The objectives of the punishment system are three fold :

1) To punish those guilty of crime, thereby acting as kaffara (purification) and reforming them.

2) To act as a deterrent for society from committing crime.

3) To be a means of retribution for those who are victims of crime.

There are various degrees of punishment that accord with the severity of the crime, the nature of the crime, and other factors which surround it. These all have the effect of achieving the objectives detailed above.