That's not a Hanafi conclusion, it's what Allah said in the Holy Qur'an. See olive-color fatwa in these two links: http://islam.forumup.it/viewtopic.ph...um=islam#51809 http://islam.forumup.it/viewtopic.ph...um=islam#24505 Here we're again: Doing without the apologetic fatawa of the "neo-traditionalists" around "seekers guidance" and their selective quoting of Islamic Fiqh, Allah in the Qur'an dictates the conditions after which one may resort to a not-harmful physical punishment.