Ḥadd on a Sick Person: One Strike with a Branch of 100 Twigs or Postponement Until Recovery
By: Imrān Ayyūb Lāhorī
❖ Principle
If a person is ill at the time of ḥadd, two scenarios apply:
- If recovery is expected → punishment is delayed until health is restored.
- If no hope of recovery → punishment is carried out using a branch with 100 twigs and striking once.
❖ Evidences
➊ The Case of a Weak Man
Saʿīd ibn ʿUbādah (RA) narrated:
A frail man living in their houses committed zinā with a bondwoman. Saʿd (RA) mentioned this to the Prophet ﷺ, who said:
“Aḍribū ḥaddahu.”
“Carry out the ḥadd on him.”
They said: “O Messenger of Allāh, he is extremely weak.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Khudhū ʿuthkālan fīhi mi’atu shamrākh, thumma aḍribūhu bihi ḍarbah wāḥidah.”
“Take a branch of date palm with 100 twigs, and strike him once with it.”
So they did.
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ibn Mājah: 2087, 2574; Musnad Aḥmad: 5/222; al-Bayhaqī: 8/230; al-Shāfiʿī in al-Maʿrifah: 8/347]
➋ The Case of a Postpartum Woman
The Prophet ﷺ sent ʿAlī (RA) to carry out ḥadd on one of his bondwomen who had committed zinā. ʿAlī (RA) said:
“When I went to her, she was still in postpartum bleeding. I feared she would die if flogged, so I returned to the Prophet ﷺ and mentioned it.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Aḥsanta, utrukhā ḥattā tumāthil.”
“You did well; leave her until she recovers.”
[Muslim: 1805; Aḥmad: 1/156; al-Tirmidhī: 1441]
❖ Reconciling the Reports
- If recovery is expected, the punishment is postponed until health is restored (as in the case of the postpartum woman).
- If recovery is not expected, the punishment is executed with a branch containing 100 twigs in one strike (as in the case of the weak man).
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 4/563]
Conclusion:Sharīʿah ensures both the fulfillment of ḥadd and compassion for the sick: either delaying until health returns or adapting the method when recovery is unlikely.
