But this view is weak, because whatever is established by the sunnah must be acted upon, just as what is in the Quran must be acted upon. Allah the Exalted says:

“Whoever obeys the Messenger has truly obeyed Allah.” [Surah al-Nisa 4:80]

And He says:

“Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has clearly strayed.” [Surah al-Ahzab 33:36]

And He says:

“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it.” [Surah al-Hashr 59:7]

Therefore, we must accept what the sunnah has conveyed, even if it adds to what is stated in the Quran. Indeed, whatever the sunnah has conveyed is itself included in what the Quran has conveyed. Abdullah ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, cited this as evidence when replying to a woman who said to him, “I do not find the curse—the curse upon the woman who plucks facial hair and the woman who has it plucked—in the Book of Allah.” He replied, “It is in the Book of Allah,” then recited to her Allah’s saying:

“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it.” (1)

Exile means that the offender is banished from his homeland for a full year. Its wisdom is that, if he is removed from the place where the adultery occurred, he may forget what he had been doing. Moreover, being away from home compels a person to occupy himself rather than pursue desire and pleasure, since he is a stranger. This is especially so when it is known that he was exiled because of the prescribed punishment: he will have no opportunity to return to this offense again.

However, it is stipulated that the land to which he is exiled must not be a place where adultery is permitted—may Allah protect us. Thus, he is not to be exiled to lands whose people engage in adultery, for exiling him to such lands would tempt him toward it. Rather, he is to be exiled to lands whose people are known for chastity.