Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Allah Ta’ala has legislated the prescribed punishment (hadd) for murder to protect the lives of Muslims, the prescribed punishment for theft to protect their wealth, and the prescribed punishments for adultery (zina) and false accusation (qadhf) to protect their honor. The benefits of rain are well established in their own right; in fact, it is necessary for the maintenance of the system of life. However, if the very sustenance that rain brings falls into the hands of thieves and bandits, then all is rendered futile. If a family’s honor is violated even once, then despite an abundance of wealth and riches, they are forced to live their lives with downcast eyes and bowed necks. If a single individual from a tribe is killed, not only is the peace of the families of both the murderer and the murdered destroyed for centuries, but hundreds of people are compelled to be drawn into the marketplace of killing and bloodshed. The solution to all these matters is only this: if someone’s crime is deserving of a prescribed punishment (hadd), then it should be implemented without displaying softness or cowardice.