- Category: SHARIA LAW
- Language: ENGLISH
- Format: PDF
Criminalising adultery and the provision of the severe punishment of stoning to death is legitimate in both Christianity and Islam. For Christianity, this is based on the evidence from the Old Testament and the New Testament as Jesus Christ says with regard to the fulfilment of the Law: Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them (Matt, 5:17). And his saying about adultery, You
have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell (Matt,
5:27-30). This explicit evidence has been discussed and interpreted extensively by the religious clergy and biblical experts throughout the history of Christianity. Most Christians today adhere to the teaching of Paul that the laws of the Old Testament have been abolished.
For Muslims, there is no doubt about the legitimacy of prohibiting adultery and its penalty based on the definite and clear evidence from the practice of the Prophet and as it was understood by the earlier Muslim nations and the majority of Muslim jurists from the different schools of law. This is one of the divinely fixed laws which cannot ever be changed. However, it must be restated that the law must be observed comprehensively as a whole package, i.e., by taking into account the preventative measures, the extremely high standards of proof, and the whole requirement of the proceedings.
Keywords: stoning for adultery, Quraan, Bible, Shareeah, Muslim societies
Stoning is a form of capital punishment which applies specifically to cases of adultery. In this form of punishment, the convicted person is put to death by throwing stones, usually by a crowd. This practice was seen in some cultures as allowing the larger community to take part in the administration of justice. Stoning has been used since ancient times to punish the convicted. Subsequently, this practice has been criticised as cruel and inhuman. Some countries,
therefore, have abandoned this method replacing it with either life imprisonment, hanging or decapitation.
