The Book Pertaining to Punishments Prescribed by Islam (Kitab Al-Hudud)

Muslim :: Book 17 : Hadith 4231

Hudain b. al-Mundhir Abu Sasan reported: I saw that Walid was brought to Uthmin b. 'Affan as he had prayed two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer, and then he said: I make an increase for you. And two men bore witness against him. One of them was Humran who said that he had drunk wine. The second one gave witness that he had seen him vomiting. Uthman said: He would not have vomited (wine) unless he had drunk it. He said: 'Ali, stand up and lash him. 'Ali said: Hasan, stand up and lash him. Thereupon Hasan said: Let him suffer the heat (of Caliphate) who has enjoyed its coolness. ('Ali felt annoyed at this remark) and he said: 'Abdullah b. Ja'far, stand up and flog him, and he began to flog him and 'Ali counted the stripes until these were forty. He (Hadrat 'Ali) said: Stop now, and then said: Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) gave forty stripes, and Abu Bakr also gave forty stripes, and Umar gave eighty stripes, and all these fall under the category of the Sunnab, but this one (forty stripes) is dearer to me.