1048 – On the authority of Abū Hurayrah and Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with them):
A man from the desert came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I adjure you by Allah: judge my case for me according to the Book of Allah.” The other man—who had a better grasp of the law than he did—said, “Yes, do judge between us according to the Book of Allah, and permit me to speak.” The Prophet replied, “Speak.”
He said, “My son was working for this man as a hired servant, and he committed fornication with his wife. I was informed that my son’s punishment was stoning, so I ransomed him with one hundred sheep and a slave-girl. Then I consulted people of knowledge, and they told me that my son is liable to one hundred lashes and a year of banishment, and that this man’s wife is to be stoned.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “By the One in whose hand is my soul, I shall certainly judge between you according to the Book of Allah. The slave-girl and the flock of sheep are to be returned to you. As for your son, he is to receive one hundred lashes and a year of exile. And as for you, Unays, go to this man’s wife; if she confesses, then stone her.”
Agreed upon, and this is Muslim’s wording (1).
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Glossary of ḥadīth terms
• an-shuduka billāh: from nashada, “to ask.” Meaning: “I implore you by Allah.”
• illā qaḍayta: illā is an exception particle; the phrase means, “I ask nothing of you except that you pass judgment.”