Question:
My question was is stoning adulterer still permissible in this day and age or was is something used for just a period? What did the prophet Muhammad say about it was stoning one of the law changed?
Answer:
All praise be to Allah, the all-Wise Lawgiver.
Before answering your question, it is necessary to put our conversation in perspective. So let us look at some of the evil effects that adultery has on society.
– Over 42 million babies are killed every year through abortion worldwide.
– This equates to approximately 115,000 babies killed by abortion every day, or almost two babies killed every second.
Those who are not killed may end up without parents in orphanages, or abondoned or otherwise live without family.
If we look at societies where adultery is prevelant, we also find that divorce rate is beyond 60% . In many of these societies, people no longer even see the need to marry.
In these societies, countless young girls are sold into prostitution or otherwise exploited through the sex industry.
Now, to answer your question, the punishment for adultery in Islam is the same as in the Bible. However, in Islam the purpose is not to punish but to deter, and for this reason the punishment exists but it is rarely applied. This is because, unless there is voluntary admission, there must be 4 just male eyewitnesses who see penetration in order for the punishment to be applied. This has never occured in Islamic history.
But the punishment remains there like a whip hanging above the would-be adulterer’s head, so that he or she is deterred from this evil. All the parts of the body that would enjoy this evil relationship would also fear the effects of the punishment.
Also, such punishment cannot be applied in the West or outside the just framework of an Islamic state.
At the same time, Islam teaches that one must hide their sin, so if a woman or man did commit this, they should not make it public, but repent for it, and God will forgive them, and He is Merciful.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was asked about two jews who committed adultery. He asked that the Torah be brought, and they took it out but covered up some of the verses. He told them to move their hands, and they were hiding the verses of stoning for adultery.
Allah knows best.