1064 – Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The first case of liʿān (mutual imprecation) in Islam occurred when Hilāl ibn Umayyah accused Sharīk ibn Sahmāʾ of adultery with his wife. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told him, ‘Bring al-bayyina (conclusive proof), or else the prescribed ḥadd will be carried out on your back…’” — and so on to the end of the report. It was recorded by Abū Yaʿlā, and its transmitters are trustworthy (1). Al-Bukhārī relates a similar narration from Ibn ʿAbbās (2).

Degree of authenticity
This ḥadith is ṣaḥīḥ (sound). Abū Yaʿlā stated: “Its narrators are trustworthy.” It also has supporting chains: one from Ibn ʿAbbās in al-Bukhārī and another from Anas in Muslim with the same purport.

Vocabulary
• Sharīk ibn Sahmāʾ: the shīn is pronounced with fatḥa, the rāʾ with kasra, followed by a yāʾ and a kāf; as for Sahmāʾ, its sīn has a fatḥa and its ḥāʾ is quiescent, and the word is elongated.
• qadhafahu (he accused him): from qadhafa, qadhfan; the qādhif is “the one who hurls.” Linguistically it means “to throw forcefully.” In the Sharīʿah it refers to charging someone with fornication or sodomy; here the intent is an accusation of fornication.
• al-bayyina (conclusive proof): in the accusative, with an implied verb meaning “produce the proof.” It may also appear in the nominative, implying “the proof is upon you.”