Zina Definition: Muslim law: sexual relations; occurring outside of bond of marriage. Related Terms: Adultery, Hudud, Marriage Includes, but is not necessarily limited to, adultery. According to the Koran, sexual relations outside the bond of marriage is amongst the worse of crimes; a hudud: “The adulterous and the adulterer, flawed each of them a hundred stripes, and let not pity for them detain you from obedience to Allah....” The implications of a finding of zina in a Muslim jurisdiction are horrific. As Pearl points out in his Textbook: “Zina (is) illicit sexual relations. The hudud penalty is by stoning in the case of one who has consummated a valid marriage and 10 lashes in other cases. These penalties can only be imposed when four eye-witnesses testify to the act.” REFERENCES: Pearl, D., A Textbook on Muslim Law (London: Croom Helm Ltd., 1979), page 317 Categories & Topics: Muslim Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!