A Jurisprudential Analysis of the Ruling on Incestuous Adultery (Zinā): A Critique of Clause (a) of Article 224 and Article 228 of the Islamic Penal Code

فقه و اصول (Fiqh va uṣūl)

Article 10, Volume 57, Issue 1 - Serial Number 140, May 2025, Pages 231-258   

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/jfiqh.2023.84132.1631

Authors

Seyed Mahmoud Halataee^{* 1}; Mohammad Kazem Tavakoli Eslami²

¹Assistant Professor, Department of Fiqh and Foundations of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

²PhD Candidate, Department of Fiqh and Foundations of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

There is no unified jurisprudential perspective regarding the manner of punishment for those committing incestuous adultery with blood relatives (maḥārim-i nasabī).  Article 224 of the Islamic Penal Code establishes execution as the punishment for such a person based on the opinion of the majority of Imāmī jurists. Apart from the fact that some jurists have serious doubts about the legitimacy of execution in relation to Clause (a) of the aforementioned Article, the question has been raised whether those falling under Clause (a) are only deserving of execution, or whether flogging (jald) is also part of their legal punishment? Moreover, it is questioned whether those falling under Clause (a) are only deserving of execution if they are also characterized by iḥṣān (accessibility to legal sex). The third question is the jurisprudential analysis of the inclusion of the ruling on the muḥṣan (married and with access to legal sex) adulteress, with the ruling of the non muḥṣan  (no access to legal sex) adulteress in cases of incestuous sexual intercourse regarding the subject of Article 228 of the Islamic Penal Code. In reference to the first question, the majority of jurists and the legislator hold that it is not legitimate to increase the severity of punishment (taghlīẓ). Similarly, the majority of jurists vote against the changing of the ruling in case of iḥṣān. The Islamic Penal Code (established in 1392 A.S./2013 A.D.) remains silent on this issue, and it is likely that the generality (iṭlāq) of Article 224 will be interpreted according to the most view of the jurists. The present study employs the descriptive-analytical method and library research. The outcome of this study is the legitimacy of increasing the severity of punishment, the distinction in the punishments of individuals under Clause (a) of Article 224 in cases of iḥṣān and non-iḥṣān, and the lack of justification for equating the muḥṣan adulteress and the non-muḥṣan adulteress’ punishments in case of incestuous adultery.

Keywords

incestuous adultery; Articles 224 and 228 of the Islamic Penal Code; Increasing punishment; iḥṣān (accessibility to legal sex)

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