An Analysis of the Nature and Conditions of Implementing the Bundle-of-Twigs Penalty (Żighs) in Imāmī Jurisprudence

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Masoud Bassami

Assistant Professor, Department of Law, West Islamabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, West Islamabad, Iran

10.22067/jfiqh.2024.86782.1740

Abstract

One of the punishments prescribed in Islamic law is żighs or “Bundle-of-Twigs”, a penalty applied to an offender who cannot endure the primary punishment (lashing) due to illness. In such cases, the full penalty is converted to żighs, which is a lighter substitute. In Iranian criminal law, following Imāmī fiqh, the punishment of żighs is recognized; however, its conditions and legal nature remain vague and ambiguous and necessitate recourse to jurisprudence (the original source of this penalty) for proper interpretation. The present study is conducted through a descriptive-analytical method and aims to identify the nature and conditions of implementing the punishment of żighs in Imāmī jurisprudence. The findings indicate that two readings exist within the writings of jurists regarding the offense warranting żighs. However, they are not necessarily contradictory. Some jurists, particularly early scholars, discuss żighs within the chapter on zinā and treat it as one of the forms of punishment for unwed fornication (zinā-yi ghayr-i muḥṣanah). Contrarily, contemporary jurists extend the application of żighs beyond zinā to other ḥadd crimes punishable by lashing and even to taʿzīr offenses, drawing on issued legal inquiries (istiftāʾāt). The reasoning behind this latter view (which appears more accurate) is twofold: First, the factor necessitating the replacement of the offender’s punishment with żighs is illness; therefore, the same rationale applies wherever such a condition exists. Second, taʿzīr penalties may also incorporate this ruling by way of analogy by priority.

Keywords

ḥadd

taʿzīr

lashing

żighs

punishment of the ill

Subjects

• Criminal jurisprudence

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