Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (13/299)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

His statement, “If he says, ‘You were intercourse with under a mistaken assumption of law’”: This is not an accusation of fornication, because it does not bring disgrace upon her. Is it possible for a woman to be intercourse with under such a mistaken assumption? Yes. For example, she may be in a man’s place, and he has intercourse with her thinking that she is his wife.

His statement, “or coerced”: That is, “You were intercourse with under coercion.” This is not an accusation of fornication, because it does not bring disgrace upon her. Since it is not an accusation of fornication, there is no liʿān between them, and he is not subject to the prescribed punishment in this case.

His statement, “or asleep”: That is, “You were intercourse with while asleep.” This too is not an accusation of fornication, because a sleeping person incurs neither sin nor blame, and the act of a sleeping person is not attributed to him. The evidence for this is Allah’s saying concerning the Companions of the Cave: “And We turned them over to the right and to the left.” [al-Kahf 18] They were turning over, yet the act was attributed to Allah because they were unaware of it and were not legally accountable in that state. The same is indicated by the hadith: “The pen has been lifted from three,” among whom is “the sleeping person until he awakens” (1).

If he says, “You were intercourse with under a mistaken assumption of law, or under coercion, or while asleep,” must he refrain from her until she completes a waiting period of three menstrual cycles? Or is he required to refrain only until one menstrual cycle has passed? Or is he not required to refrain at all?

These are three possibilities. The soundest of them is that he need not refrain from her; rather, he should hasten to have intercourse with her, so that misgivings do not later occur to him and lead him to say, “Her pregnancy is not from me.” Since the Prophet ﷺ ruled that the child belongs to the marital bed—that is, to the husband—while the adulterer receives nothing but deprivation (2), there is no hardship upon us.

(1) Its source has previously been cited on p. 17. (2) Recorded by al-Bukhari in al-Buyu' (Sales), the chapter on explaining doubtful matters, no. 2053; and by Muslim in al-Rada' (Breastfeeding), the chapter "The Child Belongs to the Marital Bed and Avoiding Doubtful Matters," no. 1457, on the authority of Aishah.

قوله: «فإن قال: وُطئتِ بشبهة» فهذا ليس بقذف؛ لأن هذا لا يلحقها به عار، وهل يمكن أن توطأ بشبهة؟ نعم يمكن بأن تكون في محل رجل فيطؤها يظنها زوجته. قوله: «أو مكرهة» يعني وُطِئْتِ مكرهة، فليس هذا بقذف؛ لأنه لا يلحقها العار، وإذا لم يكن ذلك قذفاً فإنه لا لعان بينهما، ولا حد عليه في هذه الحال. قوله: «أو نائمة» أي: وطئت نائمة، أيضاً هذا ليس بقذف؛ لأن النائم لا يلحقه إثم ولا لوم، وفعل النائم لا ينسب إليه، والدليل قوله ـ تعالى ـ في أصحاب الكهف: ﴿وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ﴾ [الكهف: ١٨] هم يتقلبون، لكن نسب الفعل إلى الله؛ لأنهم لا يحسون به، ولأنهم ليسوا مكلفين في هذه الحال، وكذلك الحديث: «رفع القلم عن ثلاثة»، ومنهم: «النائم حتى يستيقظ» (١). وإذا قال: إنك وطئت بشبهة أو مكرهة أو نائمة، فهل يلزمه أن يتجنبها حتى تعتد بثلاثة قروء، أو لا يلزمه إلا بحيضة واحدة أو، لا يلزمه مطلقاً؟ هذه ثلاثة احتمالات، أصح هذه الاحتمالات أن لا يجتنبها، بل ينبغي أن يبادر بجماعها حتى لا تلحقه الوساوس فيما بعد، ويقول: إن حملها ليس مني، وإذا كان النبي ﷺ قضى بأن الولد للفراش وهو الزوج، وللعاهر الحجر (٢)، فلا يلحقنا حرج.

(١) سبق تخريجه ص (١٧). (٢) أخرجه البخاري في البيوع/ باب تفسير المشبهات (٢٠٥٣)، ومسلم في الرضاع/ باب الولد للفراش وتوقي الشبهات (١٤٥٧) عن عائشة ﵂.