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What is the authenticity of the rulings of apostasy and stoning, especially since the prescribed punishment for apostasy is not mentioned in the Holy Quran, and the prescribed punishment of stoning contradicts the punishment of slave women being half of the torment inflicted upon chaste women?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The ruling regarding killing an apostate and a married fornicator is established in the texts of revelation and the consensus of the scholars. However, it is only to be carried out by the ruler, after giving the apostate a three-day period to repent. Among the proofs is the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "The blood of a Muslim person is not lawful except for one of three: a married fornicator, a life for a life, and one who forsakes his religion and abandons the community." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stoned Ma'iz and Al-Ghamidiyyah. The mentioned verses do not contradict these rulings. Verse 25 of Surah An-Nisa clarifies that the punishment for slaves is half that of free individuals, and this applies to flogging, not stoning. If a Hadith is authentic, it must be acted upon. Many texts have been reported concerning stoning the fornicator and killing the apostate, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his successors applied them.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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