The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 442
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 442 accusation. Furthermore, until such people reform themselves, their testimony is not to be accepted in any matter. ” 1 In this verse of the Holy Qur’ān, the justice in the punishment appointed for an adulterer is obvious, and there is no need to say anything in this respect. However, the severity in the punishment for those who level a false allegation may be objectionable to simple minded individuals. In actuality, the truth behind this is that it is an extremely dangerous and injurious action to level a false accusation against someone in such a case. In addition to unjustly and falsely attacking the most valuable possession of an individual, this also results in a most foul influence upon the morality of society. If such things are openly noised in society, the fear of the evil in adultery shall begin to diminish in the hearts of people and weaker dispositions shall begin to incline towards indecent thoughts. As a result, the climate of the country and nation shall become polluted with poison. Hence, it was necessary for a very strict punishment to be proposed for those who raise false allegations, so that except for a truthful person, no one else musters the courage to file a charge of this nature, and so that only such a person comes forward with an accusation, who actually possesses definitive proof. If someone is skeptical that Islām has employed undue rigidity in the matter of presenting evidence, in that four eye-witnesses to establish the crime is a stringent condition, this would be a superficial doubt. It is necessary to devise a satisfactory method by which to establish a crime. Why should an extremely solid and definitive method for the establishment of evidence not have been formulated to prove a crime, in which the most valuable possession of an individual is attacked, and the misuse of which creates an immensely dangerous and crude influence upon the peace and harmony of society, and upon the morals and values of a nation? This is especially taking into account that throughout the world, a generally accepted rule in the formulation of law is that it is far more preferable for a criminal to be considered innocent, as opposed to an innocent person being declared guilty. At this instance, the question may also arise as to why a physical punishment has been prescribed for a person guilty of adultery. The response to this is that the philosophy of punishment in Islām is based on the principle that the type of punishment administered should be according to the nature 1 An-Nūr (24:3-6)