Discretionary Punishment
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ شَمُّونٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ مِسْمَعِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) الزَّانِي أَشَدُّ ضَرْباً مِنْ شَارِبِ الْخَمْرِ وَ شَارِبُ الْخَمْرِ أَشَدُّ ضَرْباً مِنَ الْقَاذِفِ وَ الْقَاذِفُ أَشَدُّ ضَرْباً مِنَ التَّعْزِيرِ
A number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Muhammad Bin Al Hassan Bin Shamoun, from Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman, from Misma’a Bin Abdul Mallik,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘Rasool-Allah-saww said: ‘The adulterer would be whipped more intensely than the drinker of the wine, and the drinker of the wine would be whipped more intensely than the slanderer, and the slanderer would be whipped more intensely than the rebuker (of a sinner)’.[1]
[1] Al Kafi – V 7 – The Book of Legal Penalties Ch 30 H 5