The question is: Does religion prescribe the punishment of stoning for adultery? The Holy Quran does not prescribe stoning as the punishment for adultery. There is not a single verse in the Quran that mentions the punishment of Rajm. However, the Jewish answer to the question is of course yes. The Old Testament explicitly depicts various adulterous sexual acts & prescribes that those indulging be “put to death.” (Leviticus 20:10-21)
The Arabic word rajm/rajama is similar to the Hebrew word ragam, which means ‘to collect or cast stones.’ But Muslims cling to the punishment of rajm. Naturally the question arises: Why are some Muslims following the Jewish practice & prescribe stoning as the punishment for the sin of adultery? There is not a single verse within the revealed verses of the Quran wherein the penalty of "Stoning to Death” is prescribed by God, for any crime or sin.
The Arabic word rajm/rajama is similar to the Hebrew word ragam, which means ‘to collect or cast stones.’ But Muslims cling to the punishment of rajm. Naturally the question arises: Why are some Muslims following the Jewish practice & prescribe stoning as the punishment for the sin of adultery? There is not a single verse within the revealed verses of the Quran wherein the penalty of "Stoning to Death” is prescribed by God, for any crime or sin.
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.
Allah's Supreme Law, in Surah Nur (24):
“A Surah which We have sent down and which We have ordained: In it have We sent down Clear Signs, in order that ye may receive admonition.” 24: 1
“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.” 24: 2
As we can see…Rajm (stoning to death) is no where mentioned in the Quran. In fact, it contradicts Quranic verses. Haidth which mentions this mode of punishment are very ambiguous and if there is Hadith which contradicts the Quranic injuction must be rejected as inauthentic. It is clearly mentioned in the Quran that punishment of the Married slave women (who was slave before getting married) would half that of a married free woman. So it is evident that there can be no half of "stoning to death”. Punishment for the adultery is 100 lashes which is clearly mentioned in the Quran and there is distinction of married or unmarried there.
We must bear in mind that it’s the Quran that is primary source of Islamic laws and not Hadith especially when it contradicts the categorical Quranic injunction. Holy Prophet(PBUH) himself has said that if you find anything in the Hadith that contradicts the Quran, throw that Hadith on the Wall. And Hadith were compiled 200 years after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
