Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (13/285)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

O Messenger of Allah, were I to find a man with my wife, should I go and fetch four witnesses?! By Allah, I would strike him with the sword—not with its flat side!” That is, I would strike him with the sword’s edge, not with its side. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Are you amazed at Saʿd’s jealousy? By Allah, I am more jealous than Saʿd, and Allah is more jealous than I.” (1) For this reason, He has forbidden all indecencies, open and secret.

The wisdom behind exempting the husband from the general rule is that he would not make such an accusation unless he were certain, for it amounts to defiling his marriage bed; thus, his truthfulness is likely. For this reason, liʿān has been prescribed in his case.

For its validity, it is stipulated that it take place between spouses, and whoever knows Arabic, his liʿān in any other language is invalid, …

His statement, “For its validity, it is stipulated,” means: for the validity of conducting liʿān.

His statement, “that it take place between spouses”: this is the first condition—that it be between a husband and his wife, whether before or after consummation of the marriage. If it is between two non-spouses, then there is no liʿān: either the prescribed punishment for accusing someone of adultery is carried out upon the accuser, or the prescribed punishment for adultery is carried out upon the accused, if that is established. This is due to the saying of Allah, Most High:

“And those who accuse their wives and have no witnesses except themselves—the testimony of one of them is four …” [al-Nur: 6]

If it was between two non-spouses and the man subsequently marries the woman whom he accused, liʿān cannot be conducted, because he accused her before marrying her. Thus, if he accuses a woman before marrying her, then if she confesses, the prescribed punishment is carried out upon her; if she does not confess and he produces evidence, the prescribed punishment is carried out upon her; but if he does not produce evidence, the prescribed punishment is carried out upon him.

His statement, “Whoever knows Arabic, his liʿān in any other language is invalid”: this is the second condition, namely, that it be conducted in Arabic. However, if he is proficient in

(1) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Hudud (Prescribed Punishments), chapter: “Whoever sees a man with his wife and kills him” (6846); and by Muslim in Kitab al-Li'an (Mutual Imprecation) (1499), on the authority of al-Mughirah.

رسول الله، أجده على امرأتي، وأذهب لآتي بأربعة شهود!! والله لأضربنه بالسيف غير مصفِّح، يعني أضربه بحد السيف لا بجنبه، فقال النبي ﵊: «ألا تعجبون من غيرة سعد؟! والله إني لأغير من سعد، والله أغير مني» (١)، ومن أجل ذلك حرم الفواحش ما ظهر منها وما بطن ﷾. والحكمة في خروج الزوج عن القاعدة أن الزوج لا يمكن أن يقول هذا إلا وهو متأكد؛ لأنه تدنيس لفراشه فصدقه قريب؛ فلهذا شرع في حقه اللعان. يُشْتَرَطُ فِي صِحَّتِهِ أَنْ يَكُونَ بَيْنَ زَوْجَيْنِ، وَمَنْ عَرَفَ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ لَمْ يَصِحَّ لِعَانُهُ بِغَيْرِهَا، ....... قوله: «يشترط في صحته» أي: لصحة إجراء اللعان. قوله: «أن يكون بين زوجين» هذا الشرط الأول، يعني بين زوج وزوجته، سواء كان ذلك قبل الدخول أو بعد الدخول، فإن كان بين أجنبيين فلا لعان فيه، إما حد القذف على القاذف، وإما حد الزنا على المقذوف إذا ثبت ذلك، لقوله تعالى: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلاَّ أَنْفُسُهُمْ فَشَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ أَرْبَعُ﴾ … ﴾ الآية [النور: ٦]. فإن كان بين أجنبيين ثم تزوج الرجل المرأة التي قذفها فلا يجري اللعان؛ لأنه قذفها قبل أن يتزوجها، وعليه فإذا قذف امرأة قبل أن يتزوجها إن أقرت أقيم عليها الحد، وإن لم تقرر وأتى ببينة أقيم عليها الحد، وإن لم يأتِ ببينة أقيم عليه هو الحد. قوله: «ومن عرف العربية لم يصح لعانه بغيرها» هذا هو الشرط الثاني، أن يكون باللغة العربية، ولكن إذا كان يحسن

(١) أخرجه البخاري في الحدود/ باب من رأى مع امرأته رجلاً فقتله (٦٨٤٦)، ومسلم في اللعان (١٤٩٩) عن المغيرة ﵁.