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wa-lladhāni yaʾtiyānihā minkum fa-ʾādhūhumā fa-ʾin tābā wa-ʾaṣlaḥā fa-ʾaʿriḍū ʿanhumā ʾinna llāha kāna tawwāban raḥīman
Should two among you commit it, chastise them both; but if they repent and reform, let them alone. Indeed Allah is all-clement, all-merciful.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nisa',Verse 16
16. "And when two of you commit it (lewdness) punish them both, but if they repent and amend, then turn aside from them. Verily Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful."
In this verse the ordinance of fornication is stated. It indicates that the man and woman, who have not spouses and commit this indecent action, lewdness, both must be punished. It says:
The punishment mentioned in this verse is a general punishment, while verse No.2 from Surah Nur, No.221, which assigns one hundred stripes for each of the two parties, can be a and an explanation upon the above verse. At the bottom of the verse, it points to the matter of repentance and forgiveness about these kinds of sinners, and says:
In the meantime, it is understood from this ordinance that the persons who have repented of their faults should never be blamed for their former sins.