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.
Prescribed Punishments (Kitab Al-Hudud)
Sunan Abi Dawud 4446
Hadith Commentary
This narration demonstrates the continuity of divine legislation between previous revelations and Islam. The Torah contained the ruling of stoning for adulterers, which the Jews attempted to conceal.
Abd Allah ibn Salam's knowledge of the Torah confirmed the authenticity of Islamic teachings and exposed the alteration (tahrif) in the Jewish practice of their scripture.
The Prophet's verification of the Torah's ruling before implementation shows Islam's respect for previous revelations while establishing the final divine law.
The stoning punishment serves as a severe deterrent for adultery, which corrupts lineages and disrupts social order. The man's protective stance toward the woman during execution indicates human compassion even during divinely ordained punishment.
Legal Principles
This hadith establishes stoning (rajm) as the prescribed punishment for married adulterers (muhsan).
It demonstrates the principle of verifying evidence from people of scripture when necessary.
The incident shows the importance of implementing hudud punishments regardless of the offender's religion when under Islamic jurisdiction.