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Does the sin of rape (zina by coercion) for a married woman differ from that for an unmarried woman?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The scholars have not differentiated between a married and an unmarried woman regarding the absence of sin for a woman coerced into adultery. They have based this on the following:

1. The Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "My nation is forgiven for mistakes, forgetfulness, and what they are coerced into." The term "nation" includes everyone. 2. A woman was coerced during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and he exempted her from the Hadd (prescribed punishment). 3. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was presented with slave women who had been coerced by young men. He punished the young men but did not punish the slave women. 4. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) released a woman who had committed adultery, citing coercion, and did not punish her. 5. Coercion is a doubt (shubha), and prescribed punishments (hudud) are waived by doubts. 6. Allah Almighty's saying: {And whoever coerces them - then indeed, Allah is, after their coercion, Forgiving and Merciful.}

As for differentiating between a married and an unmarried woman, this distinction applies to the man's side. If a man is coerced into adultery with a married woman, it is not permissible for him, and he must accept death. However, if the woman is unmarried and compliant, it is permissible for him if he fears death.

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

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