If a hadd punishment is administered for one instance of slander (e.g., against the wife), must the defendant be free from the effects of the first punishment before the second hadd (for the mother) is executed?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Mutual Imprecation (Li'an)

Book 43 · Issue 3 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

If a hadd punishment is established for one party, the execution of the hadd for the other party must be delayed until the skin has healed from the first punishment.

Supporting text

The rationale for delaying the second punishment, even though slander punishment is a right belonging to an individual, contrasts with the rules of Qisas (retaliation). Unlike Qisas, where simultaneous execution of cutting both hands of a perpetrator for two victims is permissible, the hadd punishment for slander does not repeat its grounds before its initial execution has taken place. Applying consecutive punishments would remove it from its prescribed context, whereas Qisas allows multiple limb severances within a single ruling.