Al-Muqaddimāt al-Mumahhidāt - Ibn Rush al-Jadd - (3/254)

Al-Muqaddimāt al-MumahhidātIbn Rush al-Jadd

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There is no disagreement that a confession entails the prescribed punishment when the person confessing is a sane adult whose confession is valid, neither a child nor someone who is insane. The basis for this is the Book of Allah Most High and the Sunnah of His Prophet, peace be upon him.

As for the Book, Allah Most High says:

“No soul earns anything except against itself.” [al-Anʿām: 164]

His confession must therefore be binding upon him, and he must be held accountable for it. Allah, exalted is He, also says:

“O you who believe, stand firmly for justice as witnesses for Allah, even against yourselves.” [al-Nisā’: 135] The verse continues.

As for the Sunnah, “the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had Māʿiz stoned on the basis of his own confession,” and “he had the woman who confessed to unlawful intercourse stoned. She had come to him pregnant, and he told her, ‘Go back until you give birth.’ When she had given birth, he said, ‘Go back and nurse him.’” The hadith continues. There is also his statement in the hadith of the hired worker: “Unays, go tomorrow morning to this man’s wife. If she confesses, stone her.”

They disagreed only over whether the prescribed punishment is to be carried out on the basis of a single confession, or whether it cannot be carried out until the person has confessed four times. Mālik and al-Shāfiʿī said that the prescribed punishment is carried out on the basis of a single confession, provided that he maintains it and does not retract it. Abū Hanīfah said that the prescribed punishment is not carried out until he has confessed four times in four separate sessions. This is also the position of Ibn Shihāb, based on the report that “a man confessed to unlawful intercourse before the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and testified against himself four times. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then ordered that he be stoned, and he was stoned.”

This report, however, provides no proof for their position. The man confessed four times only because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, kept turning away from him to ascertain his condition, fearing that he might be insane. Once he had asked about him and been told that he was of sound mind, he ordered that he be stoned, and he was stoned. In the hadith of the hired worker, he said: “Unays, go tomorrow morning to this man’s wife. If she confesses, stone her.” He did not say “four times.” Had that been required, he would have said so.

فصل فأما وجوب الحد بالاعتراف فلا خلاف فيه إذا كان المعترف على نفسه بالغا عاقلا يصح منه الاعتراف ليس بصبي ولا مجنون. والأصل في ذلك كتاب الله تعالى وسنة نبيه ﵇. فأما الكتاب فقوله تعالى: ﴿وَلا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلا عَلَيْهَا﴾ [الأنعام: ١٦٤] فوجب أن يلزمه ويؤخذ به. وقوله ﵎: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ﴾ [النساء: ١٣٥] الآية. وأما السنة «فرجم رسول الله ﷺ ماعزا بإقراره على نفسه» «ورجمه المرأة التي أقرت بالزنى على نفسها إذ جاءت وهي حامل فقال لها: اذهبي حتى تضعي فلما وضعت قال: اذهبي حتى ترضعيه» الحديث. وقوله «يا أنيس اغدُ على امرأة هذا فإن اعترفت فارجمها» في حديث العسيف. وإنما اختلفوا هل يقام الحد بإقراره على نفسه مرة واحدة أو لا يقام عليه حتى يقر على نفسه أربع مرات. فقال مالك والشافعي إنه يقام عليه بإقراره مرة واحدة إذا ثبت عليه ولم يرجع عنه. وقال أبو حنيفة لا يقام عليه الحد حتى يقر على نفسه أربع مرات في أربع مجالس، وهو مذهب ابن شهاب على ما روي «أن رجلا اعترف على نفسه بالزنى عند رسول الله ﷺ وشهد على نفسه أربع مرات فأمر به رسول الله ﷺ فرجم». وهذا لا حجة لهم فيه لأنه إنما أقر على نفسه أربع مرات لأن رسول الله ﷺ أعرض عنه استثباتا في أمره، لأنه خشي أن يكون به جنة فلما سأل عنه وأخبر أنه صحيح أمر به فرجم. وقد قال في حديث العسيف «واغد يا أنيس على امرأة هذا فإن اعترفت فارجمها» ولم يقل أربع مرات، ولو كان ذلك واجبا لقاله.