سنن نسائی · Hadith 3508

‘Abdul bin Abi Sulaiman said: “I heard Saeed bin Jubair say: ‘I was asked about the two who engage in Li‘an during the governorship of Ibn Az-Zubair — should they be separated? I did not know what to say, so I got up and went to the house of Ibn ‘Umar and said: “Abu ‘Abdur-RaI should the two who engage in Li’an be separated?” He said: “Yes, Subhan-Allah! The first one who asked about that was so-and-so the son of so-and-so who said: ‘Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم, what do you think if a man among us sees his wife committing immoral actions, and if he speaks of it, he will be speaking of a grave matter, but if he keeps quiet, he will be keeping quiet about a grave matter?’ He did not answer him, then after that, he came to him and said: ‘I was tried with the matter that I asked you about, so Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed these Verses in Suirat An-Niir: ‘And for those who accuse their wives until he reached’: ‘And the fifth (testimony) should be that the Wrath of Allah be upon her if he (her husband) speaks the truth.’ So he started with the man, exhorting him, reminding him, and telling him that the punishment in this world was less severe than the punishment in the Hereafter. He said: ‘By the One Who sent you with the truth, I am not lying.’ Then he turned to the woman and exhorted her and reminded her. She said: ‘By the One Who sent you with the truth, he is lying.’ So he started with the man, and he bore witness four times by Allah that he was telling the truth, and the fifth time (he invoked) the curse of Allah upon himself if he was lying. Then he turned to the woman and she bore witness four times by Allah that he was lying, and the fifth time (she invoked) the wrath of Allah upon herself if he was telling the truth. Then he separated them.” (Sahih).

Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020