As for the manner of striking in taʿzīr, it is permissible to use a cane or a whip whose tip has been broken, as in the fixed punishments; it is not permissible to use a whip whose tip remains intact. Aḥmad said, in the narration of Ibrāhīm ibn Hānīʾ: “The adulterer is struck more severely than the slanderer.” He was asked, “Should its tip be cut?” He replied, “Yes—a whip of intermediate severity.” Each part of the body is to receive its due share, but the beating in taʿzīr must not be so severe as to cause bleeding.

When administering a fixed punishment, the beating must be distributed over the entire body, except the vital areas. It is not permissible to concentrate the blows on one part of the body; taʿzīr is the same in this regard as the fixed punishment.

It is permissible to crucify a person alive as a taʿzīr punishment. When he is crucified, he must not be deprived of food or drink, nor prevented from performing minor ablution for prayer; he should pray by gesture. He need not repeat the prayer, and his crucifixion may not exceed three days.

May a person undergoing this disciplinary punishment be stripped of his clothes, leaving only what covers his private parts? There are differing reports from Aḥmad concerning flogging. Al-Maymūnī reported that he said, regarding adultery: “He is stripped, and each part of the body is given its due share.” Abū al-Ḥāriq reported: “He is flogged one hundred lashes while wearing his clothes.” Ibn Manṣūr reported: “He is struck over a shirt; even if he were left wearing winter clothes, I would not mind the beating.”

It is permissible to have his offense publicly proclaimed if he has committed it repeatedly and has not desisted. It is not permissible to shave his hair, nor is it permissible to shave his beard. May his face be blackened? Some held that this is permissible, while others held that it is not.

Aḥmad said, in the narration of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ibrāhīm, concerning a false witness: “He is paraded through his neighborhood, his offense is publicized, and he is disciplined.” He also said, in the narration of Mihnā, concerning a false witness: “He is sent around his quarter, and they say, ‘This is so-and-so who gives false testimony; recognize him.’” He was asked, “Is he then beaten?” He replied, “Yes.” He was asked, “Half the fixed punishment?” He replied, “No, less than that.” He was asked, “Is his face blackened?” He replied, “It has been reported from ʿUmar—may Allah be pleased with him—that he blackened the face of a false witness.” He was asked, “Do you therefore think that his face should be blackened?” He replied, “I do not know.” It seems that he disliked blackening the face. Thus, he explicitly stated that the offender’s crime should be proclaimed, that he should be paraded, and that he should also be beaten, while refraining from affirming that his face should be blackened.

Abū Bakr al-Khallāl narrated through his chain of transmission from Makhūl, who said: ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: “A false witness is flogged forty lashes, his face is blackened, and his imprisonment is prolonged.”