Hadith 184
۞
We will say: Rightful punishments remain in the account of people who deserve them. If the deservers are still alive when the Imam appears, he will enforce these punishments against them on the basis of testimonials or their own confessions; and if this is not done, because the deservers have died, then the sin of suspension of punishments rests on the people who threatened the Imam and forced him into occultation. This does not constitute abrogation of penal codes, however; because, a penal code has to be upheld only when there is the power and capacity for upholding it and when there is no encumbrance on the way. Its enforcement is not binding if there is encumbrance. Abrogation is involved when a code is not enforced even when there is power and capacity to enforce it and there is no encumbrance.
قلنا: الحدود المستحقة باقية في جنوب مستحقيها، فإن ظهر الإمام ومستحقوها باقون أقامها عليهم بالبينة أو الإقرار،وإن كان فات ذلك بموته كان الإثم في تفويتها على من أخاف الإمام وألجأه إلى الغيبة. وليس هذا نسخا لإقامة الحدود لأن الحد إنما يجب إقامته مع التمكن وزوال المنع ويسقط مع الحيلولة، وإنما يكون ذلك نسخا لو سقط إقامتها مع الإمكان وزوال الموانع.
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