It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Uwaymir ‘Ajlani (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna ‘Asim bin ‘Adi (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked,“If a person finds another man with his wife, what should he do? If he kills him, he himself will be killed. Ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this issue for me.”Sayyiduna ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this issue, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked this question and spoke harshly about it. This matter was very difficult for Sayyiduna ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with him). When he returned home, Sayyiduna Uwaymir ‘Ajlani (may Allah be pleased with him) came and asked,“What did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say?”Sayyiduna ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) said,“I did not benefit from you; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked this question.”Sayyiduna Uwaymir ‘Ajlani (may Allah be pleased with him) said,“By Allah! I will not rest until I ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) myself.”Then Sayyiduna Uwaymir ‘Ajlani (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) while the people were all gathered, and he asked,“O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! If a man finds another man with his wife and kills him, he himself will be killed. What should he do?”The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,“Allah’s command has come regarding you and your wife. Bring your wife.”Sayyiduna Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Both of them came and performed li’an (mutual cursing) before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and I was present at that time. When they finished the li’an, Sayyiduna Uwaymir ‘Ajlani (may Allah be pleased with him) said,“O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! If I keep this woman, it is as if I have lied,”and with that, he pronounced three divorces without the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) telling him to do so. Ibn Shihab said: Then this became the established practice for those who perform li’an.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that a man performed li'an with his wife during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said about the boy that he was not his. So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, separated the two and handed the boy over to the mother.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that Allah the Exalted said: "And those who accuse their wives and have no witnesses except themselves, then the testimony of such a person is that he should testify four times by Allah that he is surely telling the truth, and the fifth time he should say that the curse of Allah be upon him if he is lying. And the punishment is averted from the woman in this way: that she testifies four times by Allah that he is surely lying, and the fifth time she should say that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he is telling the truth."

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In our view, the Sunnah is that those who have engaged in li'an can never marry each other again, and if the husband, after li'an, retracts his statement, then the punishment for false accusation (qadhf) will be imposed on him. And the lineage of the child will be attributed to him again. This is the Sunnah that has been passed down among us, in which there is neither any doubt nor disagreement.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: When a man gives his wife an irrevocable divorce, then denies her pregnancy by saying that it is not his, then li'an will be obligatory, provided that the pregnancy is of such duration that it could be his.

This is the ruling according to us, and this is what we have heard.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: If a man gives his wife three divorces and she admits to being pregnant, and after that he accuses her of adultery, then the punishment of false accusation (hadd al-qadhf) will be imposed on the husband and li'an will not be obligatory for him. However, if after the divorce he denies her pregnancy, then li'an is obligatory. This is what I have heard.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that a slave is like a free person in both li'an and qadhf, but whoever accuses a slave-girl of adultery, the hadd of qadhf will not be obligatory upon him.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: When a Muslim free man marries a Muslim slave woman, a free woman, a Jewish woman, or a Christian woman, and accuses her of adultery, then li'an will be obligatory.

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that if a man performs li'an with his wife, and then after one or two testimonies denies himself, the hadd of qadhf will be applied to him and separation will not occur.