Ibn Shihab informed me of Lian and the tradition related to it, referring to the narration of Sahl bin Sa`d, the brother of Bani Sa`idi He said, "An Ansari man came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! If a man saw another man with his wife, should he kill him, or what should he do?' So Allah revealed concerning his affair what is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an about the affair of those involved in a case of Lian. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Allah has given His verdict regarding you and your wife.' So they carried out Lian in the mosque while I was present there. When they had finished, the man said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! If I should now keep her with me as a wife then I have told a lie about her. Then he divorced her thrice before Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered him, when they had finished the Lian process. So he divorced her in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) ." Ibn Shihab added, "After their case, it became a tradition that a couple involved in a case of Lian should be separated by divorce. That lady was pregnant then, and later on her son was called by his mother's name. The tradition concerning their inheritance was that she would be his heir and he would inherit of her property the share Allah had prescribed for him." Ibn Shihab said that Sahl bin Sa`d As'Saidi said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said (in the above narration), "If that lady delivers a small red child like a lizard, then the lady has spoken the truth and the man was a liar, but if she delivers a child with black eyes and huge lips, then her husband has spoken the truth." Then she delivered it in the shape one would dislike (as it proved her guilty).
Tafsir of Li'an from Sahih al-Bukhari
The case of Li'an (mutual imprecation) is a divine legal procedure established by Allah to resolve marital disputes involving accusations of adultery without four witnesses. When an Ansari man approached the Prophet (ﷺ) seeking guidance after witnessing another man with his wife, Allah revealed the Qur'anic verses governing Li'an (Surah An-Nur, 24:6-9).
Legal Procedure of Li'an
The Li'an process involves both spouses swearing solemn oaths before Allah in the mosque, with the husband making four oaths attesting to his wife's adultery followed by a fifth oath invoking Allah's curse upon himself if lying. The wife then makes four oaths denying the accusation and a fifth oath invoking Allah's wrath upon herself if the husband is truthful.
This procedure serves as a legal substitute when direct evidence of adultery is lacking, protecting society from unproven accusations while providing an outlet for serious marital disputes.
Consequences of Li'an
Once Li'an is completed, the marriage is irrevocably dissolved without the husband requiring to pay the remaining dowry, and the wife is spared the punishment for adultery. The separation becomes permanent, as demonstrated when the Ansari man immediately divorced his wife thrice after completing the process.
Any child born after Li'an is attributed to the mother alone, as established when the pregnant woman's son was called by her name. The inheritance rules also change accordingly, with the child inheriting from the mother and vice versa according to Islamic shares.
Divine Judgment Through Physical Evidence
The Prophet (ﷺ) indicated that physical characteristics of the child could serve as evidence of truthfulness. A child resembling "a small red lizard" would confirm the wife's innocence, while a child with "black eyes and huge lips" would confirm the husband's accusation. The delivery of a child with disliked features provided tangible evidence supporting the husband's claim.
Scholarly Commentary
Classical scholars emphasize that Li'an represents Allah's mercy in providing a legal resolution for otherwise unprovable marital conflicts. It protects the sanctity of marriage while acknowledging human frailties. The procedure's gravity, performed in the mosque with solemn oaths, underscores the seriousness of such accusations in Islamic law.
This tradition from Sahih al-Bukhari 5309 establishes important precedents for marital law, inheritance, and child attribution that remain relevant in Islamic jurisprudence to this day.