What is the ruling on likening one's wife to a pig, and is this considered among the explicit allusions (kinayat zahirah) in the Maliki school that do not require intention, regardless of the context of the utterance? And does the ruling differ if the comparison is to the wife's actions and not to her person, such as saying: "You scream like a pig," without intending prohibition or Dhihar?
Likening a wife to a pig by her husband does not result in divorce or ẓihār according to the Malikis and others, unless the husband intended to prohibit her by saying: "You are to me like the flesh of a pig." The husband should treat his wife kindly and avoid abusive language, and he should beware of succumbing to whispers of divorce.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/194231