“You effeminate! You whore¹! You debauched woman! You vile creature!”

Or he may address another man’s wife, saying, “You have disgraced your husband, covered his head in shame, made horns for him, burdened him with children who are not his, and ruined his bed.” If by these words he truly intends an accusation of adultery, the ḥadd is carried out; otherwise, he is disciplined with a discretionary punishment.

If someone slanders all the residents of a town or a group of people among whom adultery is inconceivable, he receives taʿzīr only, with no ḥadd. But if adultery is ordinarily conceivable among them² and he directs a separate accusation at each individual, then each person is entitled to a separate ḥadd³. For a single, collective allegation, only one ḥadd is imposed.