حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ قَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بَعَثَ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابَ فَكَانَ فِيمَا أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةُ الرَّجْمِ فَقَرَأْنَا بِهَا وَعَقَلْنَاهَا وَوَعَيْنَاهَا فَأَخْشَى أَنْ يَطُولَ بِالنَّاسِ عَهْدٌ فَيَقُولُوا إِنَّا لَا نَجِدُ آيَةَ الرَّجْمِ فَتُتْرَكَ فَرِيضَةٌ أَنْزَلَهَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَإِنَّ الرَّجْمَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى حَقٌّ عَلَى مَنْ زَنَى إِذَا أَحْصَنَ مِنْ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ إِذَا قَامَتْ الْبَيِّنَةُ أَوْ كَانَ الْحَبَلُ أَوْ الِاعْتِرَافُ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 276
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said: 'Umar (RA) said: Allah, may He be exalted, sent Muhammad (PBUH) and sent down the Book to him. Among that which was revealed to him was the verse of stoning. We recited it and understood it. But I fear that with the passage of time, some people will say: We do not find the verse of stoning in the Book of Allah, and as a result an obligation that Allah revealed will be forsaken. Stoning is the due punishment in the Book of Allah for those who commit zina, both men and women, if they have been married and if proof is established, or there is a pregnancy or a confession.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020