If he commits adultery outside his homeland, may he be exiled to his homeland?
The answer is no; rather, he must be exiled to another land. For the wording is, “He is to be exiled,” whereas if we sent him back to his homeland, that would not be exile, since we would be returning him to his own country. There must be actual estrangement, so that he may forget what he had been doing.
Even if she is a woman. The slave is to receive fifty lashes and is not to be exiled. The punishment of the one who commits the act of the people of Lot is like that of the adulterer, …
His statement, “Even if she is a woman,” means that she is to be exiled for one year, on condition that she has a mahram and that she be exiled to a safe place.
The jurists of the legal schools hold that she is to be exiled even without a mahram.
The second view, which is the sounder one, is that she is not to be exiled if she is alone, because the purpose of exiling her is to remove her from temptation. Yet, if we exile her by herself, that is more likely to lead to temptation and evil, since no one will be with her to restrain her. Furthermore, if she is exiled without a mahram—especially if she needs money—she may perhaps sell her honour in order to eat and drink.
The correct view is that if no mahram is available, she may not be exiled. But what then should be done? Some scholars say that she should go to a nearby town that is less than the distance permitting shortened prayer, and her guardian should be instructed to keep watch over her. The correct view, however, is that there is no need for this and that she should remain in her town.
It has also been said that she should be detained in a safe place, and that detention here takes the place of exile, because she will not associate with anyone, nor will anyone associate with her. This is a sound view.
Some scholars have said that if exile cannot be carried out, it is waived, just like other obligations; for when obligations cannot be fulfilled, they are waived. But there is no objection to saying that, if exile cannot be carried out, we should adopt what serves as an alternative to it.