What is the ruling regarding the layering of prescribed punishments (*Hudud*) from different categories?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Ḥudūd (Prescribed Penalties)
Primary text
If the offenses belong to different categories, such as adultery, theft, and drinking, all punishments must be executed, unless one of them carries the penalty of death. If death is involved, it suffices for all others because there is no need for further deterrence alongside it, as stated by Ibn Mas'ud. If no death penalty is involved, all punishments are fully applied, starting with the least severe first. The general order is to begin with flogging, then cutting for theft. Regarding flogging, the lightest flogging (for drinking) precedes the heavier flogging (for slander, if considered a right of Allah), followed by the flogging for adultery. However, if the punishment for slander is considered a right of an individual, it is prioritized before the punishment for drinking, which precedes the punishment for adultery.