“If I were to stone anyone without proof, I would have stoned so-and-so, for there is obviously doubt concerning her speech, her appearance and those who enter upon her.”
Sunan Ibn Majah Book 20, Hadith 27
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“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by a Jew with a blackened face who had been flogged. He called them and said: 'Is this the punishment for the adulterer that you find in your Book?' They said: 'Yes.' Then he called one of their scholars and said: 'I adjure you by Allah (SWT) Who sent down the Tawrah (Torah) to Musa! Is this the punishment for the adulterer that you find in your Book?' He said: 'No; if you had not adjured me by Allah (SWT), I would not have told you. The punishment for the adulterer that we find in our Book is stoning, but many of our nobles were being stoned (because of the prevalence of adultery among them), so if we caught one of our nobles (committing adultery), we would let him go; but if we caught one of the weak among us, we would carry out the punishment on him. We said: “Come, let us agree upon something that we may impose on both noble and weak alike.” So we agreed to blacken the face and whip them, instead of stoning.' The Prophet (ﷺ) 'O Allah (SWT), I am the first of those who revive your command which they had killed off,' and he issued orders that (the man) be stoned.”
Sunan Ibn Majah Book 20, Hadith 26 Next Hadith → “Ibn `Abbas mentioned two people who had engaged in the process of Li`an. Ibn Shaddad said to him: 'Is this the one of whom the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If I were to stone anyone without proof I would have stoned so-and-so.” Ibn`Abbas said: 'No, that was a woman who, (although she was a Muslim), used to expose herself.'”
Sunan Ibn Majah Book 20, Hadith 28
Sunan Ibn Majah Book 20, Hadith 26 Next Hadith → “Ibn `Abbas mentioned two people who had engaged in the process of Li`an. Ibn Shaddad said to him: 'Is this the one of whom the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If I were to stone anyone without proof I would have stoned so-and-so.” Ibn`Abbas said: 'No, that was a woman who, (although she was a Muslim), used to expose herself.'”
Sunan Ibn Majah Book 20, Hadith 28