned Maa’iz, the Juhani woman, the Ghaamidi woman, and the two Jews. All of that is proven in saheeh ahaadeeth narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The scholars among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), the Taabi’een and those who came after them are also unanimously agreed on that. No one differed from them apart from those to whose views no attention is to be paid. Al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated in their Saheehs from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with the truth and revealed to him the Book, and one of the things that Allaah revealed was the verse of stoning. We have read it and understood it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stoned (adulterers) and we stoned (them) after him, but I fear that there may come a time when some people say: ‘By Allaah, we do not find the verse of stoning in the Book of Allaah.’ So they will go astray by forsaking an obligation that Allaah has revealed. According to the Book of Allaah, stoning is deserved by the one who commits zina, if he is married, men and women alike, if proof is established or the woman becomes pregnant or they confess…”
Based on this, it is not permissible to replace stoning with killing by the sword or shooting, because stoning is a more severe punishment and a more effective deterrent to the sin of zina, which is the most grave sin after shirk and killing a soul whom Allaah has forbidden us to kill. The hadd punishment of stoning for a married person who commits zina is one of the matters that is determined by the Qur’aan and Sunnah and there is no room for ijtihaad or personal opinion. If killing by the sword or shooting were permissible in the case of the married adulterer then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have done that and would have explained it to his ummah, and his companions after him would have done that too.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 22/48-49.Islam Q&A, Fatwa No. 14312
See Also
- Stoning - A hub page that leads to other articles related to Stoning
External links
- How to stone someone to death - Amnesty International, accessed August 13, 2013, http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_21902.pdf
- Flogging and stoning adulterers in the Quran - James Arlandson, American Thinker, May 18, 2005 (archived), http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/05/flogging_and_stoning_adulterer.html
- Stoning – the true horror - Anne Marie Waters, National Secular Society, August 9, 2013 (archived), http://www.secularism.org.uk/blog/2013/08/stoning--the-true-horror
- Stoning to Death in Iran; 1991 Video of Stoning of Death in Iran: Windows Media player
References
- ↑ What happens in Stoning? - apostatesofislam.com
- ↑ Should Sharia laws be reconsidered? - Sandhya Jain - International Humanist and Ethical Union, March 9, 2004
- ↑ Stoning victim 'begged for mercy' - BBC News, November 4, 2008
- ↑ Somali woman stoned to death for adultery - The Jakarta Post, November 18, 2009
- ↑ Stoning - Frequently Asked Questions about Stoning - stop-stoning.org
- ↑ Pew Report: Pakistani Public Opinion - Growing Concerns about Extremism, Continuing Discontent with U.S.Religion, Law, and Society Page 3
- ↑ 50% Support Stoning for Adultery in 'Moderate' Muslim Country - The Jawa Report, March 18, 2006
- ↑ "Umar said to me ‘How many verses are contained in the chapter of al-Ahzab?’ I said, ‘72 or 73 verses.’ He said it was almost as long as the chapter of the Cow, which contains 287 verses, and in it there was the verse of stoning." - Al-Muttaqi ‘Ali bin Husam al-Din in his book “Mukhtasar Kanz al-’Ummal” printed on the margin of Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Volume 2, page 2, in his hadith about chapter 33
- ↑ As-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur'an, p.524
- ↑ References: Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal. vol. 6. page 269; Sunan Ibn Majah, page 626; Ibn Qutbah, Tawil Mukhtalafi 'l-Hadith (Cairo: Maktaba al-Kulliyat al-Azhariyya. 1966) page 310; As-Suyuti, ad-Durru 'l-Manthur, vol. 2. page 13
- ↑ "...'Umar said, "I am afraid that after a long time has passed, people may say, "We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy Book," and consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation that Allah has revealed..." - Sahih Bukhari 8:82:816