Page:Selections from Muhammadan Traditions - tr. William Goldsack (1923).djvu/206

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XVI

THE BOOK OF PUNISHMENTS

It is related from Abú Hurairah and Zaid bin Khálid that, 'Two men disputed before the Apostle of God. And one of them said, "Judge between us by the Book of God." And the other said, "Yes, O Apostle of God, judge between us by the Book of God, and give me permission to speak." He replied, "Say on." He said, "My son was a labourer with this man, and he committed adultery with his wife. And they told me that my son should be stoned. But I redeemed him therefrom by one hundred sheep and by a slave-girl which I had. After that I asked the learned, and they told me that my son must be given one hundred lashes, and must be banished the country for a year, and that stoning was only for this man's wife." The Apostle of God said, "By Him in whose hand is my life! I will certainly judge between you by the Book of God. As for thy sheep and thy slave-girl they must be returned to thee; and as for thy son, he must be given one hundred lashes and banished for a year. And as for thee, O Unais, come in the morning to this woman, and if she confesses, then stone her. Then she confessed, and they stoned her."'—Muslim, Al Bukhárí.

It is related from ʿOmar that he said, 'Verily God sent Muḥammad with truth, and He sent down on him the Book. And amongst what God Most High sent down was the verse of stoning. The Apostle of God stoned, and we stoned after him. And the stoning in the Book of God is proper for whoever commits adultery when married, whether men or women, when proofs are established, whether by pregnancy or confession."'—Muslim , Al Bukhárí.

It is related from ʿAbduʾlláh bin ʿOmar that some Jews came to the Apostle of God and told him that one of their men and a woman had committed adultery. The Apostle of God said to them, "What do ye find in the Taurát in the matter of stoning?" They said, "Their evil deeds are exposed, and