Are the ten lashes of discretionary punishment only for committing a sin?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : According to the view that if we see someone eating sunflower seeds, we should lash him, does this make it forbidden, a sin?
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not a sin. This is a lack of dignity; it is not dignified for a person in a gathering of knowledge like this to eat sunflower seeds, to be distracted by them, and to distract others, so that if others hear the sound of them between his teeth...
The questioner : But the author's principle is that lashing is for a sin that has no fixed punishment and no expiation.
The Shaykh : This disciplinary action is according to the author's opinion, but the correct view is that it is not subject to this disciplinary action, whether in this case or in the case of lacking dignity.
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not a sin. This is a lack of dignity; it is not dignified for a person in a gathering of knowledge like this to eat sunflower seeds, to be distracted by them, and to distract others, so that if others hear the sound of them between his teeth...
The questioner : But the author's principle is that lashing is for a sin that has no fixed punishment and no expiation.
The Shaykh : This disciplinary action is according to the author's opinion, but the correct view is that it is not subject to this disciplinary action, whether in this case or in the case of lacking dignity.