68/31. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5310 — Seeking Truth in a Lian Case
"If I were to stone any person to death without witnesses."
Hadith About Lian, Resemblance, and Asking Allah to Reveal Truth
Sahih Bukhari : 5310
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5310
حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عُفَيْرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّهُ ذُكِرَ التَّلاَعُنُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ عَاصِمُ بْنُ عَدِيٍّ فِي ذَلِكَ قَوْلاً، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ، فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ يَشْكُو إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ وَجَدَ مَعَ امْرَأَتِهِ رَجُلاً، فَقَالَ عَاصِمٌ مَا ابْتُلِيتُ بِهَذَا إِلاَّ لِقَوْلِي، فَذَهَبَ بِهِ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخْبَرَهُ بِالَّذِي وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ امْرَأَتَهُ وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ مُصْفَرًّا قَلِيلَ اللَّحْمِ سَبْطَ الشَّعَرِ، وَكَانَ الَّذِي ادَّعَى عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ وَجَدَهُ عِنْدَ أَهْلِهِ خَدْلاً آدَمَ كَثِيرَ اللَّحْمِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " اللَّهُمَّ بَيِّنْ ". فَجَاءَتْ شَبِيهًا بِالرَّجُلِ الَّذِي ذَكَرَ زَوْجُهَا أَنَّهُ وَجَدَهُ، فَلاَعَنَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَهُمَا. قَالَ رَجُلٌ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ هِيَ الَّتِي قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَوْ رَجَمْتُ أَحَدًا بِغَيْرِ بَيِّنَةٍ رَجَمْتُ هَذِهِ ". فَقَالَ لاَ تِلْكَ امْرَأَةٌ كَانَتْ تُظْهِرُ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ السُّوءَ قَالَ أَبُو صَالِحٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ خَدِلاً.
al-Qasim ibn Muhammad Narrated from:
Ibn `Abbas; said, "Once Lian was mentioned before the Prophet (ﷺ) whereupon `Asim bin Adi said something and went away. Then a man from his tribe came to him, complaining that he had found a man with his wife. `Asim said, 'I have not been put to task except for my statement (about Lian).'`Asim took the man to the Prophet (ﷺ) and the man told him of the state in which he had found his wife. The man was pale, thin, and of lank hair, while the other man whom he claimed he had seen with his wife, was brown, fat and had much flesh on his calves. The Prophet (ﷺ) invoked, saying, 'O Allah! Reveal the truth.' So that lady delivered a child resembling the man whom her husband had mentioned he had found her with. The Prophet (ﷺ) then made them carry out Lian."Then a man from that gathering asked Ibn `Abbas, "Was she the same lady regarding which the Prophet (ﷺ) had said, 'If I were to stone to death someone without witness, I would have stoned this lady'?" Ibn `Abbas said, "No, that was another lady who, though being a Muslim, used to arouse suspicion by her outright misbehavior. "
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5310In-book reference : Book 68, Hadith 59USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 63, Hadith 230
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5310
This hadith about Lian shows a serious accusation being taken to the Prophet. A man claimed he had found another man with his wife, and details were mentioned about the husband and the accused man. The Prophet prayed, O Allah, reveal the truth. The child was later born resembling the man named in the claim, and the Prophet made the couple carry out Lian. The narration also makes an important distinction: when someone asked if this was the same woman mentioned in another statement about stoning without witnesses, Ibn Abbas said no. So the text itself warns readers not to merge separate cases. The lesson is careful judgment, seeking truth from Allah, and not confusing one narration with another.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet asked Allah to reveal the truth.
- The case was not treated as a private act of revenge.
- The couple was made to carry out Lian.
- Ibn Abbas clarified that this was not the same woman from another report.
