The couple are given chances to plead for forgiveness to God before the punishment is carried out. If they do not, they will be punished. If both parties are married, they will both be stoned to death. If one is married, while the other is not, the former will be stoned until dead, and the latter will be given a hundred lashes. The severe punishment of an extra-marital are mainly to act as a deterrent to society from engaging in such relationships, as sex outside marriage is a major sin in Islam. The pain of the punishment is also believed to lessen punishment in the afterlife.