Question
Is the punishment for incest according to Abu Hanifa forty lashes?
Answer
I say, and with God's help: Abu Hanifa made ta'zir (discretionary punishment) obligatory for incest, not hadd (fixed punishment); based on the hadiths reported from the Messenger of Allah - peace be upon him - regarding this matter. The punishment of ta'zir in this case can reach the level of death due to the heinousness of the act, and God knows best.