in its form and its measure. Another view holds that when the offense touches a human being, a mere verbal reprimand is not enough. If the ruler chooses flogging, he must keep it below twenty lashes for a slave and below forty for a free person—though another opinion caps it at twenty. According to the sounder position, this applies across the board to every sin. If the one entitled to the ḥadd forgives the offender, then—on the preponderant view—the imam may not impose any taʿzīr; the alternative view allows him to do so, and in that case the punishment is left to his discretion.