After hearing a lot of things on the issue of sodomy between husband and wife supposedly allowed under the syariah laws of Kelantan and Terengganu, which was criticised by Umno, I did some Internet research on the matter.

I found an article written by a secular person (not a PAS supporter of course and not from Malaysia) which explains that PAS is in fact correct in the issue. Sodomy between a married couple is not in the hudud law as believed by the majority of the Islamic jurists/scholars:

Here is what Abdur Rahman Doi writes on the punishment for sodomy:

(ref. 9, p.243) All Muslim jurists agree that sodomy is a sexual offence but differ in their punishment. According to Imam Abu Hanifa, the act of sodomy does not amount to adultery and therefore there is no punishment by hadd to be given to the offender except Ta'azir.

According to Imam Malik the hadd punishment will be applied whether the offender is married or not. He relies on the following hadith:

"It is reported by Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (S AW) said: "If you find someone who is committing an act of commitment of Lut (that is homosexuality), "kill the one on top and one below" and in another statement says: "kill the doer and the one with whom the act is committed."

"Abu Hurairah reports: That the Prophet (S A W) said, "Imam Shafi'I, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad have said that if the offender is married the hadd of stoning to death will be applied, but if he or she is unmarried, only punishment by ta'azir will suffice.

(ref. 9, p.243) It is also a crime to have sex with one's wife in an unnatural way, that is, through the back (anus). The majority of the jurists believe that ta'azir will apply since this is the case surrounded by doubt ( shubuhat ) and wherever there is a doubt, the hadd will not be applied.

This looks like another suicide issue raised by Umno, and it has made them look as lacking of Islamic law knowledge.