Avoid 70 Major Sins[1] - Series No 10 of 70
Fornication and Adultery In Islam[2]
Introduction
Over fourteen hundred years ago, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) prophesied that from amongst the signs of the Day of Judgement is the prevalence of illegal sexual intercourse.[3]
Imaam Adh-Dhahabi in his book ‘The Major Sins’ placed zina as the tenth major sin out of the seventy mentioned by him. However, we see in the following hadiths that zina is more likely ranked as the second major sin in Islam. The Prophet (SAW) said: “There is no sin after shirk (polytheism) greater in the eyes of Allah than a drop of semen which a man places in the womb which is not lawful for him.”[4] Thus we find that zina was mentioned after the two grave sins of shirk and murder. A person has committed zina if they voluntarily and deliberately perform sexual intercourse with other than one’s spouse. The act of zina has taken place when the full insertion of a male’s sexual organ has been inserted inside a female’s vagina, regardless of the number of times or whether contraception was used, such as a condom or separator between the couple’s organs.
This article will define what is considered as adultery and fornication in Islam, its punishment, marriage to one who commits it, repentance, and how to protect you from it.
In today’s English, the word used for a married person who engages in unlawful sexual intercourse is adultery; the single person who engages in sexual intercourse is fornication. Unlike English, Arabic has only one word for both cases – zina. Throughout the history of the religions, zina has been prohibited, however its prohibition is more emphatic and forceful, and is regarded as one of the gravest sins of all the major sins in Islam.
2.0 Adultery[5]
Allah, the Almighty, says,
وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓۖ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةً۬ وَسَآءَ سَبِيلاً۬ (٣٢)
{Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is an indecent (deed) and an evil way.} (Al-Isra' 17: 32)
The Qur'an also states,
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَدۡعُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ وَلَا يَقۡتُلُونَ ٱلنَّفۡسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَلَا يَزۡنُونَۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٲلِكَ يَلۡقَ أَثَامً۬ا (٦٨) يُضَـٰعَفۡ لَهُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ وَيَخۡلُدۡ فِيهِۦ مُهَانًا (٦٩) إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلاً۬ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمۡ حَسَنَـٰتٍ۬ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورً۬ا رَّحِيمً۬ا (٧٠)
{Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, Nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred, except for just cause, nor commit fornication,' -and any that does this (not only) meets punishment. (But) the chastisement on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and he will dwell therein in ignominy.} (Al-Furqan 25: 68-70)
Allah, the Most High, says,
ٱلزَّانِيَةُ وَٱلزَّانِى فَٱجۡلِدُواْ كُلَّ وَٲحِدٍ۬ مِّنۡہُمَا مِاْئَةَ جَلۡدَةٍ۬ۖ وَلَا تَأۡخُذۡكُم بِہِمَا رَأۡفَةٌ۬ فِى دِينِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ تُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأَخِرِۖ وَلۡيَشۡہَدۡ عَذَابَہُمَا طَآٮِٕفَةٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ (٢)
{The woman and the man guilty of fornication, flog each of them with a hundred stripes: Let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day: And let a party of the believers witness their punishment.” (An-Nur 24: 2)
The punishment mentioned in the last verse concerns only single fornicators in the world as argued by the scholars. In case of married adulterers (even if they experienced marriage before) they must be stoned until death as postulated by the Prophet (SAW). But if they escaped the worldly punishment and died without making repentance, they will be tortured in the Hell-Fire with lashes of Fire.
In Psalms, it is narrated that Adulterers will be hanged from their genitals in the hell-Fire, on which they will be scourged with slashes of iron. If they cry out of pain, the angels of punishment will address them, "Where was this cry inaudible before? You just used to laugh, play and did not keep the thought of Allah, nor were you shy from Him."
The following hadith was stated by the Prophet (SAW),
"An adulterer is not a believer at the time of committing adultery.”[6]
The Prophet (SAW) said,
"When someone fell in adultery, faith leaves his heart and overshadows him but if he extricates himself; his faith will, be restored again.”[7]
It was related that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
"Whoever fornicates or drinks wine, Allah takes off his faith from him as a man takes a shirt off over his head.”[8]
"There are three people to whom Allah, the Most High will not talk, nor will He absolve them of sins nor look at them: an aged person guilty of adultery, a king who lies and a poor beggar who is proud.”[9]
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud who said, "I asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW),
"What is the most grievous sin at the sight of Allah?" He said, "To associate others with Allah whereas He created you... and to commit adultery with your neighbor's wife.”
Behold! How adultery with one's neighbor, polytheism and slaying the life of others except for just cause are associated with each other.
Once, Ibn Mas'ud asked the Prophet (SAW) saying, "0 Messenger of Allah, what is the most
heinous sin? The Prophet answered, "To hold that Allah has an equal, whereas He has created you. Further he asked what is next. The Prophet (SAW) said, "To kill child lest he feeds with you. He added, "What is next? The Prophet (SAW) said, "To commit adultery with your neighbour’s wife.”[10]
When commenting on Allah's statement,
لَهَا سَبۡعَةُ أَبۡوَٲبٍ۬ لِّكُلِّ بَابٍ۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ جُزۡءٌ۬ مَّقۡسُومٌ (٤٤)
{To it are seven gates: for each of those gates is a special) class (of sinners) assigned.} (Al-Hijr: 44)
Ata' said, "The most grievous and hated gate of Hell is that which is assigned for adulterers who
Committed such crime after they had been informed of its consequences.
Makhul Ad-Dimashqi said, "When the people of the Hell-Fire smell a stinking odour they say, 'We have never smelt an odour more stinking than that, Then, they will be told that this is the odour of the adulterers' genitals. Ibn Zayd, one of great exegesis’s said, "This odour hurts all the people of the Hell-Fire. Of all commandments prescribed by Allah to Moses is the following,
"Do not steal and do not fill into adultery so as not to screen My Face from you."
Behold Moses is the addressee, what about the others?
It was reported that the Prophet (SAW) said,
"Satan (Iblis) often sends his soldiers everywhere in the earth saying to them, 'Whoever diverts a Muslim I will crown him. The most skilful one in diverting people, the nearest to me. Meanwhile, a devil comes and says, "I kept tempting such and such until he divorced his wife.' Iblis says, 'You did nothing. He will marry another woman.' Another comes and says, 'I kept tempting such and such until I created a grudge between him and his brother’ Iblis says, 'You did nothing. He will reconcile with him.’ Eventually comes another devil who says, 'I kept tempting such and such until he fell in adultery.’ Iblis says, 'Great and well done. Then he makes him nearer to him and crowns him.”[11]
We seek Allah's refuge from the evils of Satan and his soldiers.
It was reported that on the authority of Anas that the Prophet (SAW) said,
"Faith is like a garment with which Allah covers whomever He likes. But if he falls in adultery, this
Garment will be taken off and if he repents He will restore it again.”[12]
The Prophet (SAW) also said,
"0 Muslims, be aware of adultery. It entails six consequences: Three in this world and the others in the next. As for the worldly consequences, they are a pale face, short life and long poverty. The consequences in the Hereafter are: The wrath of Allah, a severe reckoning and torture in Fire.”[13]
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said,
"Whoever persists in drinking wine and then dies, Allah will make him drink from the river of Ghuta, a river flows the genitals of the whores.”[14] In the Fire there will be pus flowing from the whores' genitals that which will be offered to whoever dies persisting in drinking wine.
The Prophet (SAW) said,
"Next to polytheism (shirk), is the semen ejaculated by a man in an unlawful womb.”[15]
"In the Hell-Fire there is a valley in which contains serpents. Each serpent is as fat as a camel's neck.
When it stings the one who does not pray, it's poison boils in his abode for seventy years and then his flesh is torn out. There is also a valley called the well of Hazan (suffering) which contains serpents and scorpions. Each scorpion is as huge as a mule and has seventy spines. Each spine ends in a poisonous edge. Then, it strikes the adulterer and sprays poison in his body. The adulterer suffers from this painful poison for a thousand years. Then his flesh is torn out and pus flows from his genitals.”[16]
"Whoever makes love with a married woman, they will suffer the torture which is supposed to afflict half of this nation in grave. Afterwards, on the Day of Judgment, Allah will give her husband, who does not know (what she does), the right to dispose her good deeds. But if he knows and does nothing, he and his wife will be deprived of Paradise as there is a statement on the door of Paradise which reads, unlawful for the pimp.”[17]
"Whoever touches a woman, who is not lawful to him, because of lust, he will be resurrected with his hand tied to his neck on the Day of Judgment. In case of kissing, his lips will be nipped in the fire. Eventually, if he fell in adultery, his thighs will witness against him, on the Day of Judgment by saying, "I lied on an unlawful" Then, Allah looks to him out of wrath. Thus, his face's flesh fells down. If he arrogantly says, "I never did so" Then the tongue witnesses by saying, 'I produced an unlawful utterance.' The hand also says, 'I touched unlawful things.' The eyes says' I looked to the unlawful.' The legs say:' To the unlawful objects did I walk' Finally, the genital says, 'I applied. ' As for the guardian angels, he says, 'I heard, and another says,'I wrote' eventually, Allah says, "I knew but concealed him.”[18]
Then, Allah says,
"0 Angels! Take him away to torture him. Severe is My wrath on those who are not shy from Me." This is shown in Allah's Book Exalted be He:
يَوۡمَ تَشۡہَدُ عَلَيۡہِمۡ أَلۡسِنَتُهُمۡ وَأَيۡدِيہِمۡ وَأَرۡجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ (٢٤)
{On the Day when their tongue, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions.} (AI-Nur 24: 24).”[19]
The most grievous kind of adultery is incenstry with one's mother, sister, stepmother and unmarriageable relatives.
The Prophet (SAW) said,
"Whoever falls into adultery with an unmarriageable relative must be killed.”[20]
AI-Barra' narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) sent his uncle to a man who made love with his step mother to kill him and divide his wealth into five parts (like the spoils of war.) Therefore, we ask Allah the Bounteous to forgive our sins for He is the Most Bounteous, the Most Kind.
3.0 The Islamic Ruling Concerning the Criminal Act of Zina[21]
All praise is due to Allah, the One who said: “ And do not come near to the unlawful sexual intercourse…”[22] And peace and blessings of Allah be upon His slave and Messenger Muhammad, who said: “When a person commits zina, Imaan (faith) leaves him, until it is like a cloud over his head…”[23] Undoubtedly, all Muslims have some knowledge of the prohibition of Adultery and fornication, however we are living in a western society whereby this crime has become widespread and commonly accepted.
This acceptable crime has even crept into some of the Muslim homes, to the extent we find those who are proud to see their son (or vice versa) entering the house with a girl (or vice versa) accompanying them.
3.1 Proving zina
A person is convicted of zina by any one or more of the following ways:
1) The first one is that the zaani (fornicator or adulterer) makes a confession, without going back on their word until they are awarded the punishment. If at some stage they retract their confession, they must not be subjected to any penal punishment.
2) The second way a person can be convicted of zina is by four reliable and pious men testifying that they witnessed the sexual act. Each man must testify that he actually saw the male sexual organ inserted into the female’s vagina. This stringent condition is to protect innocent Muslims and to block the road for those who want evil to spread amongst the Muslim society.
3) As for the third way a person may be convicted of adultery, this is when a woman who has neither husband nor master is found pregnant.
3.2 Punishment for zina in this worldly life
There are definite penal punishments known as hadd or hudood (plural) which have been mentioned in the Qur’an and the Sunnah concerning those who engage in the criminal act. The following conditions must be fulfilled before the hadd is applied:
1) The offender must be sane;
2) They must be Muslim;
3) They have reached the age of puberty;
4) They must be free and not a slave.
The Qur’anic injunctions with regards to those commit zina were revealed gradually, that is, bit by bit. The wisdom behind this was to make these injunctions easily acceptable to the new converts of Islam who were deeply engaged in zina during the days of Jaahiliyah (ignorance). The first revelation concerning the punishment of zina was that a woman guilty of zina was to be confined to their home until she died[24]. The second revelation covered both men and women and was a little specific regarding punishment[25]. Allah (SWT) then revealed: “The woman and the man guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day…”[26] The Messenger of Allah (SAW) clarified this injunction by saying: “Take from me; Allah has made a decree for them. A virgin (committing zina) with a virgin: one hundred lashes (for each) and exiling for year (for the man). And a married (committing zina) with a married: one hundred lashes and stoning.”[27]
Difference of opinion exists among Muslim jurists concerning the combining of both stoning and lashing. The correct opinion (and Allah knows best) is that which the majority of the scholars have agreed to, and that is, the one who is to be punished by stoning should not be lashed. This is what has been mentioned by the two caliphs ‘Umar and ‘Uthman; Ibn Mas ‘ud also holds the same view. Hence an unmarried person guilty of fornication is to be lashed one hundred times according to the above verse in addition to banishment for one year in the case of a man. There are also different opinions regarding the exiling of women. Those who hold the opinion that a woman should not be exiled argue that a woman is weaker than a man, and that she needs protection that may not be available for her if she is banished. Those who favor banishment base their opinion on the Prophet’s general wording of the hadith, which does not exclude women from being exiled.
The penal punishment of a married adulterer under Islamic jurisdiction is by stoning to death, as per the preceding hadith and other hadiths. Ibn Mus ‘ud (RA) reported that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “The blood of a Muslim, who testifies that there is no (true) god except Allah and that I am Allah’s Messenger, does not become permissible except for one of three acts: a married person who commits zina, one soul for another (killed) soul, and a man who abandons his deen (religion) and departs from the Jamaa ‘ah (of Muslims).”[28] The Prophet (SAW) applied stoning to a number of people during his time. Maa ‘iz bin Maalik is one of them as per the hadith collected by Bukhari, Muslim and others; another person stoned to death was the woman from the Ghamid tribe who came to the Prophet (SAW) demanding him to purify her from her sin.[29]
Know that punishment for the crime of zina acts an atonement of this sin. The Prophet (SAW) said regarding the woman from Ghamid who was stoned to death: “She has repented such a repentance that, were it to be divided among seventy of Madina’s residents it would cover them. Have you seen a better repentance than her giving away herself for Allah.”[30] The idea behind the harsh and severe punishment does not contradict with the spirit of Islam, actually it serves as a deterrent to the society. It protects a person’s family, lineage, and spread of moral decadence and diseases in society. When people realise the graveness of the sin, and that its punishment is most humiliating and painful, very few of them would dare to approach it.
3.3 Punishment of zina in the hereafter (Next world)
The punishment of those who die without repenting from zina begins in their grave. In a long hadith, Allah’s Messenger (SAW) related a dream in which he saw two men accompanying him (Jibreel and Maalik), showing him how a number of sinners were being punished in al-Barzakh (life between death and Judgement day). The Prophet (SAW) said: “…We proceeded until we came across a hole in the ground that resembled a baking pit, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. Babbling and voices were issuing from it. We looked in and saw naked men and women. Underneath the pit was a raging fire; whenever it flared up, the men and women screamed and rose with it until they almost fell out of the pit. As it subsided, they returned (to the bottom). I said: ‘Who are these?’ They said: ‘…As for the naked men and women who were in the pit, they are men and women who indulge in zina…”[31] In a similar narration Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “We moved on until I saw people who were awfully swollen, and had the most foul stench, their stench was like that of the sewers. I asked: ‘Who are these?’ They replied: ‘Those are the male and female adulterers.’”[32] As for punishment in the hereafter, Allah Most High says: “And they (i.e. the servants of Allah) do not commit zina - And whoever does this shall meet a full penalty. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace.”[33]
3.4 Marriage to a person guilty of zina
As for marriage between two who are guilty of zina, then this is permissible as per what Allah (SWT) has said: “The adulterer marries not but an adulteress or a Mushrikah, and the adulteress, none marries her except an adulterer or a Mushrik.”[34] There is difference of opinion amongst the scholars with regards to a chaste man marrying an adulteress who has not repented or vice versa. Some of them said that is not lawful; this is the opinion of Ali, Al-Baraa’, ‘Aisha, and ibn Mas ‘ud, (may Allah (SWT) be pleased with them all). The majority of the scholars including Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ibn ‘Abbaas, (may Allah (SWT) be pleased with them all) on the other hand permitted the marriage, adding however, that marriage to a chaste and pure person was more virtuous.
3.5 Repentance of Zina
One might think that the only way a person guilty of zina can be forgiven is by being awarded the penal punishment (hadd). The scholars have said that a person who commits a sin should repent between himself and Allah (SWT). The repentance should be sincere, and the guilty person should perform lots of acts of worship and righteous actions. Furthermore, the person should feel remorse, and have no intention of ever committing the sin again. The repentance will not be accepted if it is done during the pangs of death, as Allah Most High says: “And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and says: ‘Now I repent’….”[35]
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) informed us in the hadith collected by Muslim: “Whoever repents, before the sun rises from it’s setting (i.e. the west), Allah will forgive him.” This means the repentance of the one who repentance after this, will be of no avail.
3.6 Protection against zina
There are many ways a Muslim can protect them self from zina. From amongst the most important of means is remembering Allah. Know that the one who is away from the remembrance of Allah will be weak and is susceptible to the attacks of Satan. The one who does not speak from his own desire; Prophet (SAW) said: “And I command you to remember Allah. The parable of this is like a man whose enemies were running after him and about to catch him. He then entered a well-fortified fortress and saved himself from them. This is the like of a servant (of Allah), he cannot save himself from Satan except by remembering Allah.”[36]
There are many actions a Muslim can do to protect themselves from zina. Salaat, both obligatory and supererogatory is one of the strongest fortresses against zina. Allah (SWT) said: “…and establish prayer, indeed prayer prevents from depravity and wrongdoing….”[37] Regular fasting is another way of suppressing the sexual desire, as Allah’s Apostle (SAW) prescribed it for the young people who cannot afford marriage. Another way to keep away from zina is by reminding yourself of how you would abhor and dislike it for your mother, daughter, sister, and aunt; this was how the Prophet (SAW) put it to a man who came seeking permission for zina. Remember that Satan watches and waits for you to be distanced from your Muslim brethren, then he makes his attack. And so from amongst the things that will deter you from zina, is to always be in the company of the righteous, those people that will remind you of Allah (SWT). The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said in the hadith collected by Abu Dawud in his Sunan, “…indeed the wolf devours the lone sheep.” Also, remember that when a believer refrains from committing a sin, his reward increases in proportion with the temptation that he faces. Remember that saying “No” to someone who invites you to commit zina will secure you a place of shelter under the shade of Allah’s throne on the Day when their will be no shelter except His.[38] Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “Whoever Allah protects from the evil of what is between his jaws (i.e. his tongue) and the evil of what is between his legs (i.e. his private parts), he will enter Jannah ( Paradise ).[39]
We ask Allah Most High to protect us from the evil of zina, accept our righteous actions, and shower us from His bounties in this life and in the Hereafter. And Allah knows best.
4.0 The misconceptions about Islam: Women gender[40]
4.1 Misconception: It is not civilized to have more than one wife at a time.
Reply by Dr. Zakir Naik of Bombay, India: The only religious book that says: "... then marry only once" is the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims. This injunction is not found in the Christian Bible in the Hindu Geeta, or in the Jewish holy book etc. In the Bible there are so many references to various prophets and kings who had numerous wives. Abraham had three wives, while King Solomon had seven hundred wives, etc. In the Hindu literature the various gods have hundreds of wives. Krishna had one thousand women and concubines. Similarly, the Jews used to marry more than once, till as late as the 1950s. None of these faiths regulated the number of wives a man could have at a time. Only Islam limits the wives to four.
The monogamy that the Christians, the Hindus, and Jews practice today, is not from their religion, but from their government. So the issue of monogamy has no religious significance; it is a man-made rule. Monogamy was the result of an act of parliament, not their faith. Example: The Indian Parliament in 1954 passed the Hindu Marriage Act prohibiting the Hindu male from taking up more than one wife. The Jewish Rabbis in the 10th Century AD made monogamy a rule, although it was not enforced till as late as the 1950s. Similarly, the European countries and the American government passed laws to make monogamy the rule in their lands some time ago. Mormons still marry more than once.
In Surah Nisa God allows a Muslim to marry, one, two, three or four women as long as he can do justice between them. If the man can't do justice, the exhortation for him is: "... then marry only once".
Marrying more than once is not compulsory, but only an option to tide over unique circumstances that societies face from time to time. You will find in many societies today that the ratio between females and males is not 50:50. There are more females than males in Europe, USA and elsewhere. On the other hand, in India, because of the rampant female foetus abortions, the number of females is dropping, and a crisis is in the making, as not enough number of females will be available for Hindu men to marry a few years from now.
The option for women in countries with a bigger female ratio than male is to share a husband with another women, to remain single, or to become public property. "Become public property" is a decent phrase I'm using for what it really means. Ask any woman who cannot find an unmarried man to marry, if it is a better choice to share a husband with another woman, to remain single, or to become a mere mistress. As a lawfully wedded wife she will get the same right as the first wife, get legal status for herself and her children, get inheritance rights for herself and her children, and most importantly, get respect and dignity. Becoming a mistress is no choice. In the West becoming a mistress or a girlfriend is no problem, but becoming a second wife is totally unacceptable. The government will come after you, the society will come after you...
4.2 Misconception: There is no equality between genders in Islam, as Islam gives men the right to have more than one wife, but does it not give the same right to women to have more than one husband.
Reply by Dr. Zakir Naik of Bombay, India: Islam does not approve of polyandry, i.e., a woman taking up more than one husband. It is the male whose children the women bear. If a woman had multiple husbands, it would not be easy to know who is the biological father of the child. When a child is conceived, God puts love and affection in the hearts of the parents so that they can bring up the child. Without this love, life cannot be sustained. But if there was dispute about who really has fathered the child, there would be no love in the heart of the fathers. Psychologists say that children who grow up without knowing who their father is, are lacking in stability and maturity. These days because of scientific progress in DNA testing, one can say who the father is; but these tests were not available for mankind till now. Islam has historically provided for peace and stability in the family, not discord.
4.3 Misconception: Islam subjugates women in a veil.
Reply by Dr. Zakir Naik of Bombay, India: If you look at history, to ancient civilizations, you will find that women were the oppressed people. They had no individual merit. The Babylonians used to punish the woman for her husband's mistakes. The ancient Egyptians did the same. Ancient Arabs buried their newly born daughters.
It was Islam that uplifted the status of women. It gave women rights they never had before. Surah Nisa exhorts believing men to lower their gaze if a lady is passing by. Similarly, there are exhortations for women to lower their gaze if strange men are around. The Quran also speaks about the hijab for men and women to protect the modesty. The hijab for men is to cover their bodies minimally from their navel to the knees. The hijab for women is to cover their whole bodies except for their faces and hands below their wrists. There are descriptions for a female hijab, that it should cover the endowments including head, not be tight, not be transparent, not be like the clothes of non-believers, and not be like the clothes of the other gender, etc. Women got the right to own, inherit property, and to dispose it of at will.
Let me ask you a question: Suppose two identical twin sisters are walking down a street, and one of them is dressed in revealing clothing, while the other one is wearing a hijab. Who will be boys in the street whistle at or tease: the one who is scantily dressed in a mini-skirt, or the one who is modestly attired? The answer is obvious. The hijab is designed to prevent women from being molested. It brings peace to society and prevents mischief.
4.4 Misconception: Capital punishment is barbaric.
Reply by Dr. Zakir Naik of Bombay, India There are crimes for which Islam prescribes capital punishment, e.g. for rape, murder etc. This is to protect society from criminals and anti-social elements. In USA there are 2713 rapes taking place every day. In Islam, the penalty is to award the death penalty so that the criminal is not around to repeat this crime, and to teach others a lesson. Americans say that this is a severe punishment. They say that the rapist must be put in jail for the first rape. If after his release he rapes again, then it is ok to put him to death. Friends, statistics in USA show that 95 percent of the rapists, after release from jail, rape again. Islam prevents this second rape. Following the Hijab dress code prevents the rapist from temptation to rape.
5.0 Conclusion
1) The Quran is clear that the punishment for fornication/adultery is applicable whether someone is married or not.
2) The Quran is clear that the sentence is 100 lashes. The sentence that is witnessed by a group of believers and the prohibition for life for a fornicator or adulterer to ever marry a chaste believer are by far the most substantial punishments.
3) The Quran is clear that a person who was found guilty of zinâ (married or not) can afterwards marry a polytheist or a fornicator/adulterer. No one can be stoned to death and get married afterwards. Only blind, faithless, and heartless people will refuse to see the light after this and continue to promote Satan’s law instead of God’s law.
4) The Quran is clear that stoning is the signature mark of idol worshipers who supersede God’s law with Satan’s law.
5) The law to punish zinâ may seem harsh for people who grew up in Western Countries. God’s law is always the perfect law, and an Islamic society (based on the Quran) is here to protect everyone and the society at large against satan whose goal is to destroy the human race (Holy Quran Chapter 4:119) because a balanced society cannot allow moral corruption, children to be born out of wedlock, families to be destroyed, and diseases to spread and even kill people, as it happens in so many corrupted societies.
6) Islam is the perfect way of life and shield to protect believers who wish to be pure from the bottom of their hearts and live in perfect submission to God. It is a society which prohibits evil and vice in general. Islam is not a weak society that allows Satan to spread his poison. Islam is designed to destroy Satan. It forbids fornication, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, pornography, drugs, gambling, violence, theft, etc ... On the other hand, Islam strives to spread peace, purity, honesty, charity, chastity, faithfulness in households and in all fields of life. It promotes pure and strong marriages which foundation relies on the Word of God, and where both spouses love and respect each other. It allows children to grow in a pure environment with a father and a mother ready to prepare them to become the beautiful seed of the next generation which will, God willing preserve and spread further the establishment of God’s kingdom on Earth.
7) Islam is not a "free", permissive society when it comes to allow people to corrupt themselves and spread corruption around them. It does not let people become trapped by their own sins and end up in Hell without first receiving warnings in the form of serious punishments (ie from Quran and Hadith).
8) In reality, Islam is a society that is designed to set people free because it keeps believers away from corruption, and it prevents them from becoming Satan’s slaves. It provides them the foundation, real freedom and peace of mind in their everyday lives to enjoy purity and happiness in this world and the hereafter.
May Allah guide you and me to be sincere in our intentions and to perfect our deeds!
May Allah guide you and me to the straightforward path, for He is Most Bounteous, Most Generous? Praise be to Allah the Lord of all worlds.
May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his Companions!
We ask Allaah to make us and you steadfast.
Assembled by Abba Abana, FCE,
Kubwa, Abuja, Nigeria
Dated 21st February 2013
[1] Did you download or photocopied ‘’Avoid 70 Major Sins’’ series 1 - 8 and 9? In Shaa Allahu, Our planned mission is to get all 70 Major Sins separately/sequentially via email to brothers/sisters for their archives/families/friends etc.
[2] The most accepted collection of Hadith Sahih al Bukhari has 4 entries under 3829, 8804, 8805 and 8824 which refer to stoning by death.
The case under 4829 involved Jews who were stoned to death in accordance with the Law of the Torah.
8805 says: "A married man from the tribe of Bani Aslam who had committed illegal sexual intercourse and bore witnesses four times against himself was ordered by the Prophet (SAW) to be stoned to death".
8804 and 8824 overlap each other. And in both the narrator acknowledges his ignorance of whether the stoning to death was carried out before or after the revelation of Quranic Verse 24-2.
[3] see hadith Anas in Saheeh Bukhari
[4] Saheeh Bukhari
[21] The Islamic Ruling Concerning the Criminal Act of Zina; [Adultery & Fornication]; by Bilal Dannoun
[22] Al-Israa, 17: 32
[23] Abu Dawud – authentic according to Albaani
[24] An-Nisaa, 4: 15
[25] An-Nisaa, 4: 16
[26] An-Noor, 24: 2
[27] Saheeh Bukhari
[28] Saheeh Bukhari & Saheeh Muslim
[29] Saheeh Muslim, Abu Dawud & others
[30] See Sahih Muslim & Abu Dawud
[31] Saheeh Bukhari
[32] Ibn Khuzaymah & Ibn Hibbaan – authentic according to Albaani
[33] Al-Furqaan, 25: 68-69
[34] An-Noor, 24: 3
[35] An-Nisaa, 4: 18
[36] Tirmidhi & An-Nasai – authentic according to Albaani
[37] Al-‘Ankaboot, 29: 45
[38] see Bukhari & Muslim
[39] Tirmidhi – authentic according to Albaani
[40] Summary of the lecture delivered by Dr. Zakir Naik of Bombay, India, on "The misconceptions about Islam", on Friday, November 26, 1999 at the Rakkah Stadium, Dammam, under the aegis of the Islamic Dawah and Guidance Center, Dammam.
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