The Arabic FÄHISHA, literally may mean: ill-looking - filthy - foul, disgusting and ugly; but generally it is taken to mean fornication or adultery.

      The term has been used in thirteen cases in the HOLY QURÄN; sometimes with the meaning of fornication, sometimes to mean pederasty, and elsewhere in its general meaning of indecency or lewdness.

      Most of the commentators have understood this instruction of; ``keeping them for life in the houses;; as the penalty and punishment for their adultery which technically means voluntary sexual intercourse by a married man or woman with another than their mates.

      In order to protect the honour of the woman and the reputation of her family, stricter evidences are needed to prove the indecency. Here, four witnesses instead of the usual two, have to testify that the adultary is proved to them, or they have seen the act of evil! Then if it is proved so; the maximum punishment would be imprisonment for life.

      Those who take the indecency to be adultery, construe this definite order which is added to it: ``OR ALLAH MAY ORDAIN FOR THEM SOME OTHER WAY'' to mean some difinite pronouncement by the prophet under inspiration, and this could have been the punishment of flogging under the verse. Q- S 24:2

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      (I understand according to the successive and serial order of the revelations, the chapter of LIGHT, in which the lashing punishment has been ordained, came down before the chapter of WOMAN in which is the imprisonment for life. and therefore the verse S 4: 15 has not been abrogated.

(TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)