The Book of Liʿān

His statement: “Liʿān” is the verbal noun of lāʿana—“to invoke a curse.” It follows the pattern fiʿāl, and fiʿāl is one of the reciprocal verbal-noun patterns, which generally occurs only between two parties. Examples include fighting: qātala yuqātilu qitālan, which takes place from both sides; and striving: jāhada yujāhidu jihādan, likewise from both sides. Liʿān, too, is from both sides, and it means the mutual invocation of curses between two persons.

Yet, when we apply this term to the actual nature of liʿān, we find that it does not come from both spouses: rather, the husband invokes a curse, while the wife invokes wrath. For the husband says in the fifth [testimony], “that the curse of Allah be upon him,” whereas the wife says, “that the wrath of Allah be upon her.” So what is the answer?

The answer is that this is an instance of predominance: one of the two descriptions is allowed to prevail over the other.

This kind of predominance is widespread in the Arabic language. For example, “the two ʿUmars” refers to Abu Bakr and Umar; and “the two moons” refers to the sun and the moon.

Linguistically, laʿn means expulsion and removal. When it comes from Allah, it means expulsion and removal from His mercy. When a person invokes it against someone, it means that he asks Allah to expel and remove that person from His mercy. But when it is attributed from one person to another in the sense that the person himself has cursed him—not that he has invoked a curse against him—it means that he has expelled and distanced him from himself, so that he is neither his companion nor his associate, and the like.

Technically, liʿān consists of testimonies affirmed by oaths from both parties—the husband and the wife—accompanied by a curse from the husband and wrath from