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Is a husband's saying to his wife, "You are my companion" or "You are my concubine," a كناية (allusion) to frequent sexual intercourse, or is his jokingly saying, "I imagine your mother sleeping with us and I am committing adultery with her," a ظهار (declaraton of comparison of one's wife to a forbidden female relative) that necessitates expiation, knowing that he does not intend prohibition or similitude, and does not know how many times he said that?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Your words to your wife do not necessitate ẓihār (a pre-Islamic form of divorce by likening one's wife to an unmarriageable kin) or taḥrīm (making her unlawful). However, they are reprehensible and ugly words, and your description of her as a prostitute may constitute an accusation of zina (fornication/adultery) that necessitates the ḥadd punishment. Therefore, repent sincerely to Allah and do not resort to such words again.

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

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