Those involved in a case of Lian were mentioned before Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) `Asim bin Adi said something about that and then left. Later on a man from his tribe came to him and told him that he had found another man with his wife. On that `Asim said, "I have not been put to task except for what I have said (about Lian)." `Asim took the man to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he told him of the state in which he found his wife. The man was pale, thin and lank-haired, while the other man whom he had found with his wife was brown, fat with thick calves and curly hair. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O Allah! Reveal the truth." Then the lady delivered a child resembling the man whom her husband had mentioned he had found with her. So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered them to carry out Lien. A man from that gathering said to Ibn `Abbas, "Was she the same lady regarding whom Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'If I were to stone to death someone without witnesses, I would have stoned this lady'?" Ibn `Abbas said, "No, that was another lady who, though being a Muslim, used to arouse suspicion because of her outright misbehavior."
Sahih al-Bukhari 5316 - Commentary on Liʿān (Mutual Cursing)
This narration from the Book of Divorce in Sahih al-Bukhari addresses the solemn Islamic procedure of Liʿān, prescribed when a husband accuses his wife of adultery without producing four witnesses. The husband in this case invoked Allah as his witness through the prescribed formula, thereby transferring the burden of proof to the Divine.
Scholarly Analysis of the Liʿān Procedure
Classical scholars explain that Liʿān serves as a legal mechanism to resolve marital disputes involving unproven accusations of adultery. The husband's description of finding another man with his wife constitutes a serious allegation requiring either four eyewitnesses or the Liʿān process.
The physical descriptions provided - the husband being "pale, thin and lank-haired" while the accused man was "brown, fat with thick calves and curly hair" - serve as contextual details that made the subsequent birth of a child resembling the latter particularly evident to the community.
Divine Intervention and Evidentiary Resolution
The Prophet's invocation "O Allah! Reveal the truth" demonstrates reliance on divine assistance in matters where human testimony is insufficient. The subsequent birth of a child bearing clear resemblance to the man the husband described served as tangible evidence validating the accusation.
Scholars note that this outcome, while not constituting formal legal proof, provided moral certainty that justified proceeding with the Liʿān procedure, which ultimately results in the dissolution of marriage without establishing the legal penalties for adultery.
Clarification of a Separate Incident
Ibn ʿAbbās's clarification distinguishes this case from another where the Prophet mentioned stoning without witnesses. Classical commentators explain that the other woman referenced displayed such overtly suspicious behavior that it created public scandal, though it did not meet the strict evidentiary requirements for implementing the ḥadd punishment.
This distinction highlights the Islamic legal principle that suspicion and immoral behavior, while condemnable, do not automatically justify the implementation of prescribed punishments without meeting rigorous evidentiary standards.