A Critique of Mandatory Ta'zir Punishment in Confession Below the Legal Threshold (A Jurisprudential Analysis of Article 232 of the Islamic Penal Code)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty member of AlZahra University

2 Semnan University faculty member

10.22081/jf.2025.70349.2859

Abstract

Hudud punishments are among those sanctions whose quantity and conditions are precisely specified in Islamic law. Therefore, one should neither exceed nor fall short of the boundaries outlined in Sharia regarding their conditions or execution. According to the prevalent view in Imamiya jurisprudence, the crime of zina (adultery) is established by four confessions in court. However, when the number of confessions is fewer than four, various opinions exist. One opinion considers it sufficient for hadd punishment, while the more widely accepted view in Imamiya jurisprudence—which is also adopted in Article 232 of the Islamic Penal Code—considers ta'zir (discretionary punishment) to be applicable. This paper, using a descriptive-analytical method, examines the evidence supporting each of these positions. It critiques the arguments of the first two views and, after presenting the preferred opinion, argues that fewer than four confessions do not, in themselves, establish any punishment—neither hadd nor ta'zir. Accordingly, it proposes a revision of the mentioned article. It also appears that this ruling applies to all hadd-related crimes that require multiple confessions, whether two or four times.

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References

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  • Receive Date: 08 November 2024
  • Revise Date: 11 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 30 June 2025

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