and strike her with it, even though he could strike her with a whip as thin as a finger. We would say that he has undoubtedly erred; rather, he should strike her without severity.

It is not permissible for him to strike her on the face, on vulnerable parts of the body, or on areas where the pain would be greater, because the purpose is discipline.

As for the number of blows, it is whatever achieves the intended purpose without harming the woman, since this is for discipline. The jurists say that the number should not exceed ten lashes, citing the Prophet’s saying: “No one is to be flogged with more than ten lashes except in one of the prescribed limits set by Allah” (1). However, what is meant by “a prescribed limit” in the hadith is not a legal punishment, such as the punishment for fornication; rather, it means neglecting an obligation or committing something forbidden. For Allah, Most High, called prohibited matters “the limits set by Allah,” saying: “These are the limits set by Allah, so do not approach them” [al-Baqarah 2:187]; and He called obligatory matters “the limits set by Allah,” saying: “These are the limits set by Allah, so do not transgress them” [al-Baqarah 2:229].

Thus, the correct view is that what is meant by “the prescribed limit” in the hadith is a limit established by the Sacred Law, not a punitive limit. If she cannot be disciplined except by twenty lashes, then we add another ten to the first ten. Yet we return to the first condition: that it must not be severe.

If this proves of no benefit—that is, he has admonished her, then forsaken her, then struck her, yet there is no benefit—what are we to do?