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n. Islam The portion of shari'a law concerning the trial and punishment of the most serious crimes, including adultery, theft, and murder, prescribing penalties such as flagellation, amputation, and beheading. [Arabic ḥudūd, plural of ḥadd, edge, limit, divine ordinance, punishment, from ḥadda, to sharpen, delimit; see ḥdd in the Appendix of Semitic roots.] |
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