like yours." And he did not stone her. A similar ruling was reported from Ali. This is because carrying out the punishment upon her while she is pregnant entails the destruction of an innocent life, and there is no way to permit that. This applies whether the punishment is stoning or otherwise, for it is not certain that the child will survive the effects of the lashing or amputation, and it may even extend to the person being struck or having their limb amputated, causing the child to perish along with them. Once she gives birth, if the punishment is stoning, she shall not be stoned until she feeds it the colostrum (liba"), because the child cannot survive without it. Thereafter, if there is someone to nurse it, or someone takes responsibility for its nursing, she is stoned; otherwise, she is left until she weans it, due to what we have mentioned regarding the hadith of the Ghamidiyyah, and what Abu Dawud reported with his chain of narration from Buraydah, that a woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "I have committed adultery, and by Allah, I am pregnant." He said to her: "Go back until you give birth." She went back, and when she gave birth, she brought the child to him. He said: "Go back and nurse him until you wean him." She came with him while she had weaned him, and in his hand was something he was eating. He ordered the child to be taken and given to a man among the Muslims, then he ordered her to be dealt with, so a hole was dug for her, and he ordered her to be stoned. He then ordered her to be prayed over and buried. If her pregnancy is not apparent, she is not delayed, for it is possible that she did not conceive from the adultery; for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stoned the Jewish woman and the Juhaniyyah woman without asking about their state of innocence (istibra'). He said to Unays: "Go to the wife of this man, and if she confesses, then stone her," and he did not order him to ask about her innocence. Ali also stoned Shurahah without asking about her innocence. If she claims to be pregnant, her statement is accepted, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) accepted the statement of the Ghamidiyyah. If the punishment is lashing, then once she gives birth and the postpartum bleeding (nifas) has ceased, and she is strong such that there is no fear of her perishing, the punishment is carried out upon her. If she is still in her postpartum period or is weak such that her death is feared, the punishment is not carried out until she is pure and strong. This is the opinion of al-Shafi'i and Abu Hanifah. The Qadi mentioned that this is the manifest view of al-Khiraqi. Abu Bakr said: The punishment is carried out on her immediately, with a whip that poses no risk of death. If there is fear for her from the whip, it is carried out with a bunch of stalks—meaning a palm branch—and the ends of garments; because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that the sick person who committed adultery be struck, and he said: