Sahih al-Bukhari 4541 (Book 65, Hadith 269)
and filed the case before the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) said (to Hilal), “Either you bring forth a proof (four
witnesses) or you will receive the legal punishment (lashes) on your back.” Hilal said, “O Allah’s
Apostle! 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.” Hilal then said, “By Him Who sent you with the Truth, I am telling the truth and Allah
will reveal to you what will save my back from legal punishment.” Then Gabriel came down and
revealed to him:–
‘As for those who accuse their wives…’ (24.6-9) The Prophet (ﷺ) recited it till he reached: ‘… (her
accuser) is telling the truth.’ Then the Prophet (ﷺ) left and sent for the woman, and Hilal went (and
brought) her and then took the oaths (confirming the claim). The Prophet (ﷺ) was saying, “Allah 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 Allah’s curse on you (if you are guilty).” So she hesitated and recoiled (from taking
the oath) so much that we thought that she would withdraw her denial. But then she said, “I will not
dishonor 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 Sharik
bin Sahma’s child.” Later she delivered a child of that description. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “If the case
was not settled by Allah’s Law, I would punish her severely.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 4541 (Book 65, Hadith 269)
The above hadith is from the Sahih al-Buhari collection of hadiths. Imam al-Bukhārī’s Sahih al-Bukhari is a masterpiece of Islamic literature, completed in the 9th century. It is revered as one of the most authentic and important books in Sunni Islam, forming a core part of the six canonical hadith collections (Kutub al-Sittah). This set also includes Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawood, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa’i, and Sunan ibn Majah. Al-Bukhārī’s specific contribution is a massive work containing around 7,563 verified hadiths, which are thematically sorted into 97 books to provide clear guidance on a multitude of subjects.
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For more Hadith in Book 65: Prophetic Commentary on the Qur’an (Tafseer of the Prophet (pbuh))