English translation
4747. Narrated Ibn ‘Abbās رضي الله عنهما: Hilāl bin Umaiyya accused his wife of committing illegal sexual intercourse with Sharik bin Saḥmā’ and filed the case before the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said (to Hilāl), “Either you bring forth a proof (four witnesses) or you will receive the legal punishment (lashes) on your back.” Hilāl said, “O Allāh’s Messenger! If anyone of us saw a man over his wife, would he go to seek after witnesses?” The Prophet ﷺ kept on saying, “Either you bring forth the witnesses or you will receive the legal punishment (lashes) on your back.” Hilāl then said, “By Him Who sent you with the Truth, I am telling the truth and Allāh will reveal to you what will save my back from legal punishment.” Then Jibrīl (Gabriel) came down and revealed to him: “And for those who accuse their wives...” (V.24:6-9) The Prophet ﷺ recited it till he reached: ‘... (her husband) speaks the truth?’ Then the Prophet ﷺ left and sent for the woman, and Hilāl went (and brought) her and then took the oaths (confirming the claim). The Prophet ﷺ was saying, “Allāh knows that one of you is a liar, so, will any of you repent?” Then the woman got up and took the oaths and when she was going to take the fifth one, the people stopped her and said, “It (the fifth oath) will definitely bring Allāh’s Curse on you (if you are guilty).” So, she hesitated and recoiled (from taking the oath) so much so that we thought that she would withdraw her denial. But then she said, “I will not dishonour my family all through these days,” and carried on (the process of taking oaths). The Prophet ﷺ then said, “Watch her; if she delivers a black-eyed child with big hips and fat shins then it is Sharīk bin Saḥmā’s child.” Later, she delivered a child of that description. So the Prophet ﷺ said, “If the case was not settled by Allāh’s Law, I would punish her severely.”