some jews came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and mentioned to him that a man and a women of their number had committed fornication. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked them: What do you find in the Torah about stoning? They replied: We disgrace them and they should be flogged. ‘Abd Allah b. Salam said: You lie; it contains (instruction for) stoning. So they brought the Torah and spread it out, and one of them put his hand over the verse of stoning and read what preceded it and what followed it. ‘Abd Allah b. Salam said to him: Lift your hand. When he did so, the verse of stoning was seen to be in it. They then said: He has spoken the truth, Muhammad, the verse of stoning is in it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then gave command regarding them, and they were stoned to death. ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar said: I saw the man leaning on the woman protecting her from the stones.  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ الْيَهُودَ جَاءُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَذَكَرُوا لَهُ أَنَّ رَجُلاً مِنْهُمْ وَامْرَأَةً زَنَيَا فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا تَجِدُونَ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ فِي شَأْنِ الزِّنَا فَقَالُوا نَفْضَحُهُمْ وَيُجْلَدُونَ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَمٍ كَذَبْتُمْ إِنَّ فِيهَا الرَّجْمَ فَأَتَوْا بِالتَّوْرَاةِ فَنَشَرُوهَا فَجَعَلَ أَحَدُهُمْ يَدَهُ عَلَى آيَةِ الرَّجْمِ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ يَقْرَأُ مَا قَبْلَهَا وَمَا بَعْدَهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلاَمٍ ارْفَعْ يَدَكَ فَرَفَعَهَا فَإِذَا فِيهَا آيَةُ الرَّجْمِ فَقَالُوا صَدَقَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فِيهَا آيَةُ الرَّجْمِ فَأَمَرَ بِهِمَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَرُجِمَا قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ فَرَأَيْتُ الرَّجُلَ يَحْنِي عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ يَقِيهَا الْحِجَارَةَ  

The people passed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a jew whose face blackened with charcoal and he was being taken around. He adjured them by Allah and asked: What is the prescribed punishment for a fornicator in your Divine book? He (the narrator) said: They referred him to a man of them. The Prophet ﷺ adjured him and asked: What is the punishment for a fornication in your Divine Book? He replied: Stoning. But fornication spread among our people of rank, so we disliked that a person of rank should be left alone and the punishment be inflicted on one who is lower in rank than him. So we suspended it for us. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then commanded regarding him and he was stoned to death. He then said: O Allah! I am the first to give life to a command of Thy Book which they had killed.  

مَرُّوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِيَهُودِيٍّ قَدْ حُمِّمَ وَجْهُهُ وَهُوَ يُطَافُ بِهِ فَنَاشَدَهُمْ مَا حَدُّ الزَّانِي فِي كِتَابِهِمْ قَالَ فَأَحَالُوهُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ فَنَشَدَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَا حَدُّ الزَّانِي فِي كِتَابِكُمْ فَقَالَ الرَّجْمُ وَلَكِنْ ظَهَرَ الزِّنَا فِي أَشْرَافِنَا فَكَرِهْنَا أَنْ يُتْرَكَ الشَّرِيفُ وَيُقَامَ عَلَى مَنْ دُونَهُ فَوَضَعْنَا هَذَا عَنَّا فَأَمَرَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَرُجِمَ ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَحْيَا مَا أَمَاتُوا مِنْ كِتَابِكَ  

The people passed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a Jew who was blackened with charcoal and who was being flogged. He called them and said: Is this the prescribed punishment for a fornicator? They said: Yes. He then called on a learned man among them and asked him: I adjure you by Allah Who revealed the Torah to Moses, do you find this prescribed punishment for a fornicator in your divine Book? He said: By Allah, no. If you had not adjured me about this, I should not have informed you. We find stoning to be prescribed punishment for a fornicator in our Divine Book. But it (fornication) became frequent in our people of rank; so when we seized a person of rank, we left him alone, and when we seized a weak person, we inflicted the prescribed punishment on him. So we said: Come, let us agree on something which may be enforced equally on people of higher and lower rank. So we agreed to blacken the face of a criminal with charcoal, and flog him, and we abandoned stoning. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said: O Allah, I am the first to give life to Thy command which they have killed. So he commanded regarding him (the Jew) and he was stoned to death. Allah Most High then sent down: "O Apostle, let not those who race one another into unbelief, make thee grieve..." up to "They say: If you are given this, take it, but if not, beware!...." up to "And if any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) unbelievers," about Jews, up to "And if any do fail to judge by (the right of) what Allah hath revealed, they are no better than) wrong-doers" about Jews: and revealed the verses up to "And if any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel." About this he said: This whole verse was revealed about the infidels.  

مُرَّ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِيَهُودِيٍّ مُحَمَّمٍ مَجْلُودٍ فَدَعَاهُمْ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا تَجِدُونَ حَدَّ الزَّانِي فَقَالُوا نَعَمْ فَدَعَا رَجُلاً مِنْ عُلَمَائِهِمْ قَالَ لَهُ نَشَدْتُكَ بِاللَّهِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ عَلَى مُوسَى هَكَذَا تَجِدُونَ حَدَّ الزَّانِي فِي كِتَابِكُمْ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لاَ وَلَوْلاَ أَنَّكَ نَشَدْتَنِي بِهَذَا لَمْ أُخْبِرْكَ نَجِدُ حَدَّ الزَّانِي فِي كِتَابِنَا الرَّجْمَ وَلَكِنَّهُ كَثُرَ فِي أَشْرَافِنَا فَكُنَّا إِذَا أَخَذْنَا الرَّجُلَ الشَّرِيفَ تَرَكْنَاهُ وَإِذَا أَخَذْنَا الرَّجُلَ الضَّعِيفَ أَقَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ فَقُلْنَا تَعَالَوْا فَنَجْتَمِعَ عَلَى شَىْءٍ نُقِيمُهُ عَلَى الشَّرِيفِ وَالْوَضِيعِ فَاجْتَمَعْنَا عَلَى التَّحْمِيمِ وَالْجَلْدِ وَتَرَكْنَا الرَّجْمَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَحْيَا أَمْرَكَ إِذْ أَمَاتُوهُ فَأَمَرَ بِهِ فَرُجِمَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ { يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ لاَ يَحْزُنْكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْكُفْرِ } إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { يَقُولُونَ إِنْ أُوتِيتُمْ هَذَا فَخُذُوهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ تُؤْتَوْهُ فَاحْذَرُوا } إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ } فِي الْيَهُودِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ } فِي الْيَهُودِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ } قَالَ هِيَ فِي الْكُفَّارِ كُلُّهَا يَعْنِي هَذِهِ الآيَةَ  

A group of Jews came and invited the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to Quff. So he visited them in their school. They said: AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. They placed a cushion for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on it saying: I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee. He then said: Bring me one who is learned among you. Then a young man was brought. The transmitter then mentioned the rest of the tradition of stoning similar to the one transmitted by Malik from Nafi'(No. 4431).  

أَتَى نَفَرٌ مِنْ يَهُودَ فَدَعَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى الْقُفِّ فَأَتَاهُمْ فِي بَيْتِ الْمِدْرَاسِ فَقَالُوا يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ إِنَّ رَجُلاً مِنَّا زَنَى بِامْرَأَةٍ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ فَوَضَعُوا لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وِسَادَةً فَجَلَسَ عَلَيْهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ ائْتُونِي بِالتَّوْرَاةِ فَأُتِيَ بِهَا فَنَزَعَ الْوِسَادَةَ مِنْ تَحْتِهِ فَوَضَعَ التَّوْرَاةَ عَلَيْهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ آمَنْتُ بِكِ وَبِمَنْ أَنْزَلَكِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ائْتُونِي بِأَعْلَمِكُمْ فَأُتِيَ بِفَتًى شَابٍّ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ قِصَّةَ الرَّجْمِ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ  

(This is Ma'mar's version which is more accurate.) A man and a woman of the Jews committed fornication. Some of them said to the others: Let us go to this Prophet, for he has been sent with an easy law. If he gives a judgment lighter than stoning, we shall accept it, and argue about it with Allah, saying: It is a judgment of one of your prophets. So they came to the Prophet ﷺ who was sitting in the mosque among his companions. They said: AbulQasim, what do you think about a man and a woman who committed fornication? He did not speak to them a word till he went to their school. He stood at the gate and said: I adjure you by Allah Who revealed the Torah to Moses, what (punishment) do you find in the Torah for a person who commits fornication, if he is married? They said: He shall be blackened with charcoal, taken round a donkey among the people, and flogged. A young man among them kept silent. When the Prophet ﷺ emphatically adjured him, he said: By Allah, since you have adjured us (we inform you that) we find stoning in the Torah (is the punishment for fornication). The Prophet ﷺ said: So when did you lessen the severity of Allah's command? He said: A relative of one of our kings had committed fornication, but his stoning was suspended. Then a man of a family of common people committed fornication. He was to have been stoned, but his people intervened and said: Our man shall not be stoned until you bring your man and stone him. So they made a compromise on this punishment between them. The Prophet ﷺ said: So I decide in accordance with what the Torah says. He then commanded regarding them and they were stoned to death. Az-Zuhri said: We have been informed that this verse was revealed about them: "It was We Who revealed the Law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the Prophet who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah's will.  

فَحَدَّثَنَا عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَهَذَا حَدِيثُ مَعْمَرٍ وَهُوَ أَتَمُّ قَالَ زَنَى رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَامْرَأَةٌ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ اذْهَبُوا بِنَا إِلَى هَذَا النَّبِيِّ فَإِنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ بُعِثَ بِالتَّخْفِيفِ فَإِنْ أَفْتَانَا بِفُتْيَا دُونَ الرَّجْمِ قَبِلْنَاهَا وَاحْتَجَجْنَا بِهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قُلْنَا فُتْيَا نَبِيٍّ مِنْ أَنْبِيَائِكَ قَالَ فَأَتَوُا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فِي أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَالُوا يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ مَا تَرَى فِي رَجُلٍ وَامْرَأَةٍ زَنَيَا فَلَمْ يُكَلِّمْهُمْ كَلِمَةً حَتَّى أَتَى بَيْتَ مِدْرَاسِهِمْ فَقَامَ عَلَى الْبَابِ فَقَالَ أَنْشُدُكُمْ بِاللَّهِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ عَلَى مُوسَى مَا تَجِدُونَ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ عَلَى مَنْ زَنَى إِذَا أُحْصِنَ قَالُوا يُحَمَّمُ وَيُجَبَّهُ وَيُجْلَدُ وَالتَّجْبِيَةُ أَنْ يُحْمَلَ الزَّانِيَانِ عَلَى حِمَارٍ وَتُقَابَلَ أَقْفِيَتُهُمَا وَيُطَافَ بِهِمَا قَالَ وَسَكَتَ شَابٌّ مِنْهُمْ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ سَكَتَ أَلَظَّ بِهِ النِّشْدَةَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ إِذْ نَشَدْتَنَا فَإِنَّا نَجِدُ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ الرَّجْمَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَمَا أَوَّلُ مَا ارْتَخَصْتُمْ أَمْرَ اللَّهِ قَالَ زَنَى ذُو قَرَابَةٍ مَعَ مَلِكٍ مِنْ مُلُوكِنَا فَأَخَّرَ عَنْهُ الرَّجْمَ ثُمَّ زَنَى رَجُلٌ فِي أُسْرَةٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَأَرَادَ رَجْمَهُ فَحَالَ قَوْمُهُ دُونَهُ وَقَالُوا لاَ يُرْجَمُ صَاحِبُنَا حَتَّى تَجِيءَ بِصَاحِبِكَ فَتَرْجُمَهُ فَاصْطَلَحُوا عَلَى هَذِهِ الْعُقُوبَةِ بَيْنَهُمْ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَإِنِّي أَحْكُمُ بِمَا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ فَأَمَرَ بِهِمَا فَرُجِمَا قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ فَبَلَغَنَا أَنَّ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ نَزَلَتْ فِيهِمْ { إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا } كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مِنْهُمْ  

A man and a woman of the Jews who were married committed fornication at the time when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Medina. Stoning was a prescribed punishment for them in accordance with the Torah, but they abandoned it and followed tajbiyyah, meaning, the man was beaten a hundred times with a rope painted with tar and was seated on a donkey with his face towards the tail of the donkey. Their rabbis then assembled and sent some people to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. They said to them: Ask him about the prescribed punishment for fornication. The transmitter then mentioned the rest of the tradition. They version adds: They were not the followers of his religion, and he (the prophet) was to pronounce judgment between them. So he was given a choice in this verse:”If they do come to thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere.  

زَنَى رَجُلٌ وَامْرَأَةٌ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَقَدْ أُحْصِنَا حِينَ قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْمَدِينَةَ وَقَدْ كَانَ الرَّجْمُ مَكْتُوبًا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ فَتَرَكُوهُ وَأَخَذُوا بِالتَّجْبِيَةِ يُضْرَبُ مِائَةً بِحَبْلٍ مَطْلِيٍّ بِقَارٍ وَيُحْمَلُ عَلَى حِمَارٍ وَجْهُهُ مِمَّا يَلِي دُبُرَ الْحِمَارِ فَاجْتَمَعَ أَحْبَارٌ مِنْ أَحْبَارِهِمْ فَبَعَثُوا قَوْمًا آخَرِينَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالُوا سَلُوهُ عَنْ حَدِّ الزَّانِي وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ قَالَ فِيهِ قَالَ وَلَمْ يَكُونُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ دِينِهِ فَيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَخُيِّرَ فِي ذَلِكَ قَالَ { فَإِنْ جَاءُوكَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ }  

The Jews brought a man and a woman of them who had committed fornication. He said: Bring me two learned men or yours. So they brought the two sons of Suriya. He adjured them and said: How do you think about the matter if these two persons bear witness to the effect that they have seen his sexual organ in her female organ (penetrated) like a collyrium stick when enclosed in its case, they will be stoned to death. He asked: What is there which prevents you from stoning them: They replied : Our rule has gone, so we disapproved of killing. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then called four witnesses. They brought four witnesses. Who testified that they had seen his sexual organ (penetrated) in her female organ like a collyrium stick when enclosed in its case. The Prophet ﷺ then gave orders for stoning them.  

جَاءَتِ الْيَهُودُ بِرَجُلٍ وَامْرَأَةٍ مِنْهُمْ زَنَيَا فَقَالَ ائْتُونِي بِأَعْلَمِ رَجُلَيْنِ مِنْكُمْ فَأَتَوْهُ بِابْنَىْ صُورِيَا فَنَشَدَهُمَا كَيْفَ تَجِدَانِ أَمْرَ هَذَيْنِ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ قَالاَ نَجِدُ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ إِذَا شَهِدَ أَرْبَعَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْا ذَكَرَهُ فِي فَرْجِهَا مِثْلَ الْمِيلِ فِي الْمُكْحُلَةِ رُجِمَا قَالَ فَمَا يَمْنَعُكُمَا أَنْ تَرْجُمُوهُمَا قَالاَ ذَهَبَ سُلْطَانُنَا فَكَرِهْنَا الْقَتْلَ فَدَعَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِالشُّهُودِ فَجَاءُوا بِأَرْبَعَةٍ فَشَهِدُوا أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْا ذَكَرَهُ فِي فَرْجِهَا مِثْلَ الْمِيلِ فِي الْمُكْحُلَةِ فَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِرَجْمِهِمَا  

He called the witnesses who testified.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ نَحْوَهُ لَمْ يَذْكُرْ فَدَعَا بِالشُّهُودِ فَشَهِدُوا  

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by al-Sha’bi through a different chain of narrators.  

عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ بِنَحْوٍ مِنْهُ  

The Prophet ﷺ had a man and a woman of the Jews who had committed fornication stoned to death.  

سَمِعَ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ رَجَمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ رَجُلاً مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَامْرَأَةً زَنَيَا