1091 – ʿAlī (d. 40 AH) said: “I would never apply a ḥadd to anyone, have him die because of it, and then feel the least unease within myself—except in the case of the wine-drinker; if he were to die, I would still pay his blood-money.” Reported by al-Bukhārī (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
– la-uqīma: the present verb is in the subjunctive because of an implied an after the prefixed lām, called the lām of repudiation (lām al-juḥūd).
– fa-yamūta: “and he were to die”; the verb is subjunctive as the answer to a preceding subjunctive verb.
– fa-ajida: likewise subjunctive as the consequence of a negation, meaning: “then I would feel regret and sorrow.”
– wa-daytuhu: “I would pay his blood-money to his heirs.”

Points derived from the ḥadith
1 – The fixed legal penalties—such as those for adultery and slander—have been precisely determined by the wise Lawgiver; they may neither be increased nor reduced. Allah the Exalted says: “And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits, He will admit him to a Fire, to remain therein forever, and he will have a humiliating punishment” (al-Nisāʾ 4:14). The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah has set limits; do not transgress them.” These ḥudūd have been apportioned by the All-Wise, the All-Aware, in accord with the endurance of an average, healthy human being. As for someone of frail constitution, the Prophet ﷺ instructed that the punishment still be carried out, saying: “Take a bundle containing one hundred twigs and strike him with it once,” and they did so.

2 – Hence, if someone dies from a fixed punishment prescribed by Allah Most High, with no excess beyond what has been ordained, his death is regarded as an inevitable consequence of a lawful act