Bidāyat al-Mujtahid - Ibn Rushd - (3/133)

Bidāyat al-MujtahidIbn Rushd

Book of Liʿān (Mutual Imprecation)

First Chapter: On the Types of Allegations That Necessitate It and Their Conditions

Our discussion, once the obligation of liʿān has been affirmed, is arranged in five chapters:

Chapter One: the types of allegations that render liʿān obligatory and the conditions attached to each.
Chapter Two: the qualifications required of the two parties who engage in liʿān.
Chapter Three: the manner in which liʿān is to be performed.
Chapter Four: the ruling when either spouse refuses to proceed or retracts.
Chapter Five: the legal consequences that follow the completion of liʿān.

The textual basis for the obligation of liʿān is as follows.

From the Qur’an: “And those who accuse their wives and have no witnesses except themselves…” (Sūrat al-Nūr 24:6).

From the Sunnah: the report recorded by Mālik and the other compilers of the authentic collections concerning ʿUwaymir al-ʿAjlānī. A man from his clan came to ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAdī al-ʿAjlānī and said:

“O ʿĀṣim, what about a man who finds another man with his wife—should he kill him and then you people would kill him, or what should he do? Go, O ʿĀṣim, and ask the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, about this.” ʿĀṣim therefore asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, the question.

When ʿĀṣim returned, ʿUwaymir asked, “O ʿĀṣim, what did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say to you?” He replied, “You have brought me nothing good; the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, disliked the matter you raised.”

ʿUwaymir said, “By Allah, I will not stop until I ask him myself.” He went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the midst of the people and said, “O Messenger of Allah, what if a man finds another man with his wife—should he kill him and then you kill him, or what should he do?”

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, replied, “Qur’an has been revealed concerning you and your wife. Go and bring her.”

Sahl continued: “They performed liʿān while I was among the people present with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. When they had completed their mutual imprecation, ʿUwaymir said, ‘If I keep her, O Messenger of Allah, then I have lied against her!’ and he pronounced triple divorce upon her before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded him to do so.”

Mālik said: Ibn Shihāb remarked, “This has remained the established practice for couples who undergo liʿān.”

From the standpoint of reason as well: because the marital bed establishes paternity, people require a means to negate that paternity when they are certain it is unfounded. That means is liʿān. Hence liʿān is a ruling proven by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, analogical reasoning, and scholarly consensus. I am aware of no dissent on this point. Such is the case for validating its legal status.

[كِتَابُ اللِّعَانِ] [الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ: فِي أَنْوَاعِ الدَّعَاوِي الْمُوجِبَةِ لَهُ وَشُرُوطِهَا] ِ وَالْقَوْلُ فِيهِ يَشْتَمِلُ عَلَى خَمْسَةِ فُصُولٍ بَعْدَ الْقَوْلِ بِوُجُوبِهِ: الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ: فِي أَنْوَاعِ الدَّعَاوِي الْمُوجِبَةِ لَهُ وَشُرُوطِهَا. الْفَصْلُ الثَّانِي: فِي صِفَاتِ الْمُتَلَاعِنَيْنَ. الْفَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ: فِي صِفَةِ اللِّعَانِ. الْفَصْلُ الرَّابِعُ: فِي حُكْمِ نُكُولِ أَحَدِهِمَا، أَوْ رُجُوعِهِ. الْفَصْلُ الْخَامِسُ: فِي الْأَحْكَامِ اللَّازِمَةِ لِتَمَامِ اللِّعَانِ. فَأَمَّا الْأَصْلُ فِي وُجُوبِ اللِّعَانِ: أَمَّا مِنَ الْكِتَابِ فَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلا أَنْفُسُهُمْ} [النور: ٦] . الْآيَةَ. وَأَمَّا مِنَ السُّنَّةِ فَمَا رَوَاهُ مَالِكٌ، وَغَيْرُهُ مِنْ مُخَرِّجِي الصَّحِيحِ مِنْ «حَدِيثِ عُوَيْمِرٍ الْعَجْلَانِيِّ " إِذْ جَاءَ إِلَى عَاصِمِ بْنِ عَدِيٍّ الْعَجْلَانِيِّ رَجُلٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا عَاصِمُ، أَرَأَيْتَ رَجُلًا وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلًا أَيَقْتُلُهُ، فَتَقْتُلُوهُ؟ أَمْ كَيْفَ يَفْعَلُ؟ سَلْ يَا عَاصِمُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَسَأَلَ عَاصِمٌ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ عَاصِمٌ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ جَاءَ عُوَيْمِرٌ فَقَالَ: يَا عَاصِمُ، مَاذَا قَالَ لَكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -؟ فَقَالَ: لَمْ تَأْتِنِي بِخَيْرٍ، قَدْ كَرِهَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - الْمَسْأَلَةَ الَّتِي سَأَلْتَ عَنْهَا، فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَا أَنْتَهِي حَتَّى أَسْأَلَهُ عَنْهَا، فَأَقْبَلَ عُوَيْمِرٌ حَتَّى أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَسَطَ النَّاسِ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَرَأَيْتَ رَجُلًا وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلًا أَيَقْتُلُهُ، فَتَقْتُلُوهُ أَمْ كَيْفَ يَفْعَلُ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: قَدْ نَزَلَ فِيكَ وَفِي صَاحِبَتِكَ قُرْآنٌ، فَاذْهَبْ فَأْتِ بِهَا، وَقَالَ سَهْلٌ: فَتَلَاعَنَا، وَأَنَا مَعَ النَّاسِ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَلَمَّا فَرَغَا مِنْ تَلَاعُنِهِمَا، قَالَ عُوَيْمِرٌ: كَذَبْتُ عَلَيْهَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنْ أَمْسَكْتُهَا! فَطَلَّقَهَا ثَلَاثًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْمُرَ بِذَلِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -» . قَالَ مَالِكٌ: قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ: فَلَمْ تَزَلْ تِلْكَ سُنَّةَ الْمُتَلَاعِنَيْنِ. وَأَيْضًا مِنْ جِهَةِ الْمَعْنَى لَمَّا كَانَ الْفِرَاشُ مُوجِبًا لِلِحُوقِ النَّسَبِ كَانَ بِالنَّاسِ ضَرُورَةٌ إِلَى طَرِيقٍ يَنْفُونَهُ بِهِ إِذَا تَحَقَّقُوا فَسَادَهُ، وَتِلْكَ الطَّرِيقُ هِيَ اللِّعَانُ، فَاللِّعَانُ حُكْمٌ ثَابِتٌ بِالْكِتَابِ، وَالسُّنَّةِ، وَالْقِيَاسِ، وَالْإِجْمَاعِ، إِذْ لَا خِلَافَ فِي ذَلِكَ أَعْلَمُهُ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْقَوْلُ فِي إِثْبَاتِ حُكْمِهِ.