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Does the statement "You are a son of a Haram (illegitimate child)" constitute qadhf (false accusation of unchastity), and what are the resulting legal implications?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The slander that necessitates the prescribed punishment (hadd) is the explicit accusation of adultery. As for the saying, "son of a whore" (ibn al-haram), it is not an explicit accusation but rather an allusion (kinayah). Scholars have differed regarding the necessity of the hadd punishment for allusive slander. The speaker of such a phrase is subject to discretionary punishment (ta'zir) if the hadd is not applied. It should be noted that the common usage of the word among people has an effect; if this word is widely used without intending its literal meaning, then it is not considered slander that necessitates the hadd punishment.

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Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
145713
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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