Sunan Abi Dawud

Sunan Abi Dawud 2253

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ إِنَّا لَلَيْلَةُ جُمْعَةٍ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ إِذْ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً فَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ جَلَدْتُمُوهُ أَوْ قَتَلَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ فَإِنْ سَكَتَ سَكَتَ عَلَى غَيْظٍ وَاللَّهِ لأَسْأَلَنَّ عَنْهُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنَ الْغَدِ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً فَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ جَلَدْتُمُوهُ أَوْ قَتَلَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ أَوْ سَكَتَ سَكَتَ عَلَى غَيْظٍ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَجَعَلَ يَدْعُو فَنَزَلَتْ آيَةُ اللِّعَانِ ‏‏{‏ وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلاَّ أَنْفُسُهُمْ ‏}‏ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ فَابْتُلِيَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ النَّاسِ فَجَاءَ هُوَ وَامْرَأَتُهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَتَلاَعَنَا فَشَهِدَ الرَّجُلُ أَرْبَعَ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ثُمَّ لَعَنَ الْخَامِسَةَ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ قَالَ فَذَهَبَتْ لِتَلْتَعِنَ فَقَالَ لَهَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ مَهْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَأَبَتْ فَفَعَلَتْ فَلَمَّا أَدْبَرَا قَالَ ‏"‏ لَعَلَّهَا أَنْ تَجِيءَ بِهِ أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَجَاءَتْ بِهِ أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا ‏.‏

Translation

ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud said: One Friday night we were in the mosque when a man from the Ansar came in and said: If a man finds another man with his wife and speaks up, he is flogged; if he kills the man, he is killed; and if he says nothing, he remains angry. By Allah, I will ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about this. The next day he asked him the same question. The Prophet ﷺ prayed: O Allah, make this clear. He continued praying until the verses about mutual imprecation were revealed: As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves [Quran 24:6]. The man became the first to undergo this procedure with his wife before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He testified four times by Allah that his accusation was true, then called down Allah curse upon himself if he was lying. His wife then wanted to invoke the curse upon him. The Prophet ﷺ told her not to, but she refused and did so. As they departed, he said: Perhaps she will give birth to a dark child with curly hair.