The Ruling on Rajm (Stoning to Death) and Its Shar‘i Status
Source: Fatawa Ameenpuri — Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
❖ Question
What do the scholars say about the ruling of rajm (stoning to death for adultery)?
❖ Answer
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
The punishment of rajm for a married adulterer is Haq (truth), established by mutawatir ahadith, and affirmed by scholarly consensus (ijma‘).
◈ Scholarly Consensus and Evidence
- Hafiz Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (463 AH) رحمه الله:
He wrote that the proof of rajm and its enforcement on a married adulterer is established, and that the scholars of hadith and fiqh are unanimous upon it. No reputable scholar opposed it. (al-Tamhid 14/388)
He further explained: the Khawarij and Mu‘tazilah denied rajm and restricted the punishment to flogging only, whether married or unmarried. Their view contradicts the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ and the way of the believers, because Rasulullah ﷺ, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and all scholars across the Muslim lands unanimously agreed upon rajm. (al-Tamhid 23/121)
- ʿAllamah al-Marghinani (593 AH) رحمه الله (Hanafi):
“There is consensus of the Companions on rajm.” (al-Hidayah 2/500)
- ʿAllamah al-Zaylaʿi (743 AH) رحمه الله (Hanafi):
“There is consensus of the Companions, transmitted to us through tawatur. The denial of rajm by Khawarij has no weight, as they denied something definitively established, which is mere obstinacy.” (Tabyin al-Haqa’iq 3/167)
- Hafiz Ibn Kathir (774 AH) رحمه الله:
“The mutawatir Sunnah proves that Rasulullah ﷺ stoned the married adulterer.” (Tuhfat al-Talib p. 347)
- Hafiz Ibn al-Mulaqqin (804 AH) رحمه الله:
“Ahl al-Sunnah are unanimous that rajm is from the rulings of Allah.” (al-Tawdih 30/236)
- Hafiz al-ʿIraqi (806 AH) رحمه الله:
“The married adulterer is to be stoned; this is agreed upon.” (Tarh al-Tathrib 8/7)
- ʿAllamah al-ʿAyni (855 AH) رحمه الله (Hanafi):
He confirmed the ijma‘ of Ahl al-Sunnah and the scholars of hadith upon rajm, stating that no significant scholar disagreed. (Nukhbat al-Afkar 14/414)
- ʿAllamah Ibn Nujaym (970 AH) رحمه الله (Hanafi):
“There is consensus of the Companions on rajm. The Khawarij’s denial is baseless. If they reject the authority of ijma‘, it is compounded ignorance, for this is qat‘i ijma‘. If they deny its occurrence from Rasulullah ﷺ, it is false, because rajm is established from him by mutawatir meaning.” (al-Bahr al-Ra’iq 5/8; Sharh Musnad Abi Hanifah by Mulla ʿAli al-Qari 1/358)
◈ Conclusion
- Rajm is firmly established by the mutawatir Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ.
- It has been enforced by the Prophet ﷺ, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the scholars after them.
- Ijma‘ of the Companions and later scholars confirms it.
- The denial by Khawarij and Mu‘tazilah is invalid and has no scholarly weight.
- Therefore, the ruling of rajm is from the Hudud of Allah and is binding in Islam.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
