What is meant in the verse....?

format_quote Originally Posted by Seekingtruth

Sahih International
Those who commit unlawful sexual intercourse of your women - bring against them four [witnesses] from among you. And if they testify, confine the guilty women to houses until death takes them or Allah ordains for them [another] way.

It is Verse 15 from Surah An-Nisa'.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir:
At the begining of Islam, the ruling was that if a woman commits adultery as stipulated by sufficient proof, she was confined to her home, without leave, until she died. Allah said,
(And those of your women who commit illegal sexual intercourse, take the evidence of four witnesses from among you against them; and if they testify, confine them (i.e. women) to houses until death comes to them or Allah ordains for them some (other) way.) `Some other way' mentioned here is the abrogation of this ruling that came later. Ibn `Abbas said, "The early ruling was confinement, until Allah sent down Surat An-Nur (chapter 24) which abrogated that ruling with the ruling of flogging (for fornication) or stoning to death (for adultery).'' Similar was reported from `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Al-Hasan, `Ata' Al-Khurasani, Abu Salih, Qatadah, Zayd bin Aslam and Ad-Dahhak, and this is a matter that is agreed upon. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Ubadah bin As-Samit said, "When the revelation descended upon the Messenger of Allah , it would affect him and his face would show signs of strain. One day, Allah sent down a revelation to him, and when the Messenger was relieved of its strain, he said,
(Take from me: Allah has made some other way for them. The married with the married, the unmarried with the unmarried. The married gets a hundred lashes and stoning to death, while the unmarried gets a hundred lashes then banishment for a year.)'' Muslim and the collectors of the Sunan recorded that `Ubadah bin As-Samit said that the Prophet said,
(Take from me, take from me. Allah has made some other way for them: the (unmarried) gets a hundred lashes and banishment for one year, while the (married) gets a hundred lashes and stoning to death.) At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih''.

Tafsir Al-Jalalayn:
As for those of your women who commit lewdness, adultery, call four, Muslim men, of you to witness against them; and if they witness, against them such [lewdness], then detain them in their houses, and prevent them from mixing with people, until, the angels of, death take them or, until, God appoints for them a way, out of it. This was stipulated for them at the very beginning of Islam, but then a way out was appointed for them through [the stipulation] that the virgin should receive a hundred lashes and be banished for a year, and the married woman be stoned. The prescribed punishment was explained thus in the hadīth, ‘Come listen to me! Come listen to me! God has now made a way out for them’, as reported by Muslim.

Tanwir Al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas:
(As for those of your women) your free, married women (who are guilty of lewdness) i.e. of fornication, (call to witness) that they were caught red-handed in the act (four of you against them) four of your free men. (And if they testify) to the Truth of the allegation (then confine them to the houses) keep them in prison (until death take them) until they die in prison (or (until) Allah appoint for them a way) out by means of stoning. Imprisoning a free, married woman who commits fornication until she dies in prison was later abrogated by stoning.

In Sahih Al-Bukhari, it is recorded:
"Ordains another procedure for them" (4:15) means stoning for the one who has been married and flogging for the one who has been not married.

In Sunan Abu Dawud it says:
It was narrated from ‘Ikrimah that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “And those of your women who commit illegal sexual intercourse, take the evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them (i.e. women) to houses until death comes to them or Allah ordains for them some (other) way.” [4:15] (Allah) mentioned men after women, then He mentioned them both together, and said: “And the two persons (man and woman) among you who commit illegal sexual intercourse, hurt them both. And if they repent (promise Allah that they will never repeat, i.e. commit illegal sexual intercourse and other similar sins) and do righteous good deeds, leave them alone”. [4:16] And He abrogated that with the Verse of flogging, and said: “The fornicatress and the fornicator, flog each of them with a hundred stripes.” [24:2] (Hasan)
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Sunan Ibn Majah:
It was narrated from ‘Ubadah bin Samit that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Learn from me. Allah has ordained for them (women*) another way. (If) a virgin (commits illegal sexual intercourse) with a virgin, (the punishment is) one hundred lashes and exile for one year. (If) a Thayyib (commits adultery) with a Thayyib,* (the punishment is) one hundred lashes and stoning.” (Sahih)
*This is a reference to the Verse: “And those of your women who commit illegal sexual intercourse, take the evidence of four witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them (i.e., women) to houses until death comes to them or Allah ordains for them some (other) way” (An-Nisa’ 4:15)
**A non-virgin who is legally married or was previously married, and has had sexual relations with another such from the other sex.
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I hope this all helps in explaining this verse. The Tafsirs and the Ahadith have elaborated on it in good detail.