Surah 24. An-Nur, Ayah 2
| الزَّانِيَةُ وَالزَّانِي فَاجْلِدُوا كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا مِائَةَ جَلْدَةٍ ۖ وَلَا تَأْخُذْكُمْ بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | az- zaaniyah wa- az- zaane fa- ijlido kull waah.id min -humaa mi'ah jaldah wa- laa ta'khudh -kum bi- -himaa ra'fah fe den 'allaah 'in kuntum tu'minon bi- 'allaah wa- al- yawm al- 'aakhir wa- li- yashhad cadhaab -humaa t.aa'ifah min al- mu'minen |
| Pickthall | : | The adulterer and the adulteress, scourge ye each one of them (with) a hundred stripes. And let not pity for the twain withhold you from obedience to Allah, if ye believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of believers witness their punishment. |
| Asad | : | AS FOR the adulteress and the adulterer2 - flog each of them with a hundred stripes, and let not com-passion with them keep you from [carrying out] this law of God, if you [truly] believe in God and the Last Day; and let a group of the believers witness their chastisement3 |
| Malik | : | As for the fornicatoress and the fornicator (a female and a male guilty of rape), flog each female and a male guilty of rape one hundred lashes and do not take pity in enforcing the law ordained by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day, and let a party of the believers witness their punishment. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | The woman and the man guilty of adultery or 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. 2954 2955 2956 |
Note - 2The term zina signifies voluntary sexual intercourse
between a man and a woman not married to one another,
irrespective of whether one or both of them are married
to other persons or not: hence, it does not - in contrast
with the usage prevalent in most Western languages -
differentiate between the concepts of "adultery" (i.e.,
sexual intercourse of a married man with a woman other
than his wife, or of a married woman with a man other
than her husband) and "fornication" (i.e., sexual
intercourse between two unmarried persons). For the sake
of simplicity I am rendering zina throughout as
"adultery", and the person guilty of it as "adulterer" or
"adulteress", respectively.
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Note - 3The number of those to be present has been deliberately
left unspecified, thus indicating that while the
punishment must be given publicity, it need not be made a
"public spectacle".
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Note - 2954Zina includes sexual intercourse between a man and a
woman not married to each other. It therefore applies
both to adultery (which implies that one or both of the
parties are married to a person or persons other than the
ones concerned) and to fornication, which, in its strict
signification, implies that both parties are unmarried.
The law of marriage and divorce is made easy in Islam, so
that there may be the less temptation for intercourse
outside the well-defined incidents of marriage. This
makes for greater self-respect for both man and woman.
Other sex offences are also punishable, but this Section
applies strictly to Zina as above defined. Although zina
covers both fornication and adultery, in the opinion of
Muslim jurists, the punishment laid down here applies
only to unmarried persons. As for married persons, their
punishment, according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace
be on him), is stoning to death.
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Note - 2955Cf. iv. 15, and n. 523.
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Note - 2956The punishment should be open, in order to be deterrent.
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The term zina signifies voluntary sexual intercourse between a man and a woman not married to one another, irrespective of whether one or both of them are married to other persons or not: hence, it does not - in contrast with the usage prevalent in most Western languages - differentiate between the concepts of "adultery" (i.e., sexual intercourse of a married man with a woman other than his wife, or of a married woman with a man other than her husband) and "fornication" (i.e., sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons). For the sake of simplicity I am rendering zina throughout as "adultery", and the person guilty of it as "adulterer" or "adulteress", respectively. |
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Zina includes sexual intercourse between a man and a woman not married to each other. It therefore applies both to adultery (which implies that one or both of the parties are married to a person or persons other than the ones concerned) and to fornication, which, in its strict signification, implies that both parties are unmarried. The law of marriage and divorce is made easy in Islam, so that there may be the less temptation for intercourse outside the well-defined incidents of marriage. This makes for greater self-respect for both man and woman. Other sex offences are also punishable, but this Section applies strictly to Zina as above defined. Although zina covers both fornication and adultery, in the opinion of Muslim jurists, the punishment laid down here applies only to unmarried persons. As for married persons, their punishment, according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be on him), is stoning to death. |
