, both of them being adults, sane, and free.
– He is to be stoned: stoning means pelting the offender with stones until he dies.
– He is to be crucified: crucifixion means that the punished person is stretched out, tied to a piece of wood, and raised upon it.
– He is to be banished from the land: that is, he is driven about and not allowed to settle in any town until his repentance becomes evident.

Lessons derived from the two ḥadiths
1 – The wise and merciful Lawgiver is keen on preserving life and ensuring its security. Through His law He has granted it protection and safeguarding, making the gravest sin after associating partners with Allah the killing of a soul whose life Allah has made inviolable. In this way He has protected life from aggression.
2 – The Legislator has permitted the taking of a Muslim’s life only in one of three cases: a previously married adulterer, one who deliberately and wrongfully kills another, and an apostate from Islam. Executing these three preserves religion, bodily safety, and honor.
3 – Whoever pronounces the two testimonies of faith and refrains from what contradicts them is a Muslim whose blood, wealth, and honor are sacrosanct; he enjoys the rights and bears the responsibilities common to all Muslims.
4 – Committing any of these three offenses—or even one of them—is forbidden, and whoever does so deserves the death penalty: for disbelief, in the case of the apostate; and as a legal punishment, in the cases of the adulterer and the deliberate killer.
5 – A previously married person (thayyib) is a muḥṣan who has had intercourse while free, legally responsible, and in a valid marriage, whether male or female. If such a person fornicates, the punishment is stoning with stones until death.
6 – Whoever intentionally and unjustly kills a protected soul is liable to retribution (qiṣāṣ) provided its conditions are met.
7 – The apostate from Islam is to be executed, for his apostasy indicates the wickedness of his inner state, the corruption of his intent, and a heart devoid of good and unwilling to accept it; indeed, his disbelief is more grievous than original disbelief.
8 – According to the majority of scholars, the repentance of a deliberate killer is accepted because of the general evidences—however, it does not