A Study on the Differences and Similarities between Aiding and Abetting in the Crimes of Adultery (Zinā) and Sodomy (Liwāt) Compared to the Ḥadd Crime of Qawādī and the Offense of Managing or Establishing Centers of Corruption or Prostitution under the Islamic Penal Code
Subject Areas : Criminal law and criminologyMohammad Reza Shekordaei 1 , Majid Matin Rasekh 2
1 - 1. Department of Law, Faculty of Law, Islamic Azad University, Shahre-Qods Branch, Shahre-Qods, Iran
2 - 2. PhD in Criminal Law and Criminology, Retired Judge, Lecturer, Islamic Azad University, Shahre-Qods Branch, Shahre-Qods, Iran
Keywords: Qawādī, adultery, prostitution, ḥadd punishment, law,
Abstract :
Understanding and distinguishing between different categories of criminal offenses is among the judicial competencies that a judge must carefully observe when explaining charges and attributing criminal conduct to defendants. In this regard, the three offenses of aiding and abetting in adultery (zinā) and sodomy (liwāt), when compared to the ḥadd crime of qawādī and the offense of operating or establishing centers of corruption or prostitution, are so similar in their material elements and statutory definitions that misclassification may arise during the judicial process. The underlying reason is that the ease of commission—arising from the principle of “facilitation” in enabling such immoral acts—causes the role of intermediary conduct and provision of means to appear common across these offenses, placing them superficially within a single category of accusation despite their nuanced distinctions. However, these offenses should not be regarded as devoid of key differentiating features. Paying attention to certain principles—such as the specific, defined nature of qawādī compared to the broader concept of aiding in adultery and sodomy, the type of perpetration, fulfillment of results required for criminal liability, temporal and spatial considerations, as well as whether the conduct is continuous or instantaneous—provides judges with reliable tools needed to fulfill their legal functions with precision. Accordingly, this study seeks to clarify the conceptual weight and provide scholarly insight by gathering and analyzing relevant legal and jurisprudential concepts within the framework of this article.