A Tale of Two Confessions of Adultery

Dato Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek public confession of adultery is not new. It has happened before. However the result of the two confessions is different.

Maiz bin Malik lived during Prophet's Muhammad's s.a.w time. He committed adultery.

He went to see Nabi s.a.w and confessed. Nabi s.a.w accepted his confession only after his fourth confession. Still, Nabi s.a.w gave him many chances, trying to create doubt about his action, to enable him to escape from undergoing hudud penalty for adultery which is stoning to death.

Hudud law is implemented only when there is not a slightest doubt at all as to the guilt of the perpetrator. At the slightest doubt, hudud is not implemented.

Nabi s.a.w advice:

"Don't implement hudud if there is a doubt."

(Jangan laksanakan hukum hudud dengan adanya syubhat (keraguan). HR Abdullah bin Abas)

Despite Prophet's attempts to dissuade Maiz not to admit to adultery, Maiz still insisted that he understood what adultery is and indeed he had committed it and refused to escape from undergoing the huhud law. Nabi s.a.w then implemented hudud law on him and he was stoned to death.

Nabi s.a.w then heard two sahabat commented:

"Look at the person who is protected by Allah, he doesn't care about himself and is stone like the stoning of a dog."

("Lihatlah kepada orang yang dilindungi oleh Allah, dia tidak menghiraukan dirinya lalu direjam seperti rejaman terhadap seekor anjing.")

Nabi saw kept quite and walked away for a short while until he came across a carcass. He asked the two sahabat to eat the cadaver.

"Wahai Nabi Allah, Who would eat carcass?" they asked.

"What you have done to the honor of your friend just now is worst then eating that meat. By God in whose hand is my life, definitely he now is in heaven, immersed in it."

("Apa yang telah kamu laku terhadap kehormatan saudara kamu tadi adalah lebih teruk daripada memakan daging itu. Demi Tuhan yang diriku berada di tangan-Nya, sesungguhnya dia sekarang berada di dalam sungai syurga berendam dalamnya.")

(Muhammad Qutb Hadis Pilihan Bab: Hukum hudud di tangguh kerana adanya keraguan Pustaka Salam 2001 m.s 188-192 ).

Anyone who submits to Allah's hudud laws is absolved of the guilt. And as shown by Maiz, is rewarded with syurga.

Chua had praises heaped on him for his public confession, among which was:

"However, by his admission of his impropriety and resignation from all party and government posts in the interests of his party, the government and the nation, the ex-minister has reaffirmed the cardinal principle of personal accountability of any public figure for his actions in office, and restored his personal honor as a responsible leader."

(LETTERS: New Straits Times 9 Jan 2008).