Punishment for Fornicators in Islamic State
Question
In a recent news story, a young Iraqi girl was stoned to death for bringing shame to her family by apparently being romantically involved with a young Sunni. She was apparently of a different sect. How does the Quran address this? Compare this with the story from the new testament of the woman caught in the act of adultery as depicted in the book of John, chapter 8, verses 1 through 11. Which do you believe accurately shows us the heart and nature of the living God?
Response
I believe that any instances of honor killings do not have anything to do with the religion of Islam. In such contexts, I almost always like to stress upon the difference between Islamic doctrines and Muslim practices. What we witnessed was an action undertaken by a (group of) Muslim(s) without any sanction from Quran. According to Quran, only two circumstances justify an execution: Recompense for murder, and mischief in the land.1 Clearly, this case falls under neither of those two categories.
As for the story that you have mentioned from the Bible, I believe it to be inline with what Quran preaches. Prophet Jesus (pbuh) had clearly stated that he had not come to abolish the existing law of the Jews, rather to reinstate it. The woman should have been punished according to Jewish law. However, it must also be noted that crime is punishable by state and not by individuals. Prophet Jesus (pbuh) could not have punished that crime in his individual capacity and as a result, he let the woman go. The same would be the case, for instance, if someone were to be punished for a crime they had committed under an Islamic state (or for that matter, any state in the world). No individual would be entitled to punishing the criminal; instead, it would be the state and its various institutions that are responsible for carrying out such punishments.
I am unable to identify the event you were referring to in your question, so I am unable to say what exactly an Islamic state would do in that particular case. However, in general, sexual involvement outside of marriage is punishable in an Islamic state like many other crimes. I am not sure how that would lead to the conclusion that God is any less merciful. In the Hereafter when we are judged, God’s mercy, which is in effect simultaneously with God’s justice, demands that those who have wronged others in this world be held accountable for their actions. God would be merciless if He’s unable to make an oppressed get his right from the one who oppressed him. In worldly terms, this is akin to saying that oppressed go to a court of law but the judge shows mercy to the criminal and forgives him, whereas their mercy must have been with the other party, i.e. the oppressed! In other words, mercy should lie with the weak, not with the wrongdoer.
Similarly, in this world, for ensuring the rights of various family members and one’s offspring, Islam creates family as a basic block of the society, and lays a strong emphasis on family values. Like any other crime in this world, fornication and adultery, crimes that are committed against both the family and the society, are punishable in the Islamic state. If the state finds someone guilty of any of these crimes, then it should be punished in accordance with what Quran stipulates. If someone’s father or someone’s husband is romantically involved in an extramarital affair, then they have already violated the rights of their family members while being in a marriage contract with them. The family members, i.e. the wife and the children, are the weak party and must be protected — any secret affairs are an abuse of their rights resulting from the relationship.
I’ll also point out that this particular story of the bible that you cited has been disputed by the scholars of textual criticism. The reason for the dispute is that the earlier manuscripts of the book of John do not contain this story. The language of this particular paragraph in the Greek manuscripts in which it is found is not harmonious with the rest of the book, leading scholars to believe that it probably was not written by John. For the purposes of this response, I have assumed the story to be correct and responded accordingly.
Please do note that bible happens to be a source of knowledge for Muslims as well, and therefore, its study is of high importance in Muslim domain. I point this to clarify that by stating the uncertainty around this story I do not wish to blaspheme the bible – that is not the purpose of my response. I only want to highlight a point of contention that I had to keep in mind while studying this passage. I hope you, and everyone else who reads my response, takes it positively.