Answer by: Fadhīlat al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir (ḥafiẓahullāh)
If the punishment of a slave or bondwoman is half, then how is half of stoning (rajm) to be carried out?
The punishment for male and female slaves is only flogging (lashes)—not stoning. The Sharʿi principle is that their punishment is half of that of free individuals. That is, if a free person is to receive 100 lashes, a slave or bondwoman will receive 50 lashes.
"فَإِذَا أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنَاتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ"
[Sūrah al-Nisā’: 25]
“Then when they are married, and commit indecency, they shall receive half the punishment of free (married) women.”
◈ The punishment of stoning (rajm) does not apply to slaves and bondwomen.
◈ “Half the punishment” refers only to flogging, and not to capital punishments like rajm, as such punishments cannot be halved.
◈ For further details on this subject, one may refer to the tafsir "Taysīr al-Qur’ān" and the book "Āʾinah Parwēziyyat" by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Kīlānī (رحمه الله).
The punishment for a slave or bondwoman is half the number of lashes compared to a free individual. Rajm (stoning) is not applicable to them.
❖ Question:
If the punishment of a slave or bondwoman is half, then how is half of stoning (rajm) to be carried out?
❖ Clarification Regarding the Punishment of Slaves and Bondwomen:
The punishment for male and female slaves is only flogging (lashes)—not stoning. The Sharʿi principle is that their punishment is half of that of free individuals. That is, if a free person is to receive 100 lashes, a slave or bondwoman will receive 50 lashes.
❖ Qur’anic Evidence:
"فَإِذَا أُحْصِنَّ فَإِنْ أَتَيْنَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ فَعَلَيْهِنَّ نِصْفُ مَا عَلَى الْمُحْصَنَاتِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ"
[Sūrah al-Nisā’: 25]
“Then when they are married, and commit indecency, they shall receive half the punishment of free (married) women.”
❖ Key Points:
◈ The punishment of stoning (rajm) does not apply to slaves and bondwomen.
◈ “Half the punishment” refers only to flogging, and not to capital punishments like rajm, as such punishments cannot be halved.
◈ For further details on this subject, one may refer to the tafsir "Taysīr al-Qur’ān" and the book "Āʾinah Parwēziyyat" by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Kīlānī (رحمه الله).
❖ Conclusion:
The punishment for a slave or bondwoman is half the number of lashes compared to a free individual. Rajm (stoning) is not applicable to them.
