Stoning in Islam.
In Women in Islam the other day someone asked the question about why punishment in the Qur'an is inflicted equally upon both genders but women seem to receive the brunt of punishment in modern day Islamic rulings. Obviously the underlying question to this was regarding the stoning of adulterers. Even as someone who studied the religion I've always had an immediate reaction to violent punishments within Islam and found the conversation to be really interesting. I don't know if you guys care but I am going to post about this anyway because whatever. It's Ramadan.
One thing I never knew was the original idea that while there are worldly punishments and repentance, the obvious punishment and repentance comes from your own dialogue and relationship with God. For instance, to receive the punishment of stoning for adultery you must either bear witness against yourself four times or have four witnesses to the act of penetration. Obviously the latter is pretty much impossible unless you're having sex in a park in broad day light and it was designed as pretty much impossible to keep private sin between yourself and God. And if you bear false witness, having not witnessed actual penetration, you are committing a sin and should be punished for slander. I just found the concept of worldly vs heavenly punishment to really alter my views about Islamic life during the Prophet. Particularly when mirrored against modern-day Arabia or Taliban controlled Afghanistan.
She also cited a hadith that I can't find her exact words under. I actually found two separate hadith that when combined form my teacher's.
So my teacher's version was that a woman came to the Prophet and said, "Punish me I have committed adultery and am with child." and the Prophet turned his face from her. She repeated herself three more times and each time he turned his face away to feign ignorance. Finally he said, "If you are certain you wish to receive the punishment of stoning then return after your child has been born." Her child was born and she immediately returned to Muhammad who told her, "If you are certain you wish to receive the Earthly punishment then return when you have fed and weaned your son." After her son was weaned she returned and Muhammad ordered her stoning. As his followers were stoning the woman they began to get verbally abusive against her which the Prophet called to cease saying, "This woman has more repentance to God in her heart than all of you combined."
Volume 8, Book 82, Number 806:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
A man came to Allah's Apostle while he was in the mosque, and he called him, saying, "O Allah's Apostle! I have committed illegal sexual intercourse.'" The Prophet turned his face to the other side, but that man repeated his statement four times, and after he bore witness against himself four times, the Prophet called him, saying, "Are you mad?" The man said, "No." The Prophet said, "Are you married?" The man said, "Yes." Then the Prophet said, 'Take him away and stone him to death." Jabir bin 'Abdullah said: I was among the ones who participated in stoning him and we stoned him at the Musalla. When the stones troubled him, he fled, but we over took him at Al-Harra and stoned him to death.
Book 017, Number 4207:
Imran b. Husain reported that a woman from Juhaina came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and she had become pregnant because of adultery. She said: Allah's Apostle, I have done something for which (prescribed punishment) must be imposed upon me, so impose that. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) called her master and said: Treat her well, and when she delivers bring her to me. He did accordingly. Then Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) pronounced judgment about her and her clothes were tied around her and then he commanded and she was stoned to death. He then prayed over her (dead body). Thereupon Umar said to him: Allah's Apostle, you offer prayer for her, whereas she had committed adultery! Thereupon he said: She has made such a repentance that if it were to be divided among seventy men of Medina, it would be enough. Have you found any repentance better than this that she sacrificed her life for Allah, the Majestic?
One thing I never knew was the original idea that while there are worldly punishments and repentance, the obvious punishment and repentance comes from your own dialogue and relationship with God. For instance, to receive the punishment of stoning for adultery you must either bear witness against yourself four times or have four witnesses to the act of penetration. Obviously the latter is pretty much impossible unless you're having sex in a park in broad day light and it was designed as pretty much impossible to keep private sin between yourself and God. And if you bear false witness, having not witnessed actual penetration, you are committing a sin and should be punished for slander. I just found the concept of worldly vs heavenly punishment to really alter my views about Islamic life during the Prophet. Particularly when mirrored against modern-day Arabia or Taliban controlled Afghanistan.
She also cited a hadith that I can't find her exact words under. I actually found two separate hadith that when combined form my teacher's.
So my teacher's version was that a woman came to the Prophet and said, "Punish me I have committed adultery and am with child." and the Prophet turned his face from her. She repeated herself three more times and each time he turned his face away to feign ignorance. Finally he said, "If you are certain you wish to receive the punishment of stoning then return after your child has been born." Her child was born and she immediately returned to Muhammad who told her, "If you are certain you wish to receive the Earthly punishment then return when you have fed and weaned your son." After her son was weaned she returned and Muhammad ordered her stoning. As his followers were stoning the woman they began to get verbally abusive against her which the Prophet called to cease saying, "This woman has more repentance to God in her heart than all of you combined."
Volume 8, Book 82, Number 806:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
A man came to Allah's Apostle while he was in the mosque, and he called him, saying, "O Allah's Apostle! I have committed illegal sexual intercourse.'" The Prophet turned his face to the other side, but that man repeated his statement four times, and after he bore witness against himself four times, the Prophet called him, saying, "Are you mad?" The man said, "No." The Prophet said, "Are you married?" The man said, "Yes." Then the Prophet said, 'Take him away and stone him to death." Jabir bin 'Abdullah said: I was among the ones who participated in stoning him and we stoned him at the Musalla. When the stones troubled him, he fled, but we over took him at Al-Harra and stoned him to death.
Book 017, Number 4207:
Imran b. Husain reported that a woman from Juhaina came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and she had become pregnant because of adultery. She said: Allah's Apostle, I have done something for which (prescribed punishment) must be imposed upon me, so impose that. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) called her master and said: Treat her well, and when she delivers bring her to me. He did accordingly. Then Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) pronounced judgment about her and her clothes were tied around her and then he commanded and she was stoned to death. He then prayed over her (dead body). Thereupon Umar said to him: Allah's Apostle, you offer prayer for her, whereas she had committed adultery! Thereupon he said: She has made such a repentance that if it were to be divided among seventy men of Medina, it would be enough. Have you found any repentance better than this that she sacrificed her life for Allah, the Majestic?