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Does the ruling of li'an in Surat An-Nur pertain exclusively to men, or is it permissible for a woman to accuse her husband of adultery through li'an?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The li'an (oath of condemnation) is specific to husbands, not wives, due to the natural jealousy instilled in men regarding their wives, and their inability to tolerate seeing them commit adultery. Thus, Allah has removed from them the punishment for false accusation (of adultery) by ordaining for them the mula'anah (mutual imprecation). This is also because the adultery of a wife brings shame and blame upon her husband, and mixes his children with others, unlike the reverse situation. However, if a husband's adultery is proven, the wife has the right to seek a divorce or to refer the matter to the ruler.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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