Husayn bin Mundhir Abu Sasan says: I was present with Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) when Walid bin Uqbah was brought, as he had performed only two rak'ahs of the morning prayer and then said, "I will do more for you." Then two men testified against Walid, one of whom was Humran, that he had drunk alcohol. The other testified that he was vomiting (alcohol) in front of me. Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "If he had not drunk alcohol, why would he vomit alcohol?" Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), "Get up and carry out the hadd (punishment) on him." (Sayyiduna Uthman gave this order to Sayyiduna Ali to honor and elevate his status, and it is permissible for the Imam to do so.) Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him), "O Hasan! Get up and flog him." Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Uthman has taken the cold (of the caliphate), so let him also take the heat." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) became angry with Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) over this and said, "O Abdullah bin Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him)! Get up and flog Walid." (He) flogged him, and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) kept counting. When forty lashes were given, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Stop now." Then he said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave forty lashes, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also gave forty, and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gave eighty lashes, and all are Sunnah, but in my view (giving forty) is better."

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says: If I establish a hadd punishment on someone and he dies, I will not be concerned except in the case of the hadd for alcohol. If someone dies from it, I will pay his blood money, because the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not specify it. (That is, administering eighty lashes is not the Sunnah of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.)

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Burdah Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "No one should be beaten with more than ten lashes except in one of the limits prescribed by Allah."

Sayyiduna ‘Ubada bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took a pledge from us men just as he took from the women, on these matters: that we will not associate anything with Allah Almighty, will not steal, will not commit adultery, will not kill our children, and will not bring false accusations against one another. Then whoever among you fulfills the pledge, his reward is with Allah Almighty. And whoever among you commits an act deserving of a prescribed punishment and is punished for it, that is an expiation for his sin. And whoever’s sin Allah Almighty conceals, then his matter is left to Allah. (So on the Day of Resurrection, Allah Almighty has the choice) if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him.