and more firmly planted in the hearts.

15 – The report makes clear that any punishment Allah inflicts in this life—whether through the prescribed penal limits, poverty, illness, or calamities, no matter how great—is still easier to bear than the punishment of the Hereafter. Let those who are being tried take comfort in this fact and seek their recompense with Allah.

16 – The evidentiary requirements for establishing claims differ according to the nature of the case, and strong circumstantial signs weigh heavily in either proving or negating them. In cases of slander, four male witnesses are normally indispensable; yet because it is improbable that a husband would accuse his own wife and thereby soil his marital bed, his doing so becomes, in itself, a presumption of truth. Accordingly, his repeated, emphatic oaths are accepted as proof in this unique situation—whereas such testimony would not be admitted were he accusing someone other than his wife.

17 – Legal rulings operate on what is outwardly apparent. Although it is certain that one of the spouses is lying, the hadd penalty is waived for both once liʿān is carried out, in deference to the outward force of the Sharīʿah ruling.