How do you counsel a woman who has admitted to fornication or adultery? Do you tell her that the matter is easy and that she should sincerely repent, especially if she has taken lightly the religious ruling after learning that repentance is open, and then returned to her deed? Is it appropriate to tell her that she should be stoned or severely tormented, or that she should inform her husband so that he may forgive her crime, in hopes that Allah may then forgive her?

Adultery is among the gravest major sins and immoralities, and Allah Almighty has warned against approaching it. If the adulteress is married, the punishment in this world is stoning to death, in addition to the punishment in the hereafter if she does not repent sincerely or if her husband does not forgive her. The claim that this matter is trivial is incorrect; rather, Allah Almighty has severely warned against those who commit it, except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds, for Allah will transform their evil deeds into good ones. Encouraging repentance is not a trivialization of the immoral act, but rather an encouragement for people to repent and turn away from sins. Establishing boundaries is the responsibility of those in authority.