This is Our Religion, Part 14



Whipping the Adulterers and Stoning Them
And Whipping the Slanderers

The Muslim society - regarding sexual desire - is in complete adversary with the capitalist and communist societies.

Sexual intercourse in these societies is the call of the body, and almost isolated from manners, soul, worship and faith. As for Muslims we strongly tie the sexual relationships with the teachings of religion and we discipline them in a frame of protection and virtuousness.

Allah said in a description of the believers:
Who abstain from sex; Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess, for (in their case) they are free from blame, But those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors. [5-7]

There is only one breather for sexual desire and that is the legal contract Allah has accepted: the house of marriage alone. Nothing to blame for what happens inside this house, but what is really blamed is the arts of seduction the dissolute resort to, to drive both males and female cunningly towards them.

An example of these seductions are the unrestricted mingling between men and women, mixed dancing, stories or novels whether performed or read with all the dissoluteness and pornography they contain, and eventually the beast like mating with no purpose but to fulfill the desires and the irritated natures.

The Islamic society is immune to all that, it detests adultery with all its introductions. It established harsh penalties for adulterers that range between whipping and execution if the criminals were married.
Undoubtedly, a hundred lashes for the unmarried and execution by stoning for the married are very harsh penalties but reasonably fair.
What attracts the attention regarding these penalties is the extreme caution Islam has taken to carry them out.
It is a must for 4 witnesses to witness the crime with their own eyes� knowing that such crimes are normally done in secret and having four people to witness them is so rare.
And from a historic point of view we realize that the carrying out of the adultery boundary (penalty) hasn�t been done by having the required evidences except in rare occasions to the extent that some thought that the reason for this penalty is for terrorizing purposes only.

We admit that Islam has been very strict in proving that the crime of adultery has really occurred and that this strictness was deliberate because of what might result from proving it some extreme and wide consequences.
The crime of adultery extends beyond those directly involved in it to their families and relatives and can cause physical and ethical catastrophes to both families� no wonder then that Islam verifies and doubles the evidences required for proving this crime.
The range is wide for applying the boundaries in environments where there is too much dirtiness and rudeness.
In the countries of Europe and America and in the countries that follow their steps a lot of people have turned into cattle of animals that commit adultery in parks and sideways without any shame or caution.
Whipping or killing such criminals is so easy because their actions are so clear and evident.
But Islam - truthfully - did not rely on boundaries as a way to spread virtue in the society, rather it depended on establishing sincerity in the hearts and consciousness that monitor Allah in secret and don't disobey Him whenever there is a chance for that. After these great introductions Islam stood up and verified situations that assure there will never be any diversions.

From these assurances:
-The spread of decent and covering clothes that honors and protects the woman's body.
-The recommendation for aversion (of one's glance or gaze) and the prevention of the betraying eyes from searching for the private parts.
- The prohibition of closed meetings between men and women as an end to any excuse and to preserve of the purity of the hearts.
- The rejection of mixed education so each sex would have its own schools and colleges.
- And the facilitation of marriage and normalizing it as a natural social phenomenon without hardships or affectation.

Obviously there is a great distance between Islamic behavior regarding sexual connections and the unethical manner imported from here or there.

As for the foreign behavior it has reached an end where it considers adultery to be a physical need not forbidden by the law as long as it is done with the consent of both parties.

In addition to the welcoming of thousands of illegitimate children as normal people with no right for anyone to ask how they came to this life.

We as Muslims refuse conclusively these consequences and regard the crime of adultery a dangerous fornication that we try hard to close any doors that might lead to it. We also punish those committing it with whipping and killing since we view the family as the only legitimate place for the intercourse between honorable men and women.

And in the same way Islam preserves the inviolability of people it also rejects the slandering and the defamation of honors.
Despite that you would find some people who would harm others with their tongues slandering and defaming them. Such kinds of attackers should never be left free to talk about people�s honors insulting the chaste. Islam asked them to bring four witnesses on what they say or they will be punished with eighty lashes on their backs:
And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, (to support their allegations), flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors. [24:4]

Hitting fabricators of lies in this way then degrading their dignity for life by never accepting their testimony in any case though is a hard and extreme punishment but is still fair and just and prohibits false accusations against others.

Chaste women should be surrounded by various guarantees in order for them to lead secure and tranquil lives.

Here we would like to drag your attention to something so precise and wonderful and that is this religion prefers for the sin to die in its place rather than for the tongues to keep on talking and spreading the news about it.

So let�s assume that someone saw a sexual crime being committed still he/she is not allowed to talk about it to any one.
Who knows? This secrecy might help in the repentance and purification of those involved in it.

Religion doesn�t stand waiting for someone to fall in order to nail him right away:
If Allah were to punish men according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily Allah has in His sight all His servants. [35:45]

Religion gives chances of long lasting cover-up until the stray finds his way or the disobedient gives up on his sins. It is from this point the believer was obliged to close his ears on rumors and to consider those who spread them as liars as long as they don�t have hard evidences to support their claims.
Allah said:
Why did not the Believers - men and women - when ye heard of the affair, put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, "This (charge) is an obvious lie? Why did they not bring four witnesses to prove it? When they have not brought the witnesses, such men, in the sight of Allah (stand forth) themselves as liars! [24:12-13]

And obviously Islam detests crimes and threatens those committing them in secret and appear in the daylight as honored and chaste with sever penalty in this life and the hereafter: Contend not on behalf of such as betray their own souls; for Allah loveth not one given to perfidy and crime. They may hide (their crimes) from men, but they cannot hide (them) from Allah, seeing that He is with them when they plot by night, in words that He cannot approve; and Allah doth compass round all that they do. [4:107-108]

Despite the detest religion faced these hypocrites with, it favored uncovering them and kept windows of hope open for them that one day in the future they would reconcile with the Oft-Forgiving, full of Loving-Kindness.
But for those revealed by destiny then they will be whipped like animals, as they deserve to be.

Despite that Islam gave homes and the relationship between spouses a special look. Yes, doubt is the biggest lie among talks and the accusation is a plague upon the accuser unless there are witnesses.
In this case the husband might find it embarrassing to prove the adultery of his wife nor can he live with it.

Islam interferes to guide and rule.

The issue is so critical and the case has no room for an eluded doubt or a corrupted imagination!

It is either for the man to be certain one hundred percent of what he is saying without refrain or doubt, or let him keep silent and never accuse his wife with something she�s innocent from.

The law of cursing came here to end a suspicious, ill relationship:
And for those who launch a charge against their spouses, and have (in support) no evidence but their own, - their solitary evidence (can be received) if - they bear witness four times (with an oath) by Allah that they are solemnly telling the Truth. And the fifth (oath) (should be) that they solemnly invoke the curse of Allah on themselves if they tell a lie. But it would avert the punishment from the wife, if she bears witness four times (with an oath) by Allah, that (her husband) is telling a lie; And the fifth (oath) should be that she solemnly invokes the wrath of Allah on herself if (her accuser) is telling the Truth. [24:6-9]

Cursing is a conclusive law that came in its place, and the Islamic society rarely seek to prescribe this remedy because the great teachings Islam surrounded the society has spared it from these troubles and protected it from the harmful consequences�

The Islamic family in the past and nowadays is stronger, purer and more virtuous than all the families in the five continents and the credit for this stability is the teachings of Islam the true religion.