How many times must a person confess to the act of Zina (for a fixed punishment)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Ḥudūd (Prescribed Penalties)
Primary text
The confession of Zina must be repeated four times, following the narration regarding Ma'iz, as this is the most cautious approach. The primary authentic narrations indicate that four confessions occurred in a single session. This is supported by the narration concerning Ma'iz, and the legal basis is that confession serves as one of the two grounds for establishing Zina, thus being sufficient with a single session, similar to witness testimony (Bayyinah).
Supporting text
Abu Hanifah is of the opinion that the confession is only established requiring four declarations made across four separate sessions, based on the understanding that Ma'iz confessed in four distinct sittings. Furthermore, there is a narration citing Bashir ibn Muhajir from Abdullah ibn Buraydah from his father, which suggests separate sessions, but this narration is considered repudiated (munkar al-hadith) by the authoritative jurists.