Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), what is your opinion about a person who finds another man with his wife and kills him? Will you people (in retaliation) kill him? What should such a person do? (The narrator says) Then Allah Almighty mentioned in the Qur’an that which pertains to those who perform li’an (mutual cursing). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to that man: The decision has been made between you and your wife. The narrator says: So both of them performed li’an. I was present with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at that time. That man said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! If even now I keep this woman with me, it would mean that I have falsely accused her. So that man separated from the woman. (The narrator says) After that, this method became established that separation is made between those who perform li’an. The woman was pregnant, and the man had denied the pregnancy of the woman, so the child of that woman was attributed to his mother. After that, this method continued in inheritance as well, that the child would become the heir of the woman, and the woman would become the heir of the child, according to the share that Allah Almighty had prescribed for her.

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna ‘Uwaymir ‘Ajlani (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna ‘Asim bin ‘Adi Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: O ‘Asim, what is your opinion regarding this matter—if a man finds another man with his wife, and if he kills him, then you people will kill him, so what should that person do? O ‘Asim, ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this matter for me. The narrator says: Sayyiduna ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this matter, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked such questions and considered them blameworthy. This was very distressing for ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) when he heard it from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). When ‘Asim returned home, ‘Uwaymir came to him and said: O ‘Asim, what did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say to you? ‘Asim said to ‘Uwaymir: You did not bring me any good. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked the question about which I had asked him. So ‘Uwaymir said: By Allah! I will not stop until I ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about it myself. Then Sayyiduna ‘Uwaymir (may Allah be pleased with him) came while the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting among the people. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The ruling regarding you and your wife has been revealed. Go and bring her. Sayyiduna Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: So both of them performed li’an. I was present with the people at the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). When both of them finished the li’an, Sayyiduna ‘Uwaymir said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! If I still keep this woman with me, it would mean that I have made a false accusation against her. So before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) could give him any instruction, he gave that woman three divorces.

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna ‘Uwaymir ‘Ajlani (may Allah have mercy on him) came to Sayyiduna ‘Asim bin ‘Adi (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the chief of Banu ‘Ajlan. He said: What do you people say about a man who finds another man with his wife? If he kills him, then you people will kill that man, so what should that man do? He said: You should ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this for me. The narrator says: Sayyiduna ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! A man finds another man with his wife, should he kill him? In that case, you will kill him, so what should that man do? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked this question and considered it objectionable. Sayyiduna ‘Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sayyiduna ‘Uwaymir (may Allah be pleased with him) and told him: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) disliked and considered this question objectionable. So Sayyiduna ‘Uwaymir said: By Allah! I will not stop until I ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this. So Sayyiduna ‘Uwaymir (may Allah be pleased with him) came and asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this issue. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Allah Almighty has revealed (the ruling) concerning you and your wife. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed both of them, so both of them performed li’an, as Allah Almighty has mentioned in His Book. The narrator says: The man performed li’an with the woman, then he said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! If I still keep this woman with me, then I will be committing injustice against her. The narrator says, so he divorced the woman. After that, this became the practice among those who performed li’an (that the man would divorce the woman at the end). The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: You people should pay attention, if the woman gives birth to a child who is dark-skinned, with black eyes, large buttocks, and thick heels, then I think ‘Uwaymir has spoken the truth about this woman. And if she gives birth to a red-skinned child, like a lizard, then I will know that ‘Uwaymir has lied about this woman. The narrator says: So the woman gave birth to a child of the appearance described by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in which case the truthfulness of ‘Uwaymir was established. The narrator says: After that, the child was attributed to his mother.

Saeed bin Jubair narrates: During the rule of Mus'ab, I was asked about those who perform li'an (mutual cursing) whether separation should be enforced between them. I did not know what answer to give regarding this. I got up from my place and went to the house of Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). He was resting at noon at that time. I asked for permission to enter, so the servant said: He is resting. I said: It is necessary for me to present myself before him at this time. He recognized me by my voice. He asked: Is it Saeed? I replied: Yes. He said: Come in, you must have come for some important matter at this time. I went inside; he had spread out his saddle cloth and was reclining against a pillow made of palm leaves. I said: O Abu Abdur Rahman, should separation be enforced between the two parties who perform li'an? He said: Subhan Allah, yes! The first to ask about this was so-and-so son of so-and-so. He came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! What is your opinion about this? If one of us sees his wife committing adultery, what should he do? If he speaks about it, he will be speaking about a grave matter, and if he remains silent, he will also be silent about a grave matter. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not give him any answer. After that, the man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) again and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! The thing I asked you about, I have now been tested with it myself. (The narrator says) Then Allah Almighty revealed these verses. The Prophet (peace be upon him) called the man and recited these verses to him, admonished him, encouraged him, and informed him that the punishment of this world is easier than the punishment of the Hereafter. The man said: No, by the One Who sent you (peace be upon him) with the truth, I have not falsely accused this woman. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) called the woman, admonished her, and informed her that the punishment of this world is easier than the punishment of the Hereafter. The woman said: By the One Who sent you (peace be upon him) with the truth, this man is lying. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) started with the man; he testified four times by Allah that he was telling the truth, and the fifth time he said: If he is lying, then may the curse of Allah be upon him. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) had the woman perform li'an; she testified four times by Allah that the man was lying, and the fifth time she said: If the man is truthful, then may the wrath of Allah be upon her. (The narrator states) Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) enforced separation between the two.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to the husband and wife who performed li'an: "The reckoning of both of you is with Allah; one of you is lying." (The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to the man:) "You have no connection with this woman." She said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! What about my wealth (that I gave her as mahr)?" The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "You will not get your wealth. If you accused her truthfully, then in exchange for that wealth you made her private parts lawful for yourself, and if you accused her falsely, then this is even further away (from you)."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: In the blessed era of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), a man invoked li'an with his wife and denied the lineage of the child (born to that woman). So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) separated the two (husband and wife) and attributed the child to his mother.

Lady Fatimah bint Qais (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: She was the wife of Sayyiduna Abu Amr bin Hafs bin Mughira. He gave her three divorces. She narrates: She presented herself before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the issue of leaving her house. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed her to move to the house of Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him), who was blind.

Lady Fatimah bint Qais (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: Sayyiduna Abu Amr bin Hafs (may Allah be pleased with him) gave her an irrevocable divorce. He was not present (in Madinah Munawwarah) at that time and was in Syria. He sent some“barley”to her through his agent. The lady expressed displeasure at this agent, so the agent said: By Allah! There is nothing else due from us to you. The lady went to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this matter before him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: He is not obliged to provide you with maintenance. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed the lady to spend her waiting period at the house of Sayyidah Umm Sharik (may Allah be pleased with her), then he said: She is a woman whom my companions frequently visit, so you should spend your waiting period at the house of Ibn Umm Maktum, for he is a blind man; you may remove your veil or outer garment there as you wish. When your waiting period is over, inform me. The lady narrates: When my waiting period was completed, I mentioned before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Abu Jahm (may Allah be pleased with him) had proposed marriage to me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: As for Abu Jahm, he does not put down his staff from his shoulder, and as for Muawiyah, he is a poor man, he has no wealth. Marry Usamah bin Zaid. The lady says: I did not like this suggestion. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Marry Usamah. So I married him, and Allah placed so much goodness in it that I was envied because of it.

Sayyidah Fatimah bint Qais (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "A woman who has been given three divorces will not receive residence or maintenance."

Sayyida Zaynab bint Ka’b bin ‘Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: Sayyida Fari’ah bint Malik bin Sinan (may Allah be pleased with her), who is the sister of Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), informed this woman that she went to the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and requested him that the woman be allowed to move to her family (Banu Khudrah), because her husband had gone out in search of some of his runaway slaves, and at a place called Qudum he caught those slaves, and those slaves killed him. The woman narrates: I asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) if I could return to my family because my husband had not left for me any house that he owned, nor anything to spend. The woman narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Alright.”I left from there, and while I was still in the room (the narrator is unsure, perhaps these are the words), or perhaps I was in the mosque, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) called me (the narrator is unsure, perhaps these are the words), and the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) gave an order regarding me, so I was called and brought to the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked:“What did you say?”The woman says: I narrated the whole incident to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that I had told him about my husband’s situation. So the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Stay in your house until your waiting period (‘iddah) is completed.”The woman narrates: So I spent the waiting period of four months and ten days in that house. The woman narrates: When the caliphate of Sayyiduna ‘Uthman Ghani (may Allah be pleased with him) came, he sent for me and inquired about this matter, so I informed him about it, and he followed it and made a decision accordingly. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) This narration has been transmitted by Imam Malik from al-Zuhri, and“Qudum”is the name of a place in Hijaz. It is the place regarding which, in some narrations, it is mentioned that Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) performed circumcision at Qudum.