Sahih Muslim Book - 29, Hadith - 4440

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى وَأَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِى شَيْبَةَ كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ أَبِى مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ يَحْيَى أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ قَالَ مُرَّ عَلَى النَّبِىِّ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- بِيَهُودِىٍّ مُحَمَّمًا مَجْلُودًا فَدَعَاهُمْ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فَقَالَ « هَكَذَا تَجِدُونَ حَدَّ الزَّانِى فِى كِتَابِكُمْ ». قَالُوا نَعَمْ. فَدَعَا رَجُلاً مِنْ عُلَمَائِهِمْ فَقَالَ « أَنْشُدُكَ بِاللَّهِ الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ عَلَى مُوسَى أَهَكَذَا تَجِدُونَ حَدَّ الزَّانِى فِى كِتَابِكُمْ ». قَالَ لاَ وَلَوْلاَ أَنَّكَ نَشَدْتَنِى بِهَذَا لَمْ أُخْبِرْكَ نَجِدُهُ الرَّجْمَ وَلَكِنَّهُ كَثُرَ فِى أَشْرَافِنَا فَكُنَّا إِذَا أَخَذْنَا الشَّرِيفَ تَرَكْنَاهُ وَإِذَا أَخَذْنَا الضَّعِيفَ أَقَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ قُلْنَا تَعَالَوْا فَلْنَجْتَمِعْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ نُقِيمُهُ عَلَى الشَّرِيفِ وَالْوَضِيعِ فَجَعَلْنَا التَّحْمِيمَ وَالْجَلْدَ مَكَانَ الرَّجْمِ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- « اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّى أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَحْيَا أَمْرَكَ إِذْ أَمَاتُوهُ ». فَأَمَرَ بِهِ فَرُجِمَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ (يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ لاَ يَحْزُنْكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِى الْكُفْرِ) إِلَى قَوْلِهِ (إِنْ أُوتِيتُمْ هَذَا فَخُذُوهُ) يَقُولُ ائْتُوا مُحَمَّدًا -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فَإِنْ أَمَرَكُمْ بِالتَّحْمِيمِ وَالْجَلْدِ فَخُذُوهُ وَإِنْ أَفْتَاكُمْ بِالرَّجْمِ فَاحْذَرُوا. فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى (وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ) (وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ) ( وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ) فِى الْكُفَّارِ كُلُّهَا.

It was narrated that Al-Bara' bin 'Azib said: A Jew whose face had been blackened and who had been whipped passed by the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w). He called them and said: "Is this how you find the punishment for Zina in your Book?" They said: "Yes." He called one of their scholars and said: "I adjure you by Allah Who sent down the Tawrat (Torah) to Musa, is this how you find the punishment for Zina in your Book?" He said: "No. Had you not adjured me (by Allah), I would not have told you. We find (that the punishment) is stoning, but it became common among our nobles, so, if we caught a noble we would let him go, but if we caught a lowly person we would carry out the punishment on him. We said: Come, let us agree on something that we can impose on noble and lowly alike. So we made (the punishment of) blackening of the face and whipping instead of stoning." The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "O Allah, I am the first to revive Your command which they had made dead." Then he (s.a.w) ordered that he be stoned, and Allah revealed: "O Messenger! Let not those who hurry to fall into disbelief grieve you... If you are given this, take it..." (Al-Ma'idah 5:41). He (the Jew) said: Go to Muhammad (s.a.w), and if he orders you to blacken the face and whip him, then accept it, but if he tells you to stone him, then beware. Then Allah revealed the words: "And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the disbelievers (Al-Ma'idah 5:44 ), "...And whosoever does not judge by that which Allah has revealed, such are the wrongdoers (Al-Ma'idah 5:45), "And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed (then) such (people) are the rebellious to Allah" (Al-Ma'idah 5:47), all concerning the disbelievers.