A woman assaulted on her way to prayer and the true culprit confesses

That a woman went out during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intending to pray, and a man met her, overpowered her, and satisfied his desire with her. She screamed, and he went away. Then another man passed by her, and she said: “That man did such-and-such to me.” And a group of the Muhajirun passed by, and she said: “That man did such-and-such to me.” So they went off and seized the man whom she thought had assaulted her, and they brought him to her, and she said: “Yes, this is he.” Then they brought him to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

When he ordered that he be stoned, the man who had assaulted her stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I am the one.” He said to her: “Go, for Allah has forgiven you.” He spoke kindly to the ˹falsely accused˺ man, and he said regarding the man who had assaulted her: “Stone him.” And he said: “He has repented with a repentance such that if the people of Madinah were to repent with it, it would be accepted from them.”

أَنَّ امْرَأَةً خَرَجَتْ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ تُرِيدُ الصَّلَاةَ، فَتَلَقَّاهَا رَجُلٌ، فَتَجَلَّلَهَا، فَقَضَى حَاجَتَهُ مِنْهَا، فَصَاحَتْ، فَانْطَلَقَ. وَمَرَّ عَلَيْهَا رَجُلٌ، فَقَالَتْ: إِنَّ ذَاكَ الرَّجُلَ فَعَلَ بِي كَذَا وَكَذَا. وَمَرَّتْ بِعِصَابَةٍ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ، فَقَالَتْ: إِنَّ ذَاكَ الرَّجُلَ فَعَلَ بِي كَذَا وَكَذَا. فَانْطَلَقُوا، فَأَخَذُوا الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي ظَنَّتْ أَنَّهُ وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا، وَأَتَوْهَا، فَقَالَتْ: نَعَمْ، هُوَ هَذَا. فَأَتَوْا بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ.

فَلَمَّا أَمَرَ بِهِ لِيُرْجَمَ، قَامَ صَاحِبُهَا الَّذِي وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَنَا صَاحِبُهَا. فَقَالَ لَهَا: «اذْهَبِي، فَقَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكِ». وَقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ قَوْلًا حَسَنًا، وَقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ الَّذِي وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا: «ارْجُمُوهُ». وَقَالَ: «لَقَدْ تَابَ تَوْبَةً، لَوْ تَابَهَا أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ لَقُبِلَ مِنْهُمْ».