Adhabu zote ni malipo ya dhambi anazofanya mtu, na adhabu hizi hutolewa either kwa mujibu wa sheria za Kiislamu (Qisasi) au kwa Amri ya Kimungu. Iwapo adhabu za kisheria za Kiislamu zitatekelezwa kwa kosa fulani, basi adhabu ya Kimungu itafutwa au kupunguzwa kwa mtu aliyetenda kosa hilo. Allah ~ hairuhusu adhabu zote mbili kwa mja wake, isipokuwa pale ambapo moja yake haitoshi kuondoa dhambi au madhara yake. Iwapo adhabu ya kisheria ya Kiislamu haitatekelezwa (yaani pale ambapo mtawala hatawali kwa Sheria za Allah), basi adhabu ya Kimungu itatokea; inaweza kuwa kali zaidi au nyepesi zaidi kuliko ile ya kisheria. Hata hivyo, adhabu za Kimungu ni za jumla, kwa maana kwamba kijiji kizima kinaweza kuadhibiwa iwapo kikundi cha watu kitaeneza uovu, huku wengine wasiamrishe mema wala kukataza maovu yasienee katika jamii yao. Adhabu ya kisheria ni adhabu ya mtenda kosa peke yake, ilhali adhabu ya Kimungu ni pana, kwani inawahusu wote wanaotenda uovu na wale wanaojaribu kuuondoa. Allah ~ ameweka adhabu ya kisheria kwa kila kosa, kulingana na ukubwa wake. Adhabu hizo ni: kuuawa, kukatwa (mikono), na kupigwa mijeledi. Amewaamuru adhabu ya kuuawa kwa kosa la shirki, zinaa na ushoga, kwa sababu la kwanza linaharibu dini, la pili linaharibu nasaba (undugu), na la tatu linaharibu maumbile ya binadamu. Imam Ahmad alisema: "Baada ya kosa la mauaji, sijui kosa lililo zito zaidi kuliko zinaa," na aliunga mkono kauli yake kwa Hadithi ya Ibn Mas'ud 4l,§, aliyesema kwamba mtu mmoja alimwambia: "Ee Mjumbe wa Allah, dhambi gani ni kubwa zaidi mbele ya Allah?" Mtume ﷺ akasema: "Kumfanyia Allah washirika, ilhali Yeye Peke Yake ndiye aliyekuumba." Yule mtu akauliza: "Kisha ni lipi?" Mtume ﷺ akajibu: "Kumuua mwanao kwa kuogopa kwamba atashiriki chakula chako." Mtu huyo alisema: "Kinachofuata ni nini?" Nabii ﷺ akasema: "Kufanya zinaa haramu na mke wa jirani yako." Kisha Allah akateremsha, kuthibitisha hilo: ( ... wale wasiomwomba Allah mungu mwingine yeyote, wala wasiue nafsi ambayo Allah ameifanya kuwa takatifu isipokuwa kwa haki, wala wasifanye zinaa haramu, kwa kuwa atakayefanya hivyo atapata adhabu ... ) 1 Nabii ﷺ alitaja mifano ya kila aina ya uhalifu huu mkubwa kabisa: Aina kubwa kabisa ya shirki ni kumshirikisha mungu mwingine pamoja na Allah ~. Aina kubwa kabisa ya mauaji ni kumuua mtoto wa mtu kwa hofu kwamba mtoto huyo atagawana chakula na kinywaji chake. Aina kubwa kabisa ya uzinzi ni kufanya zinaa na mke wa jirani yako. Zinaa na mwanamke aliyeolewa ni kubwa zaidi, kwa upande wa dhambi yake na adhabu yake, kuliko zinaa na mwanamke ambaye hajaolewa, kwa sababu inajumuisha kuvunja heshima ya mume na uhusiano wake wa karibu na mkewe, na inaharibu nasaba yake. Kufanya zinaa na wanawake mia moja ambao hawajaolewa ni kidogo, mbele ya Allah, kuliko kufanya zinaa na mke wa jirani, kwa kuwa kitendo kama hicho pia ni kuvunja haki za ujirani. Nabii ﷺ alisema: "Hataingia Peponi mtu ambaye hamwokoi jirani yake na maovu yake"2, na hakuna ovu kubwa zaidi kuliko kufanya tendo la ndoa na mke wa jirani; kwa hiyo adhabu huongezeka kulingana na ukubwa wa kosa. Adhabu iliyoamriwa na Mwenyezi Mungu huja katika namna mbili: adhabu ya moyo na nafsi, na adhabu ya mwili na mali. Adhabu ya moyo nayo huja katika namna mbili: kwanza, kama maumivu yanayoathiri moyo; pili, kuzuiwa kwa vitu vinavyotoa uhai na kuutakasa moyo. Adhabu ya moyo ndiyo kali kuliko adhabu zote kwa sababu kimsingi ni adhabu ya mwili mzima. Aina hii ya adhabu huendelea na kuzidi, ikihama kutoka moyoni kwenda sehemu nyingine za mwili, kama vile maumivu ya mwili yanavyoweza kuhamia moyoni. Roho inapotengana na mwili, adhabu hubaki ndani ya mwili, na hujulikana kama adhabu ya kaburini. Adhabu kwa mwili nayo ina namna mbili: adhabu ya duniani, na nyingine ya Akhera. Ukali na uzito wake hutegemea matokeo ya makosa yenyewe. Hakuna msingi wa uovu duniani wala Akhera isipokuwa dhambi na adhabu yake. Uovu unatokana na nafsi na matendo yake maovu, ambayo Nabii ﷺ alikuwa akimwomba Allah ulinzi dhidi yake, akisema: "Tunakukimbilia Wewe (Allah) kutokana na uovu wa nafsi zetu, na uovu wa matendo yetu." Kumwomba Allah ulinzi hufanyika dhidi ya uovu wote; uovu wa nafsi hudhihirika kama matendo maovu, ambayo nayo huhitaji adhabu zinazostahiki. Malaika humwomba Rehema ya Allah ~ kwa ajili ya waumini, wakisema: ("Waokoe (na adhabu ya yale waliyoyafanya ya) maovu, na yule utakayemwokoa (na adhabu ya yale aliyoyafanya ya) maovu siku hiyo (yaani, umsamehe), basi huyo Umemrehemu hakika") 3 Aya hii inatujulisha sifa ya malaika kwa waumini na wema wao kwao, kwa kuomba msamaha wao. Malaika humwomba Allah ~ kwa Ujuzi Wake usio na kikomo na Rehema Yake, awaokoe waumini na adhabu. Allah ~ anajua kikamilifu dhambi zao na sababu zake, pia udhaifu wao mbele ya adui yao mkuu (Shetani). Allah ~ anawajua kikamilifu waja Wake, ambao Aliwaumba kutokana na udongo, na walipokuwa katika umbo la kiinitete tumboni mwa mama zao. Alijua kwamba watamwasi wakati fulani maishani mwao, lakini Yeye ~ hupenda kusamehe na kughufiria. Malaika humwomba Allah ~ waumini waingie Peponi, ambayo Ameahidi kwao, na wanasema: (Hakika Wewe ndiye Mwenye nguvu, Mwenye hikima) 1 yaani. Chanzo na Sababu ya kila kinachotokea ni kutokana na ukamilifu wa uwezo wa Allah na ujuzi Wake; kwa maana nguvu ni ukamilifu wa uwezo, na hekima ni ukamilifu wa ujuzi. Kwa sifa hizi, Allah ~ huamua, huamuru, hukataza, hulipa fidia na huadhibu yeyote Atakaye; msingi wa Uumbaji wa Allah na Amri Zake umejengwa juu ya sifa hizi mbili.

All punishments are in response to sins committed by a person, and these punishments are either given according to Islamic legislations or Divine Decree. If the legislated Islamic punishments (Qasas) are implemented for a particular crime, then the divinely decreed punishment would be cancelled or reduced for the person who had committed the crime. Allah ~ does not allow both punishments for His Servant, except if one of them was not sufficient to remove the sin or its ailment. If the legislated Islamic punishment is not implemented (i.e. in the case where the ruler does not govern by the Laws of Allah), the Divinely Decreed Punishment takes place; it could either be more or less punishing than the legislated one. However, the Divinely Decreed Punishments are general, in the sense that a whole village could be punished if a group o people spread immorality, while the rest did not enjoin good nor forbid evil from spreading in their society. The legislated sentence is the punishment for the doer of the crime alone, whereas the Divinely Decreed Punishment is wide-ranging, as it covers both those who commit evil and those who try to remove it. Allah ~ has defined a legislated punishment for each crime, according to its gravity. The sentences are: killing, cutting ( off the hands), flogging. He ~ decreed punishment by killing for the crime of polytheism, adultery and homosexuality, because the first corrupts the religion, the second corrupts the lineage (kinship) and the third corrupts the nature of man. Imam Ahmad said: "After the crime of murder, I do not know a more serious crime than adultery", and he supported his statement with the Hadith oflbn Mas'ud 4l,§, who said that a man said: "O Messenger of Allah, which sin is the biggest in Allah's Sight?" The Prophet~ said: "To set up rivals unto Allah, though He Alone created you." That man asked: "What is next?" The Prophet ~ replied: "To kill your son lest he should share your food with you." The man said: "What is next?" The Prophet ~ said: "To commit illegal sexual intercourse with the wife of your neighbour." Then Allah revealed, in confirmation of that: ( ... those who invoke not with Allah any other god, nor kill such life as Allah has made sacred except for a just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse, for whoever does this shall receive the punishment ... ) 1 The Prophet ~ mentioned examples of each type of these most serious crimes: The most serious type of polytheism is to associate another god with Allah ~ - The most serious type of killing is to kill one's child for fear that the child might share one's food and drink. The most serious type of fornication is to commit adultery with one's neighbour's wife. The adultery with a married woman is graver, in terms of its sin and punishment, than with a non-married woman, because it includes the violation of the sanctity of the husband and his intimate relationship with his wife, and it corrupts his lineage . Committing fornication with a hundred unmarried women is less, in the Sight of Allah, than committing fornication with the neighbour's wife, for such an act is also a violation of the rights of neighbourhood. The Prophet ~ said: "He does not enter Paradise one who does not save his neighbour from one's evils"2 and there is no greater evil than having a sexual intercourse with the neighbour' s wife; therefore the punishment mcreases according to the seriousness of the crime. The Divinely Decreed Punishment comes in two forms: a punishment to one's heart and soul, and a punishment to one's body and property. The punishment to the heart also comes in two forms: first, as pains which affect the heart; second, the withholding of substances which give life and refinement of the heart. The punishment to the heart is the severest of all punishments because it is basically a punishment of the whole body. This type of punishment progresses and intensifies, moving from the heart to the rest of the body, just as body pains may move to the heart. When the soul is separated from the body, the punishment remains within the body, and is known as the punishment in the grave. The punishment to the body also comes in two forms: a punishment in this world, and another in the Hereafter. Its severity and intensity depends upon the consequences of the crimes. There is no basis for evil in this world and the Hereafter except the sins and their punishment. Evil originates from the self and its misdeeds, against which the Prophet ~ used to seek refuge in Allah, saying: "We seek refuge in You (Allah) from the evil within ourselves, and from the evil of our deeds." Seeking refuge in Allah is done against all evil; the evil of the self becomes manifested as evil deeds, which in their tum necessitate the appropriate punishments. The angels invoke the Mercy of Allah ~ for the believers, saying: ("Save them from (the punishment of what they did ot) sins, and whomsoever You save from (the punishment of what he did of) sins (i.e. pardon him) that day, him verily, You have taken into mercy")3 This Verse informs us of the angels' praise for the believers and their benevolence towards them, by seeking their forgiveness. The angels ask Allah ~ with His Vast Measureless Knowledge and Mercy to save the believers from punishment. Allah ~ is All-Aware of their sins and their causes, and also of their weakness before their arch enemy (Satan). Allah ~ is All-Aware of His Servants, whom He ~ created from the earth, and when they were in the form of embryos in their mothers' wombs. He ~ knew that they were going to disobey Him sometime in their lives, but He ~ · loves to pardon and forgive. The angels invoke Allah ~ for the believers to enter Paradise, which He has promised them , and say: (You are the Almighty, the All-Wise) 1 i.e. the Source and the Cause of all that comes from the Perfection of Allah's Ability and His Knowledge; for might is the perfection of ability, and wisdom is the perfection of knowledge. With these Attributes, Allah ~ decrees, commands, forbids, compensates and punishes whomsoever He ~ wishes; the basis of Allah's Creation and Commands are founded upon these two Attributes.