The Ruling on Carrying Out the Fixed Punishment for One Who Repents from Zina

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, if a person repents from a fixed punishment (hadd) such as zina committed by a virgin, is it permissible for him to ask his friend, for example, to carry out the punishment on him before the authority becomes aware of it, before the punishment is established against him?

Answer:
Yes. Is it permissible for him to ask a friend he trusts to purify him from this sin by carrying out the hadd on him? That is, before the matter reaches the authority, before the ruling is finalized? No, it is sufficient for him to repent. It is not permissible for him to ask his friend, nor is it permissible for his friend to carry out the hadd on him, as we have previously mentioned to you that carrying out the hudud is among the authorities of the one in authority (wali al-amr). Therefore, it is not permissible for his friend to carry out the hadd on him. It is sufficient for him to repent, and Allah accepts the repentance of those who repent. Allah is the One who covers faults, and He loves to cover faults, Glorified and Exalted is He.