Pelakor and Home Wreckers: What is Their Punishment in Islam?

Islam strictly prohibits adultery and fornication, imposing severe penalties on offenders.

According to Islamic law, an unmarried person found guilty of adultery faces 100 lashes or exile. For married individuals, the punishment is stoning to death. The Quran (Surah An-Nur: 2) states, "The [unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man who commits illegal sexual intercourse, lash each one of them with one hundred lashes. And let not pity for them seize you in [the application of] the religion of Allah, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a group of the believers witness their punishment."

The text also addresses the destructive impact of infidelity on marital harmony. The concept of 'takhbib,' as warned against by Prophet Muhammad SAW, refers to the act of a third party deliberately disrupting a marriage. This can involve deceiving or misleading a spouse, often with the intention of causing them to seek divorce, potentially so the third party can marry them or for other malicious reasons.

Scholars, including Imam Ibnul Qayyim, classify the act of destroying someone's marriage as a major sin. It is considered a severe offense, akin to fornication itself, and is explicitly forbidden by Islamic jurisprudence. The prohibition extends to interfering in a marriage, even more so than proposing to someone already engaged.