حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُحَارِبِيُّ عَنْ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِذْ قَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ وَجَدَ رَجُلٌ رَجُلًا مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ فَتَكَلَّمَ لَيُجْلَدَنَّ وَإِنْ قَتَلَهُ لَيُقْتَلَنَّ وَلَئِنْ سَكَتَ لَيَسْكُتَنَّ عَلَى غَيْظٍ وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ أَصْبَحْتُ لَآتِيَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَئِنْ وَجَدَ رَجُلٌ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلًا فَتَكَلَّمَ لَيُجْلَدَنَّ وَإِنْ قَتَلَهُ لَيُقْتَلَنَّ وَإِنْ سَكَتَ لَيَسْكُتَنَّ عَلَى غَيْظٍ وَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ قَالَ فَنَزَلَتْ الْمُلَاعَنَةُ وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلَّا أَنْفُسُهُمْ الْآيَةَ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 4281
It was narrated that 'Alqamah said: 'Abdullah said: Whilst we were sitting in the mosque on the night before Friday, a man among the Ansar said: By Allah, if a man finds a man with his wife and he speaks (of it), he will certainly be flogged, and if he kills him, he will certainly be killed, but if he keeps quiet, he is keeping quiet when he is feeling frustrated and angry. By Allah, in the morning, I shall certainly go to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). When morning came, he went to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said: O Messenger of Allah, if a man finds a man with his wife and he speaks (of it), he will certainly be flogged, and if he kills him, he will certainly be killed, but if he keeps quiet, he is keeping quiet when he is feeling frustrated and angry. He started saying; O Allah, clarify, O Allah clarify. Then the verse of li'an was revealed: "And for those who accuse their wives, but have no witnesses except themselves..." [an-Noor 24:6].
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020