Qur'an 24:6

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Qur'an 24:6
Verse's Information
NameAl-Li'an Verse
Suraal-Nur
Verse6
Juz'18
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		Hilal b. Umayya's claim about the adultery of his wife
Place of
Revelation		Medina
AboutLi'an


Al-Liʿān Verse, (Arabic: آية اللعان) or the Verse of Mutual Cursing, is the verse six of Qur'an 24 in which the ruling of Li'an, or mutual cursing or repudiation, is stated. If a man accuses his wife of adultery and has no witness for his claim, then in order to be exempt from the hadd of qadhf (or punishment of qadhf) or defamation (which is eighty whips), he can curse or repudiate his wife with five oaths. Then, the wife can defend herself with five oaths. The husband will thereby be exempt from punishment for defamation and the wife will be exempt from punishment for adultery, and then the couple will be divorced from one another and they will be permanently disallowed from remarrying each other.

The majority of Quranic exegetes believe that the occasion of the revelation of the verse was an event in which a man called Hilal b. Umayya claimed that he saw his wife committing adultery with another man, without having a witness to support his claim.

The verse has been differently interpreted. For example, Islam emphasizes the protection of people's honor, with special consideration of women's rights. Others take Li'an to be a divine grace with which a problem in a couple's life is wisely settled. For, on the one hand, the husband does not need to stay silent when he apprehends his wife in the course of adultery, and on the other hand, the woman is not punished on the basis of a mere accusation, reserving her right for defense.

Texts and Translation

Brief Introduction

The verse six of Qur'an 24 is referred to as al-Li'an Verse or the Verse of Mutual Cursing[1]. The preceding verse states the ruling of qadhf (defamation)[2] and in its following verses, that is, verses six to nine[3] or ten, the ruling of Li'an is stated[4]. This is a special case of qadhf or defamation[5], which is fairly settled with a subtle solution[6].

If a man accuses his wife of adultery or denies that his wife's child is his[7], without being able to support his claim with a witness[8], then he will be punished with eighty whips and his claim about the woman will not be accepted[9]. The above verses state an exception about the ruling of qadhf in this case[10]: if a man accuses his wife of adultery[11] and claims that he has seen it with his own eyes[12], although he has no witness for his wife's infidelity[13], or he denies that a child born by his wife is his[14], then he can be exempted from the punishment of defamation by mutually cursing or repudiating his wife[15].

The Qur'an generally states[16] how Li'an is practiced: the husband should stand before a Sharia ruler,[17] take God as a witness that he is being truthful in his claim, does this four times in Arabic,[18] and then in the fifth time, he should assert that God's curse be upon him if he lies. Then, the woman can defend herself by taking God as a witness that her husband is not being truthful, she should do this four times, and then in the fifth time, she should assert that God's wrath be upon her if the man is truthful.[19]

There are disagreements among exegetes as to the meanings of some words in the verse. For example, the word, "'adhab" (punishment), in the verse is taken to refer to punishment in this world, which is interpreted by some people as imprisonment,[20] and by others as the enforcement of hadd.[21]

Occasion of Revelation

Some exegetes believe that the verse was revealed in 9/630[22] when Muslims had returned from the Battle of Tabuk.[23] They believe that the jurisprudential ruling was issued on this date.

These verses are concerned with a problem that was asked by Sa'd b. 'Ubada, a companion of the Prophet (s). He asked the Prophet (s) about the ruling of a circumstance in which a man sees his wife while committing adultery with another man. For if he tries to bring four witnesses to see and testify later, the man might escape, and if he tries to retaliate at the time and kill the adulterous man, he will be executed as qisas.

The Prophet (s) was upset at the objection. However, Sa'd b. 'Ubada and other people from Ansar expressed their surrender to God's commands while expressing their concerns over the issue. After a while, Sa'd b. 'Ubada's cousin, Hilal b. Umayya, claimed that he saw his wife while committing adultery with another man at night, hearing their voices. The Prophet (s) decided to punish Hilal for defamation because he could not support his claim with witnesses. At this moment, the above verses were revealed, providing a solution to settle such cases.[24] Some people maintain that this occasion of revelation is the majority view.[25]

Other exegetes gave a similar account of the occasion of the revelation of the verse with slight changes in the story and people involved therein.[26] Some exegetes have cited many hadiths concerning the occasion of the revelation and the interpretation of these verses.[27]

Li'an in Islamic Jurisprudence

Because of the occurrence of the word, "la'n" (cursing),[28] in the verse, and its consisting in a mutual talk[29] and oath,[30] the ruling is referred to in Islamic jurisprudence as "Li'an" (the word, "la'n" in the Arabic form of "fi'al" for mutuality, meaning mutual cursing). They trace the terminology back to these verses. In jurisprudential books, li'an is characterized as a kind of mubahala;[31] that is, a cursing made under certain conditions by each of the spouses against the other,[32] whereby their marriage is annulled.[33] When the ruling of Li'an is enforced, the husband will be exempt from punishment for defamation (qadhf), and the wife will be exempt from punishment for adultery.[34] Their marriage will end without a divorce formality,[35] and they will be forbidden from remarrying each other forever.[36]

According to the Shi'a view, there is even no need for the Sharia ruler to issue a ruling for their divorce.[37] The accuser should meet qualifications such as being a Muslim, mature, sane, and free,[38] and for the enforcement of the ruling of Li'an, certain conditions should be met, such as the marriage being permanent and it being consummated.[39]

Messages and Takeaways

Some exegetes have offered different takeaways from the verse. In his Tafsir nur, Muhsin Qara'ati points out certain messages in the verse. For example, Islam strongly emphasizes the protection of people's honors and tries to restrain people from defaming each other. The verse also offers a special consideration of women's rights. Moreover, it is in the interest of people to enforce God's commands, since Islamic criminal law arises from Divine Wisdom.[40] Other people take the way the ruling of Li'an is stated in the Qur'an as an indication of its legitimacy, which is an instance of good legislation in Islam.[41]

Makarim Shirazi's takeaway from verse ten is that Li'an is a divine grace whereby a problem between spouses is properly settled. For, on the one hand, the man does not have to stay silent or look for four witnesses if he sees his wife's wrongdoing, and on the other hand, the woman is not punished because of a mere accusation and reserves the right to defend herself.[42] However, in his Majma' al-bayan, al-Tabrisi quotes some scholars as saying that the verse implies God's mercy, His acceptance of people's repentance, and His wisdom, because He does not haste to punish people or disrepute them because of adultery.[43]

Notes

  1. ↑ Farhang-i fiqh, vol. 1, p. 188.
  2. ↑ Burūjirdī, Tafsīr-i Jāmiʿ ,vol. 1, p. 473.
  3. ↑ Ibn Sulaymān, Tafsīr-i muqātil Ibn sulaymān, vol. 3, p. 184; Qurashī, Qāmūs-i Qurān.
  4. ↑ Qummī, , Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 2, p. 98; Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 7, p. 410.
  5. ↑ Al-Jazāʾirī, Aysar al-tafāsīr li kalām al-ʿalī al-kabīr, vol. 3, p. 550.
  6. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnah, vol. 14, p. 683.
  7. ↑ Mughnīya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, vol. 5, p. 400.
  8. ↑ Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-Jinān , vol. 14, p. 90.
  9. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol.7, p. 412; Amīn, Tafsīr makhzan al-ʿirfān, vol. 9, p. 79
  10. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnah, vol. 14, 380.
  11. ↑ Al-Thaʿlabī, al-Kashf wa l-bayān, vol.7, p. 68; al-Samarqandī, Tafsīr al-samarqandī al-musammā baḥr al-ʿulūm, vol. 2, p. 497.
  12. ↑ Fāḍil Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, vol. 2, p. 790.
  13. ↑ Quṭb al-Rāwandī, Fiqh al-Qurʾān, vol. 4, p. 2492; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 15, p.82.
  14. ↑ Mughnīya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, vol. 5, p. 400.
  15. ↑ Quṭb al-Rāwandī, Fiqh al-Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 203.
  16. ↑ Ibn ʿArabī, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 1340.
  17. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Tafsīr-i jawāmiʾ al-jāmiʾ, vol. 3, p. 96.
  18. ↑ Sharīf Lahījī, Tafsīr Sharīf lahījī, vol. 3, p. 263.
  19. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 7, p. 412; Samarqandī, Tafsīr al-samarqandī, vol. 2, p. 498; Dīnawarī, al-Wāḍiḥ, vol. 2, p. 63; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 7, p. 202; Zamakhsharī, Tafsīr al-kashshāf, vol. 3, p. 215; Qurashī Bunābī, Qāmūs-i Qurʾān, vol. 6, p. 195.
  20. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 9, p. 303.
  21. ↑ Mughnīya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, vol. 5, p. 401.
  22. ↑ Khurāsani, Adwār-i fiqh, vol. 1, p. 317.
  23. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 2, p. 98.
  24. ↑ Thaʿlabī, al-Kashf wa l-bayān, vol. 7, p. 68; Ṭabrisī, Tafsīr-i jawāmiʾ al-jāmiʾ, vol. 18, p. 65; Ibn ʿAtiyya, al-Muḥarrar al-Wajīz, vol. 4, p. 165; Ibn ʿArabī, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 1340; Samarqandī, Tafsīr al-samarqandī, vol. 2, p. 497.
  25. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 9, p. 302; Thaʿalibī, Tafsīr al-thaʿālibī, vol. 4, p. 173.
  26. ↑ Ibn Sulaymān, Tafsīr-i muqātil-i ibn-i Sulaymān, vol. 3, p. 174; Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 2, p. 98; Farrāʾ, Maʿānī al-Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 246; Māturīdī, Taʾwilāt Ahl al-sunna, vol. 7, p. 521-522; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 7, p. 200; Qurashī Bunābī, Qāmūs-i Qurʾān, vol. 6, p. 196.
  27. ↑ Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, vol. 3, p. 420; Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 5, p. 21; Baḥrānī, al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, vol. 4, p. 49; Qummī Mashhadī, Tafsīr kanz al-daqāʾiq, vol. 9, p. 253.
  28. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnah, vol. 14, p. 381.
  29. ↑ Sharīf Lahījī, Tafsīr Sharīf lahījī, vol. 3, p. 263.
  30. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 15, p. 82.
  31. ↑ Mughnīya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, vol. 5, p. 400; Muṭahharī, Fiqh wa huqūq, vol. 20, p. 107.
  32. ↑ Group of authors, Fiqh-i Ahl al-Bayt (a) journal, vol. 31, p. 216; Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 4, p. 330.
  33. ↑ Imāmī, Ḥuqūq-i madanī, vol. 4, p. 330.
  34. ↑ Bayḍāwi, Anwār al-tanzīl, vol. 4, p. 100; Ibn ʿAtiyya, al-Muḥarrar al-Wajīz, vol. 2, p. 757; Qummī Mashhadī, Tafsīr kanz al-daqāʾiq, vol. 9, p. 253.
  35. ↑ Sharīf Lahījī, Tafsīr Sharīf lahījī, vol. 3, p. 263.
  36. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 7, p. 413; Mughnīya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, vol. 5, p. 400.
  37. ↑ Fāḍil Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, vol. 2, p. 793.
  38. ↑ Zamakhsharī, Tafsīr al-kashshāf, vol. 3, p. 215.
  39. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 7, p. 412; Fāḍil Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, vol. 2, p. 793.
  40. ↑ Qirāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 6, p. 150.
  41. ↑ Jazāʾirī, Aysar al-tafāsīr, vol. 3, p. 551.
  42. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūnah, vol. 14, p. 382.
  43. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 7, p. 203.

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