Confused about keeping quiet

There is a hadith, which says:

" “Whoever committed any of these abominable acts but was covered by Allah, let him or her not expose what Allah has covered.”

There are some parts of this that I don't understand.

If a man/woman has committed a sin, lets say adultery. And they make their toba.. but they don't get the punishment because they are told to keep quiet about it. Then why do we have an existing punishment?

And when someone says, 'best they get the punishment (stoning) in life rather than get it in hell' doesn't that contradict? I mean, if you keep quiet about it.. you won't get punished, therefore it awaits you in the afterlife right?

Another thing, is it really true that if you are punished in life you will not be in hell?

God is forgiving, but human beings are not and never will be as forgiving.

People are judgemental, and if someone does something wrong, but regrets it and promises to themselves that they'll never go down that path again, that they'll start with a clean slate, it's rare that someone in the society won't bring it up if that person starts a new job, or wants to get married or whatever.

I always remember scholars and clerics mentioning that Hadeeth when talking about people who rave about their wrongdoings, for example a guy who is proudly explaining to his friends how he never fasts in Ramadan and always eats in secret. Not only is he doing the bad deed, he's proud of it, and that Hadeeth is advising against such act.

However, to attempt to answer your questions about adultery in particular:

Originally Posted by Enigma

If a man/woman has committed a sin, lets say adultery. And they make their toba.. but they don't get the punishment because they are told to keep quiet about it. Then why do we have an existing punishment?

The general condition for the punishment is that 4 people have to witness the actual act with absolutelty no shred of doubt. That makes it not just any type of adultry, it's one so scandalous, in which the "adulterers" were so careless and so defiant to Allah's orders that they do it in a manner and in a place and time where it's possible for 4 different people to witness them. And when I say the act I mean, the actual act. If anyone wants a more clear explanation please PM me, or do a search through Fiqh books about it. They're pretty precise about that.

However, if you're asking why there is a punishment in the afterlife, then it's obviously for the people that haven't asked for forgiveness.

Originally Posted by Enigma

And when someone says, 'best they get the punishment (stoning) in life rather than get it in hell' doesn't that contradict? I mean, if you keep quiet about it.. you won't get punished, therefore it awaits you in the afterlife right?

The idea is to keep quiet provided the person makes an honest repentance (Towbah), which would erase that bad deed, whether it is adultery or any other, from his/her "record."

Salam,

"من أصاب شيئاً من هذه القاذورات فليستتر بستر الله، فإنه من يبد لنا صفحته نقم عليه كتاب الله"
حديث شريف

The above hadeeth tells us whoever commits those dirty acts should not expose it to people after God have covered him/her and only those who expose thier dirty acts will be punished according to the act or the sin they have committed.

The person will not be punished until the news have reached to the leader, sultan or to the court then punishment has to take place.

How the news will reach to the leader or the authorities? There are two ways. For example, if it is an adultery through 4 real witnesses who saw the act and caught the person doing it red-handed. The 4 witnesses have to see it practiced, the man's thing in the woman's thing. If the witnesses are less than 4, thier witness is not accepted and they are to recieve 80 lashes each.

:قال تعالى
"والذين يرمون المحصنات ثم لم يأتوا بأربعة شهداء فاجلدوهم ثمانين جلدة ولا تقبلوا لهم شهادة أبداً وأولئك هم الفاسقون "
صدق الله العظيم

The other way is through confession, if the adulterer confessed then the he/she will receive the punishment, stoning for the married adulterer & 100 lashes for the unmarried adulterer.

A woman from Ghamid tribe went to the prophet and she confessed to the prophet that she has sexual intercourse out of wedlock, the prophet did not take immediate action until she insisted that she had committed adultery, then he asked her to go till she gives birth. When she gave birth she went to the prophet but he could not punish her as her baby was too young, but a man said will take care of the baby, then the prophet asked for her to be stoned to death, then he prayed for her & some Sahaba were surprised why he prayed on an adulterer, the prophet replied to them that she repented and if her towba was divided to 70 of sahaba's it would have been enough for them. She is in heaven inshallah.

You do not have to be punished in life in order to enter heaven. What you need is to not expose your evil act and stop commiting it, repent and never repeat it, & If you had done wrong to anyone then you will have to return him/her their right.
We all make mistakes, and best of those who make mistakes are those who repent and ask for forgiveness.

"كل بني آدم خطاء، وخير الخطائين التوابون"
حديث شريف

At the end, we have to know that we are asked to not expose any bad act we commit, and not to be proud of it. The perosn who commits a bad act and reveals it to others and shows it off carries more sin the the person who does not reveal it.

كل أمتي معافى إلا المجاهرين، وإن من المجاهرة أن يعمل الرجل بالليل عملاً ثم يصبح وقد ستره الله عليه فيقول يا فلان عملت البارحة كذا وكذا وقد بات يستره ربه ويصبح ويكشف ستر الله عليه

حديث شريف

All of us need to do ask God for forgiveness for mistakes we did in the past that may be we forgot. No matter how many sins we have & how many mistakes we have committed against Allah or against people, we should know that towba can be done at anytime no matter how many sins are committed. The only two times towba will not be accepted is when the person is dying or when the sun rises from the west.

:قال تعالى
"قل يا عبادي الذين أسرفوا على أنفسهم لا تقنطوا من رحمة الله، إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعاً إنه هو الغفور الرحيم"
صدق الله العظيم

Salam...

That makes it not just any type of adultry, it's one so scandalous, in which the "adulterers" were so careless and so defiant to Allah's orders that they do it in a manner and in a place and time where it's possible for 4 different people to witness them. And when I say the act I mean, the actual act.

The four witnesses has always seemed like a lot to me, you would be lucky if you could get one witness, forget four! I know the four is to protect the people, to keep liars from accusing people (esp here, where the punishment is so harsh) but with so many, it doesn't make sense to have a law... as you'd only find them in very very rare cases.

However, if you're asking why there is a punishment in the afterlife, then it's obviously for the people that haven't asked for forgiveness.

That makes sense.

The other way is through confession, if the adulterer confessed then the he/she will receive the punishment,

Phahade, if people are advised (by this hadith) to keep quiet, why would they confess? Is it that, by getting the according punishment they feel they have completed their toba? Obviously no one wants to get stoned to death so I would think they would do what they could to keep it quiet.

A woman from Ghamid tribe went to the prophet and she confessed to the prophet that she has sexual intercourse out of wedlock, the prophet did not take immediate action until she insisted that she had committed adultery, then he asked her to go till she gives birth. When she gave birth she went to the prophet but he could not punish her as her baby was too young, but a man said will take care of the baby, then the prophet asked for her to be stoned to death

Yes, I was going to bring this story up. Now why did she go to the prophet? It seems she wanted the punishment, but what would that achieve if she could get Allah's forgiveness through secret towba?

The perosn who commits a bad act and reveals it to others and shows it off carries more sin the the person who does not reveal it.

Why?

Originally Posted by Enigma

Phahade, if people are advised (by this hadith) to keep quiet, why would they confess? Is it that, by getting the according punishment they feel they have completed their toba? Obviously no one wants to get stoned to death so I would think they would do what they could to keep it quiet.

No one is asked to confess, but some may think to recieve the punishment is the best way to purify them and clear their sin. That can be known from the way Ma3iz from Aslam tribe when he approached the prophet and asked him to purify him.

Originally Posted by Enigma

Yes, I was going to bring this story up. Now why did she go to the prophet? It seems she wanted the punishment, but what would that achieve if she could get Allah's forgiveness through secret towba?

AP answered this. I just want to add that, one reason could be the hadeeth came only after the prophet stoned the man from Aslam tribe and the woman from Ghamidi tribe. For example the verse in Qur'an that forbids people from praying while they are drunk it came only after ِA'Rahman bin Auf prayed as an imam and he was drunk so he recited surat Al-Kafiroon wrongly and instead of saying: قل يا أيها الكافرون لا أعبد ما تعبدون he said: قل يا أيها الكافرون أعبد ما تعبدون

:قال تعالى
"يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تقربوا الصلاة وأنتم سكارى حتى تعلموا ما تقولون"
صدق الله العظيم

Originally Posted by PhaHaDde

The perosn who commits a bad act and reveals it to others and shows it off carries more sin the the person who does not reveal it.

Originally Posted by Enigma

Why?

كل أمتي معافى إلا المجاهرين

Simply the hadeeth I provided says that all who commit sins are forgiven except those who do it openly and reveal it to others. People do that to show off and they are proud of it. Those are not forgiven.
For example, if someone commits an adultery, it's a sin & if he reveals it to others, then he gets 2 sins. one for committing it and the other one for revealing it.

Salam..

Yes, I was going to bring this story up. Now why did she go to the prophet? It seems she wanted the punishment, but what would that achieve if she could get Allah's forgiveness through secret towba?

to her, personal secret tawba wasnt enough .. she wanted to be punished to feel that the sin was erased.

Enigma, 4 witnesses is like what blessed said, its to distinguish those who commit the sin while they are scared of Allah's punishment and would repent, from those who do it publicly proud of thier sin.