Application of Divine Penalties during the Occultation of Imam Mahdi عليه السلام

If it is said: Abu Ali has argued that in the conditions in which “those having a say” are not able to select an Imam, Allah performs acts that stand in place of enforcing the penalties and take away the excuse of duty-bound; and Abu Hashim has said that enforcing penalties is a worldly matter and has no relationship with religion.