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Ibn al-Qayyim, discussing the wisdom behind flogging the fornicator, said: “The adulterer commits the sin with his entire body, and the pleasure of satisfying lust permeates every part of it.”
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The rationale for stoning the muḥṣan (one who has previously consummated a valid marriage) and flogging the non-muḥṣan is that the former has already enjoyed the blessing of a lawful spouse; his resort to zina therefore testifies to an evil deeply rooted in his soul. The unmarried offender, by contrast, may simply have been overpowered by desire, so the penalty is lightened in consideration of his condition and his excuse.
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It is permissible to swear by Allah to reinforce the truth of important matters.
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The hadith shows that seeking legal verdicts from scholars during the Prophet’s lifetime was valid—and even more so after his passing—and that one may consult a lesser scholar in the presence of one who is superior.
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The report also teaches the importance of refined manners toward people of virtue, knowledge, and seniority; such courtesy reflects sound understanding.
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The two disputants asked to be judged according to the ruling of Allah, fully aware that the Prophet would judge only by that standard. They sought a decisive legal verdict rather than counsel or persuasive advice, even though a judge may offer the latter if both parties consent.
Scholarly disagreement:
The statement, “For the previously-married with the previously-married: one hundred lashes and stoning,” appears to combine the punishments for the bachelor and the muḥṣan, a matter over which the scholars have differed.
The majority of scholars—including the four Imams—hold that flogging is not combined with stoning; stoning alone suffices. This is also reported from the two Rightly-Guided Caliphs ʿUmar and ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with them), and from Ibn Masʿūd; among the Successors: al-Zuhrī, al-Nakhaʿī, al-Awzāʿī, and Abū Thawr. Their evidence is that the Prophet ﷺ stoned Māʿiz, the Ghamidiyyah, and others without flogging them, and because when several ḥudūd converge and one of them