so the enemy imagined that these were fresh reinforcements, became alarmed and afraid, and thus the objective was achieved. Such a measure is permissible when genuine benefit requires it.

The third case concerns what a man says to his wife and what a woman says to her husband. This too is a form of tawriya. A husband might tell his wife, for instance, “You are among the people I love most,” or “I long for someone like you,” and similar phrases that nurture closeness and affection between them.

Nevertheless, spouses should not resort to this excessively, for if the wife later uncovers something that contradicts what her husband has told her, the situation may reverse and she may dislike him more than he ever expected—and the same applies to the husband regarding his wife.

3/250 — ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard the raised voices of two disputants at the door. One of them was asking the other to reduce a debt and to deal with him kindly, while the second kept insisting, “By Allah, I will not do it!” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to them and said, “Where is the one who swears by Allah that he will not do good?” The man replied, “I am, O Messenger of Allah; he may have whichever option he prefers.” Agreed upon.

The term yastawḍiʿu means “he asks him to remit part of his debt,” yastarfiquhu means “he asks him to show leniency,” and al-mutaʾallī refers to “the one who has sworn an oath.”