Watch her, if she gives birth to a white-complexioned child having straight hair and sore eyes, he is the son of Hilāl ibn Umayyah, but if she gives birth to a child with eyes that appear to have antimony in them, curly hair, and thin shanks, then he is the son of Sharīk ibn Sahmā' · Explained ḥadīths

إن هِلال بن أُمية قذف امرأته بشريك ابن سَحْماء، وكان أخا البراء بن مالك لأمه، وكان أول رجل لَاعَنَ في الإسلام، قال: فَلَاعَنَهَا، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : «أبصروها، فإن جاءت به أبيض سَبِطًا، قَضِيءَ الْعَيْنَيْنِ؛ فهو لهلال بن أمية، وإن جاءت به أَكْحَلَ جَعْدًا حَمْشَ السَّاقَيْنِ؛ فهو لشريك بن سحماء»، قال: فأُنبِئْت أنها جاءت به أَكْحَلَ جَعْدًا حَمْشَ السَّاقَيْنِ.

Hilāl ibn Umayyah accused his wife of committing adultery with Sharīk ibn Sahmā', the brother of Al-Barā ibn Mālik from the side of his mother. He was the first man who practiced Li‘ān in Islam. He swore oaths of Li‘ān against his wife, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Watch her, if she gives birth to a white-complexioned child having straight hair and sore eyes, he is the son of Hilāl ibn Umayyah, but if she gives birth to a child with eyes that appear to have antimony in them, curly hair, and thin shanks, then he is the son of Sharīk ibn Sahmā'." He (the narrator) said: "I was informed that she gave birth to a child having eyes that appear to have antimony in them, curly hair, and thin shanks."

Narrated by MuslimGradeAuthentic hadith

Explanation

This Hadīth indicates that the Companion Hilāl ibn Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) accused his wife of committing adultery with Sharīk ibn Sahmā', and she was pregnant. Hilāl wanted to deny his fatherhood of the child through Li‘ān. In this process, the husband and wife make testimonies, which they confirm with an oath and curse invoked on the one of them who is not saying the truth. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned signs whereby the child would be identified to belong to the husband or the adulterer. He said that if the child was in a perfect form and with straight hair, then he would belong to the husband, owing to the genetic similarity between them. And if the child had very dark eye lashes and curly hair, then he was the son of the adulterer, Sharīk ibn Sahmā'. The point of this Hadīth is that it is permissible to make Li‘ān against a pregnant wife.

Reference

صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب، الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام: تأليف عبد الله الفوزان، طبعة دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة الأولى 1428. توضيح الأحكام شرح بلوغ المرام: تأليف عبد الله البسام، مكتبة الأسدي، مكة المكرمة، الطبعة: الخامِسَة، 1423 هـ - 2003 م. تسهيل الإلمام بفقه الأحاديث من بلوغ المرام: تأليف الشيخ صالح الفوزان، عناية عبد السلام السليمان، مؤسسة الرسالة الطبعة الأولى. فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام، للشيخ ابن عثيمين، المكتبة الإسلامية القاهرة، تحقيق صبحي رمضان وأم إسراء بيومي، الطبعة الأولى 1427. سبل السلام، محمد بن إسماعيل الصنعاني، دار الحديث.

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