1300 – Abu Hurayrah (d. —) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When any one of you fights, let him avoid striking the face.” Agreed upon (1).

Lessons drawn from the hadith
1 – Brawling and quarreling with people are forbidden because they lead to harm, severed relations, and enmity. Should a confrontation nevertheless occur, or should someone who merits discipline—such as a servant, a child, or a wife—be corrected, or a prescribed punishment of Allah Most High be carried out, the striker must avoid the face. The face is the most honored part of the body and the point of direct encounter; hitting it may destroy an organ or inflict lasting damage. It is therefore obligatory to refrain from striking it, and to do so is unlawful whether the blow is justified or an act of aggression.
2 – The same ruling applies to any part of the body where a blow is likely to prove fatal; those areas must likewise be avoided.
3 – Sharh al-Iqnaʿ states: “The one who strikes must avoid the head, the face, the private parts, and the abdomen of both men and women, as well as all spots where a blow could kill, for striking them leads to death, and that is not what the Law commands.”
4 – Shaykh al-Islam said: “Whoever enforces the prescribed penalties must intend through them benefit and kindness, just as a father does when disciplining his child and a physician when treating the patient. The Sacred Law has only commanded what is of greatest benefit to the servants, and the believer must intend that benefit.”