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sammāʿūna li-l-kadhibi ʾakkālūna li-s-suḥti fa-ʾin jāʾūka fa-ḥkum baynahum ʾaw ʾaʿriḍ ʿanhum wa-ʾin tuʿriḍ ʿanhum fa-lan yaḍurrūka shayʾan wa-ʾin ḥakamta fa-ḥkum baynahum bi-l-qisṭi ʾinna llāha yuḥibbu l-muqsiṭīna
Eavesdroppers with the aim of [telling] lies, eaters of the unlawful—if they come to you, judge between them, or disregard them. If you disregard them, they will not harm you in any way. But if you judge, judge between them with justice. Indeed Allah loves the just.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 42
42. "(They are) listeners to (any) lie, and devour the unlawful; therefore, if they come to you, judge between them or turn away from them; and if you turn away from them, they will harm you nothing; and if you judge, judge between them with equity; verily Allah loves the just."
Some of the Jews, who had committed adultery, came to the Prophet (S) to judge. They hoped to escape from the retribution of stoning, which exists in the religion of the Jews,5 while the Islamic law for the adulterer is stoning, too. When they saw that the ordinance of Islam was the same as it was in their own religion, they did not accept it. The Arabic term /suht/, used in this verse, according to the Islamic traditions, means: 'bribery and the gifts given for the fulfilment of an affair. It also means: 'destruction' or 'the thing which causes destruction'.
The verse says:
Footnotes