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If a woman is coerced into adultery, and then experiences pleasure from it, when she had the ability to escape, resist, call for help, or could have distracted herself from the pleasure but did not, is she considered sinful and subject to the ruling of an adulteress?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a woman who is forced into adultery enjoys it or consents to it, she is no longer considered coerced and becomes sinful. Coercion that removes accountability is that which cannot be resisted or results in severe harm. The experience of pleasure does not necessitate sin if the act was due to coercion, because sin is related to the forbidden act, not the pleasure, similar to someone compelled to eat forbidden food. As for a man being coerced into adultery, if he continues the act after the coercion has ceased, it is definitely adultery. There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the removal of sin and punishment from him due to coercion, unlike the coerced woman who is excused, based on the verse: {And whoever compels them, then indeed, Allah, after their compulsion, is Forgiving and Merciful} (Quran 24:33).

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

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