Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:4281ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Muḥammad al-Muḥāribī > al-Aʿmash > Ibrāhīm > ʿAbdullāh b. Aḥmad from my father > Ghayruh > ʿAlqamah

[Machine] Abdullah said: "We were in the mosque on Friday night when a man from the Ansar (helpers) said: 'By Allah, if a man finds another man with his wife and he speaks, they will both be flogged, and if he kills him, they will both be killed, and if he remains silent, they will remain silent due to anger. By Allah, if I live until morning, I will go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ '. When morning came, he went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, if a man finds another man with his wife and he speaks, they will both be flogged, and if he kills him, they will both be killed, and if he remains silent, they will remain silent due to anger?' He kept repeating: 'O Allah, open (the matter), O Allah, open (the matter)'. then the verse of cursing was revealed: 'And those who accuse their wives [of adultery] and have no witnesses except themselves' (Quran 24:6)."  

أحمد:٤٢٨١حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُحَارِبِيُّ عَنْ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ قَالَ أَبِي وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ قَالَ قَالَ

عَبْدُ اللهِ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ إِذْ قَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ وَاللهِ لَئِنْ وَجَدَ رَجُلٌ رَجُلًا مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ فَتَكَلَّمَ لَيُجْلَدَنَّ وَإِنْ قَتَلَهُ لَيُقْتَلَنَّ وَلَئِنْ سَكَتَ لَيَسْكُتَنَّ عَلَى غَيْظٍ وَاللهِ لَئِنْ أَصْبَحْتُ لَآتِيَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ لَئِنْ وَجَدَ رَجُلٌ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلًا فَتَكَلَّمَ لَيُجْلَدَنَّ وَإِنْ قَتَلَهُ لَيُقْتَلَنَّ وَإِنْ سَكَتَ لَيَسْكُتَنَّ عَلَى غَيْظٍ؟ وَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ اللهُمَّ افْتَحْ اللهُمَّ افْتَحْ قَالَ فَنَزَلَتِ الْمُلَاعَنَةُ {وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلَّا أَنْفُسُهُمْ} الْآيَةَ [النور 6]  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Abū Dāwūd
muslim:1495aZuhayr b. Ḥarb And ʿUthmān b. Abū Shaybah Waʾisḥāq b. Ibrāhīm Wa-al-Lafẓ Lizuhayr > Isḥāq > al-Ākharān > Jarīr > al-Aʿmash > Ibrāhīm > ʿAlqamah > ʿAbdullāh

We were on the night of Friday staying in the mosque when a person from the Ansar came there and said: If a person finds hiswoman along with a man, and he speaks about it, you would lash him, and if he kills, you will kill him, and if he keeps quiet he shall have to consume anger. By Allah, I will definitely ask about him from Allah's Mescenger ﷺ. On the following day he came to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked him thus: If a man were to find with his wife a man and if he were to talk about it, you would lash him; and if he killed, you would kill him, and if he were to keep quiet. he would consume anger, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Allah, solve (this problem), and he began to supplicate (before Him), and then the verses pertaining to li'an were revealed:" Those who accuse their wives and have no witnesses except themselves" (xxiv. 6). The person was then put to test according to these verses in the presence of the people. There came he and his wife in the presence of Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and they invoked curses (in order to testify their claim). The man swore four times in the name of Allah that he was one of the truthful and then invoked curse for the fifth time saying: Let there be curse of Allah upon him if he were among the liars. Then she began to invoke curse. Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to her: just wait (and curse after considering over it), but she refused and invoked curse and when she turned away, he (Allah's Apostle) said: It seems that this woman shall give birth to a curly-haired black child, And so she did gave birth to a curly-haired black child.  

مسلم:١٤٩٥aحَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ وَعُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَاللَّفْظُ لِزُهَيْرٍ قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرَانِ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ

إِنَّا لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ إِذْ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً فَتَكَلَّمَ جَلَدْتُمُوهُ أَوْ قَتَلَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِنْ سَكَتَ سَكَتَ عَلَى غَيْظٍ وَاللَّهِ لأَسْأَلَنَّ عَنْهُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنَ الْغَدِ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً فَتَكَلَّمَ جَلَدْتُمُوهُ أَوْ قَتَلَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ أَوْ سَكَتَ سَكَتَ عَلَى غَيْظٍ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ وَجَعَلَ يَدْعُو فَنَزَلَتْ آيَةُ اللِّعَانِ { وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلاَّ أَنْفُسُهُمْ} هَذِهِ الآيَاتُ فَابْتُلِيَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ النَّاسِ فَجَاءَ هُوَ وَامْرَأَتُهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَتَلاَعَنَا فَشَهِدَ الرَّجُلُ أَرْبَعَ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ثُمَّ لَعَنَ الْخَامِسَةَ أَنَّ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ فَذَهَبَتْ لِتَلْعَنَ فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَهْ فَأَبَتْ فَلَعَنَتْ فَلَمَّا أَدْبَرَا قَالَ لَعَلَّهَا أَنْ تَجِيءَ بِهِ أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا فَجَاءَتْ بِهِ أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا  

abudawud:2253ʿUthmān b. Abū Shaybah > Jarīr > al-Aʿmash > Ibrāhīm > ʿAlqamah > ʿAbdullāh

‘Abd Allah (bin Mas’ud) said “We were in the mosque on the night of a Friday, suddenly a man from the Ansar entered the mosque”. And said “If a man finds a man along with wife and declares (about her adultery) you will flog him. Or if he kills you, you will kill him or if keeps silence he will keep silence in anger. I swear by Allaah, I shall ask the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ about it”. On the next day he came to the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ and said “If a man finds a man along with wife and declares (about her adultery) you will flog him. Or if he kills you, you will kill him or if keeps silence he will keep silence in anger.” He said “O Allaah, disclose”. He kept on praying until the verses regarding invoking curses (li’an) came down “As for those who accuse their wives but have no witnesses except themselves.” So, the man was first involved in this trial among the people. He and his wife came to the Apostle of Allaah ﷺ. They invoked curses on each other. The man bore witness before Allaah four times that the thing he said was indeed true. He then invoked curse of Allaah on him for the fifth time if he was a liar. She then wanted to invoke curses of Allaah on him. The Prophet ﷺ said “Do not do that. Bust she refused and did so (i.e., invoked curses). When they returned he said “Perhaps she will give birth to a black child with curly hair.  

أبو داود:٢٢٥٣حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ

إِنَّا لَلَيْلَةُ جُمْعَةٍ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ إِذْ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً فَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ جَلَدْتُمُوهُ أَوْ قَتَلَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ فَإِنْ سَكَتَ سَكَتَ عَلَى غَيْظٍ وَاللَّهِ لأَسْأَلَنَّ عَنْهُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنَ الْغَدِ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً فَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ جَلَدْتُمُوهُ أَوْ قَتَلَ قَتَلْتُمُوهُ أَوْ سَكَتَ سَكَتَ عَلَى غَيْظٍ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ وَجَعَلَ يَدْعُو فَنَزَلَتْ آيَةُ اللِّعَانِ { وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلاَّ أَنْفُسُهُمْ } هَذِهِ الآيَةُ فَابْتُلِيَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ بَيْنِ النَّاسِ فَجَاءَ هُوَ وَامْرَأَتُهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَتَلاَعَنَا فَشَهِدَ الرَّجُلُ أَرْبَعَ شَهَادَاتٍ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ثُمَّ لَعَنَ الْخَامِسَةَ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ قَالَ فَذَهَبَتْ لِتَلْتَعِنَ فَقَالَ لَهَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَهْ فَأَبَتْ فَفَعَلَتْ فَلَمَّا أَدْبَرَا قَالَ لَعَلَّهَا أَنْ تَجِيءَ بِهِ أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا فَجَاءَتْ بِهِ أَسْوَدَ جَعْدًا