Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/40)

The scholars differed over this, holding three views: Is it abrogated, or does it remain in force? Or does it fall under discretionary punishment, which the ruler may impose when needed but which is not obligatory? Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—would administer more than forty strokes for the prescribed punishment. He said:

“No one upon whom a prescribed punishment is carried out and who then dies would leave me with misgivings, except one punished for drinking wine. If he were to die, I would pay his blood money, for that is something we did on the basis of our own judgment.”

This was narrated by al-Shāfiī and others (1).

Al-Shāfiī cited this as evidence that the additional strokes constitute discretionary punishment imposed through independent judgment. This, in turn, rests upon another issue, namely, whether a person upon whom a prescribed punishment, discretionary punishment, or retaliation is carried out and who consequently dies

(1) This report from Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—appears in al-Bukhārī, 8/158, Book of Prescribed Punishments, chapter “Beating with Palm Stalks and Sandals”; Muslim, 3/1332, Book of Prescribed Punishments, chapter “The Prescribed Punishment for Drinking Wine”; and al-Musnad, al-Maārif edition, 2/222–223, 244.

وَقَدْ تَنَازَعَ الْعُلَمَاءُ: هَلْ هُوَ مَنْسُوخٌ أَوْ مُحْكَمٌ؟ أَوْ هُوَ مِنْ بَابِ التَّعْزِيرِ الَّذِي يَفْعَلُهُ الْإِمَامُ إِنِ احْتَاجَ إِلَيْهِ وَلَا يَجِبُ؟ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَقْوَالٍ، وَعَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - كَانَ يَضْرِبُ فِي الْحَدِّ فَوْقَ الْأَرْبَعِينَ، وَقَالَ: " مَا أَحَدٌ أُقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ فَيَمُوتُ، فَأَجِدُ فِي نَفْسِي إِلَّا شَارِبَ الْخَمْرِ؛ فَإِنَّهُ لَوْ مَاتَ لَوَدَيْتُهُ، فَإِنَّهُ شَيْءٌ فَعَلْنَاهُ بِرَأْيِنَا " رَوَاهُ الشَّافِعِيُّ وَغَيْرُهُ (١) وَاسْتَدَلَّ الشَّافِعِيُّ بِهَذَا عَلَى أَنَّ الزِّيَادَةَ مِنْ بَابِ التَّعْزِيرِ الَّذِي يُفْعَلُ بِالِاجْتِهَادِ، ثُمَّ هَذَا مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى مَسْأَلَةٍ أُخْرَى، وَهُوَ أَنَّ مَنْ أُقِيمَ عَلَيْهِ حَدٌّ أَوْ تَعْزِيرٌ أَوْ قِصَاصٌ فَمَاتَ

(١) جَاءَ هَذَا الْأَثَرُ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ٨/١٥٨ كِتَابِ الْحُدُودِ، بَابِ الضَّرْبِ بِالْجَرِيدِ وَالنِّعَالِ، مُسْلِمٍ ٣/١٣٣٢ كِتَابِ الْحُدُودِ، بَابِ حَدِّ الْخَمْرِ، الْمُسْنَدَ ط. الْمَعَارِفِ ٢/٢٢٢ - ٢٢٣، ٢٤٤.