It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when this verse was revealed: «﴿وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَأْتُوا بِأَرْبَعَةِ شُهَدَاءَ فَاجْلِدُوهُمْ ثَمَانِينَ جَلْدَةً وَلَا تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا﴾ [النور: 4] » "Those who accuse chaste women and do not produce four witnesses—flog them with eighty lashes and never accept their testimony," Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him)—who was the chief of the Ansar—said, "O Messenger of Allah! Has this command been revealed to you in this way?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "O group of Ansar! Do you hear what your chief is saying?" The people said, "O Messenger of Allah! Do not take his words badly, for he is a very protective man. By Allah, he has always married only virgin women, and whenever he divorced any of his wives, no other man dared to marry his divorced wife due to his intense sense of honor." Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah! I am certain that this command is true and has come from Allah alone, but I am amazed that if I see a vile woman in such a state that a man has her between his thighs, and I do not get angry nor disturb them, but first go and bring four witnesses—by Allah! By the time I bring the witnesses, he will have finished his act." While these conversations were taking place, after a short while, Sayyiduna Hilal bin Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived. He was one of the three who stayed behind from the Battle of Tabuk and later had their repentance accepted. He returned from his land at night and saw a stranger with his wife. He saw them with his own eyes and heard their conversation with his own ears, but he showed patience. In the morning, he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I came to my wife at night and found a stranger with her. I saw them with my own eyes and heard them with my own ears." This matter was very hard on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he expressed displeasure. The Ansar gathered and said, "What Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, we have now been afflicted with the same. Now the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will punish Sayyiduna Hilal bin Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and declare his testimony unreliable among the Muslims." But Sayyiduna Hilal (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "By Allah! I hope that Allah will surely make a way out for me from this." Then Sayyiduna Hilal (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah! I feel that the issue I have presented to you is hard on you. Allah knows that I am truthful in my statement." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was about to order the punishment for him when revelation began to descend upon him. When revelation would come to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would recognize it by the change in the color of his blessed face and would restrain themselves until the revelation was complete. On this occasion, the verse of Li'an was revealed: «﴿وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلَّا أَنْفُسُهُمْ فَشَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ . . .﴾ [النور: 6] » "Those who accuse their wives of adultery and have no witnesses except themselves..." When the state of revelation ended, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Hilal! Rejoice, for Allah has made a way out and relief for you." He said, "That is what I hoped from my Lord." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Call his wife." So the people called her. When she arrived, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the mentioned verses before both of them and advised them, saying, "The punishment of the Hereafter is more severe than the punishment of this world." Sayyiduna Hilal (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah! I am truthful in accusing her," while his wife denied it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Let there be mutual imprecation (Li'an) between them." (The method is that) Sayyiduna Hilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was told to testify. He swore by Allah four times that he was truthful in his claim. When it was time for the fifth oath, he was told, "Hilal! Fear Allah, the punishment of this world is lighter than the punishment of the Hereafter, and this fifth oath can establish the punishment upon you." He said, "Just as Allah did not let me be flogged, He will not punish me either," and he took the fifth oath that if he was lying, then may the curse of Allah be upon him. Then his wife was similarly told to swear by Allah four times that her husband was lying in his accusation. When it was time for the fifth oath, she was told, "Fear Allah, the punishment of this world is much lighter than the punishment of the Hereafter, and this fifth oath can establish the punishment upon you." Hearing this, she hesitated for a moment, then said, "By Allah! I will not disgrace my people," and took the fifth oath that if her husband was truthful, then may the wrath of Allah be upon her. After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) separated the two and decreed, "The child of this woman shall not be attributed to the father, nor shall the woman be attributed to her husband, and no accusation shall be made against her child. Whoever accuses her or her child will be punished." He also decreed, "The woman's residence and maintenance are not the responsibility of her husband," because their separation occurred without divorce or death. He said, "If the child born to this woman is fair-skinned, with light buttocks and thin shins, then he will be Hilal's. But if he is wheat-colored, with curly hair, full shins, and full buttocks, then he will be the one whom the woman was accused of." So the child born to the woman was wheat-colored, with curly hair, full shins, and full buttocks. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) learned of this, he said, "If it were not for the regard of the oath, my and this woman's matter would have been different." Ikrimah says that later, when the child grew up, he became the governor of Egypt, but he was always attributed to his mother, not to his father.