Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah, Blessed and Exalted, sent His Messenger with compassion and mercy [that He had placed in his being]. Among the [examples of] the compassion and mercy of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was that at the beginning of his prophethood he did not force his people to move away from that which they were accustomed to, to new rulings [the rulings of Islam], until Islam became firmly established in their hearts and its shariah and rulings became sweet and pleasant in their hearts. An example of their rulings in the time of ignorance was that when a woman committed adultery, she would be confined in her house and her livelihood was provided until death came to her, and if a man committed adultery they would drive him out from their gatherings, insult him, harm him and reproach him — they knew nothing other than this. Therefore Allah, at the beginning of the religion of Islam, decreed this ruling: اللَّاتِی یَأْتِینَ الْفاحِشَةَ مِنْ نِسائِکُمْ فَاسْتَشْهِدُوا عَلَیْهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةً مِنْکُمْ فَإِنْ شَهِدُوا فَأَمْسِکُوهُنَّ فِی الْبُیُوتِ حَتَّی یَتَوَفَّاهُنَّ الْمَوْتُ أَوْ یَجْعَلَ اللهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِیلًا [And those of your women who commit indecency, call four witnesses from among you against them; then if they testify, confine them to the houses until death takes them away or Allah opens some way for them], and وَ الَّذانِ یَأْتِیانِها مِنْکُمْ فَآذُوهُما فَإِنْ تابا وَ أَصْلَحا فَأَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُما إِنَّ اللهَ کانَ تَوَّاباً رَحِیماً [And the two among you who commit it, harm them both; then if they repent and mend their ways, turn away from them. Indeed Allah is ever Accepting of repentance, Merciful]. Then when the number of Muslims increased and Islam became strong, and the people were disgusted by and dreaded the affairs, rulings and customs of ignorance, Allah revealed this verse: "Flog every one of the adulterous woman and adulterous man with a hundred lashes." (An-Nur 24:2). At that time the previous verse — that is, the verse of confinement and harm — was abrogated.