Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (14/51)

we may put it this way: “If something capable of nursing him is found,” so that it includes both rational and non-rational beings. Thus, if the child can be fed canned milk, the prescribed punishment may be carried out on her—unless it is held that feeding on his mother’s milk is better for him; in that case, the child’s welfare must be taken into account.

His statement, “otherwise, she is left until she weans him”: the evidence for this is the story of the Ghamidiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her), who committed adultery and became pregnant. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) deferred her punishment until she gave birth. When she had delivered the child, she brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), seeking to have the prescribed punishment carried out upon her, but he deferred it until she had weaned him. Once she had weaned him, she brought him with a piece of bread in his hand which he was eating. When he saw this, he ordered the prescribed punishment to be carried out on her.

Consider how she gave herself up (may Allah be pleased with her): she came with the child and the bread, so that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could be certain for himself and see with his own eyes that he had been weaned. When the punishment was carried out on her, Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) was among those who struck her, and some of her blood spattered onto his face. He insulted her, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked him and said: “She has repented with a repentance which, if divided among seventy people of Medina, would have sufficed them. Have you found anything better than that she gave herself up for Allah, the Almighty?” (1)

This proves that when a woman incurs a prescribed punishment whose execution would destroy what is in her womb, or when the child needs milk and has not yet been weaned, she is to be left until he has nursed. This falls under the principle of averting the greater of two harms by bearing the lesser, and of committing the lesser of two harms, because delaying retaliation,

(1) Reported by Muslim in Kitab al-Hudud (Prescribed Punishments), chapter: “One Who Confesses to Zina (Unlawful Sexual Intercourse),” no. 1696 (24), on the authority of Imran ibn Husayn.

يمكن أن نعبر فنقول: «إن وجد ما يرضعه» حتى يشمل العاقل وغير العاقل، فإذا كان يتغذى بلبن العلب فإنه يقام عليها الحد، إلاّ إذا قيل: إن غذاءه بلبن أمه أفضل، فهنا يجب مراعاة مصلحة الطفل. وقوله: «وإلاّ تركت حتى تفطمه» دليل ذلك قصة الغامدية ﵂ التي حصل منها الزنا، فحملت فأجّلها النبي ﵊ حتى وضعت الولد، فلما وضعته جاءت به إلى النبي ﷺ تريد أن يقيم عليها الحد، فأجّلها حتى تفطمه، فلما فطمته جاءت به وفي يده كسرة من الخبز يأكلها، فلما رآها ﵊ أمر بإقامة الحد عليها، فانظر كيف جادت بنفسها ﵂ وجاءت بالطفل ومعه الخبز حتى يتيقن النبي ﷺ بنفسه، ويرى بعينه أنه قد فطم، فلما أقيم عليها الحد كان ممن ضربها خالد بن الوليد ﵁ فنضح دم من دمها في وجهه، فسبَّها ﵁، لكنه ﵊ وبَّخه، وقال: «لقد تابت توبة لو قسمت بين سبعين من أهل المدينة لوسعتهم، وهل وَجَدْتَ أفضل من أن جادت بنفسها لله ﷿؟!» (١). فهذا دليل على أن من وجب عليها حَدٌّ يؤدي إلى أن يتلف ما في بطنها، أو أنه يحتاج إلى لبن ولم يرضع، فإنه يُنتظر إلى أن يرضع، ويكون هذا من باب دفع أعلى المفسدتين بأدناهما، وارتكاب أدنى المفسدتين؛ لأن تأجيل القصاص،

(١) أخرجه مسلم في الحدود/ باب من اعترف على نفسه بالزنا (١٦٩٦) (٢٤) عن عمران بن حصين ﵁.