had concealed it, he ordered al-Zubayr to punish him until he showed them where the wealth was. Someone who conceals his own wealth is even more deserving of punishment. Jurists among the followers of Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, Ahmad, and others have discussed this issue, and I know of no disagreement concerning it. They have stated that if someone persists in refusing to discharge an obligation, whether a debt or otherwise, he is to be punished and beaten repeatedly until he fulfills it. The beating is not to be administered only once; rather, it is to be spread over several days until he fulfills his obligation.

The scholars have unanimously agreed that discretionary punishment is prescribed for every sin for which neither a prescribed fixed punishment nor an expiation is stipulated. Sins fall into two categories: neglecting an obligation and committing a prohibited act. Whoever fails to fulfill an obligation despite being able to do so is therefore sinful and deserves punishment and disciplinary measures. Allah, glorified be He, knows best.

He was asked:

A man brought witnesses to his home and said, “Bear witness that my daughter, so-and-so, is of sound judgment, is legally competent to manage her affairs, and is under no legal restriction.” She was married and had children. He made this declaration in the presence of her husband, one of her brothers, and her mother, repeating it several times.

When his witnesses left, her brother told them, “Do not testify that she is of sound judgment.” Then, several days later, her father and brother came, and her father said, “I have withdrawn my declaration that she is of sound judgment.”