Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (12/392)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

The author then resumes his explanation of certain rights, saying: “And he may engage in intimacy with her.” The conjunction indicates a new point, and the sentence is declarative in form but conveys permissibility. That is, he is permitted to enjoy intimacy with her, except in the places and circumstances prohibited by the Sacred Law. For example, he may not have intercourse with her anally; nor may he have intercourse with her during menstruation or postnatal bleeding; nor while she is observing an obligatory fast, or a voluntary fast for which he gave permission. Apart from that, he may engage in intimacy with her whenever he wishes, by night or by day.

May he engage in intimacy with her even if the formal consummation has not taken place? For instance, if he has contracted marriage with her while she is still in her family’s home, and the formal consummation customarily celebrated by people has not occurred, then he goes to her family and engages in intimacy with her: this is permissible, because she is his wife. However, we do not recommend that he have intercourse with her, for if he were to do so and she then became pregnant, the woman would be suspected. People would say, “How could she become pregnant when he had not yet formally consummated the marriage with her?” Moreover, if he had intercourse with her and, by Allah’s decree, died that very day, and she then became pregnant from that intercourse, what would people say?! Yet he may engage in every form of intimacy with her other than intercourse, because she is his wife. Therefore, I prefer that the marriage contract be conducted at the time of the formal consummation.

His statement, “so long as it does not harm her”: if it harms her, then it is unlawful for him, due to Allah’s saying: “Do not retain them to harm them and thereby transgress.” [al-Baqarah 2:231] This concerns revocably divorced wives. Thus, if retaining her in marriage is unlawful when it causes her harm, then enjoying intimacy with her is likewise unlawful when it causes her harm. It is also due to the Prophet’s saying: “There should be neither harm nor reciprocation of harm.” (1) How might he harm her? Suppose that the woman is pregnant,

(1) Narrated by Imam Ahmad (5/326) and Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Ahkam (Judgments), chapter: “One who builds on his property in a manner that harms his neighbor” (2340), on the authority of Ubadah ibn al-Samit. It was also narrated mursal (with a missing link in the chain) by Malik (2/745). The hadith has numerous supporting chains, which strengthen it; thus, it was graded hasan (sound) by al-Nawawi in al-Arba'in (32), Ibn Rajab in Jami' al-Ulum wa al-Hikam (2/210), and al-Albani in al-Irwa' (876).

استأنف المؤلف بيان شيء من الحقوق فقال: «ويباشرها» الواو للاستئناف، والجملة خبر بمعنى الإباحة، والمعنى يباح له أن يباشرها بالاستمتاع، إلا في الأماكن والأحوال التي حرمها الشرع؛ فمثلاً لا يطؤها في الدبر، ولا يطؤها في حال الحيض والنفاس، ولا يطؤها وهي صائمة صوماً واجباً، أو تطوعاً بإذنه، وإلا فله أن يباشرها متى شاء ليلاً أو نهاراً. وهل له أن يباشرها وإن لم يحصل الدخول الرسمي؟ فلو عقد عليها ـ مثلاً ـ وهي في بيت أهلها، ولم يحصل الدخول الرسمي الذي يحتفل به الناس، فذهب إلى أهلها وباشرها جاز؛ لأنها زوجته، إلا أننا لا نحبذ أن يجامعها؛ لأنه لو جامعها ثم حملت اتهمت المرأة، فالناس يقولون: كيف تحمل وهو لم يدخل عليها؟ ثم لو جامعها، وقدر الله أن مات من يومه، ثم حملت بهذا الجماع، ماذا يقول الناس؟! لكن له أن يباشرها بكل شيء سوى الجماع؛ لأنها زوجته، ومن ثَمَّ فأنا أفضل أن يكون العقد عند الدخول. قوله: «ما لم يضر بها» فإن أضر بها فإنه يحرم عليه لقوله تعالى: ﴿وَلَا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًا لِتَعْتَدُوا﴾ [البقرة: ٢٣١] وهذا في الرجعيات، فإذا كان الإمساك بها محرماً في حال الإضرار، فكذلك الاستمتاع بها في حال الإضرار، ولقوله ﷺ: «لا ضرر ولا ضرار» (١)، وكيف يضرها؟ لو فرضنا أن المرأة حامل،

(١) أخرجه الإمام أحمد (٥/ ٣٢٦)؛ وابن ماجه في الأحكام باب من بنى في حقه ما يضر بجاره (٢٣٤٠) عن عبادة بن الصامت ﵁، وأخرجه مالك (٢/ ٧٤٥) مرسلاً، وللحديث طرق كثيرة يتقوى بها، ولذلك حسنه النووي في الأربعين (٣٢)؛ وابن رجب في جامع العلوم والحكم (٢/ ٢١٠)؛ والألباني في الإرواء (٨٧٦).