Question:
Many such things are famous on social media in the name of Hadith, such as “You remain chaste, your women will remain chaste,” and that “Zina (adultery) is a debt that one’s family members pay off,” etc.! Are these things proven by any authentic (Sahih) Hadith?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah):
There is no doubt that Zina is one of the major sins, a very great major sin, for the perpetrator of which there are quite severe warnings in the Shariah.
Allah the Exalted says in the Holy Quran:
أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللّٰهِ إِلٰهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّٰهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا ۞ يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا ۞
Translation:
And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse.
And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated.
(Surah Al-Furqan, Verses 68-69)
And to prevent this Zina, the Quran has forbidden all actions leading towards it, i.e., casting evil glances and lack of veil (be-pardagi), etc., and for these too, men and women were addressed separately and severe commands were sent down.
Allah the Pure says in the Quran:
قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ ۞
Translation:
Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do.
(Surah An-Nur, Verse 30)
In the next verse, women were addressed and He said:
وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ أَوِ التَّابِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُولِي الْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ أَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَىٰ عَوْرَاتِ النِّسَاءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللّٰهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ۞
Translation:
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
(Surah An-Nur, Verse 31)
However, among our many difficulties, one difficulty is also that whatever command or degree Shariah has appointed for an action, we do not content ourselves with that command and degree. Instead, we try to do something such that, rather than benefiting Shariah, the action causes harm to Shariah itself. In this regard, for every action, instead of authentic Ahadith, support is taken from fabricated and concocted narrations, and they are publicized while sitting on pulpits, and in return, praise from the public is garnered.
This same series continues regarding Zina as well, that knowingly or unknowingly, clips of some scholars and concocted narrations are being spread on social media through posts. In today’s session, we will, InshaAllah, try to know the reality of all the things spread regarding Zina.
For a long time, this saying attributed to Imam Shafi’i (May Allah have mercy on him) has been circulating on the internet:
“Remain chaste, your women will remain chaste. Indeed, Zina is a debt; if you took it, then know that the payment will be from your family members, O person, if you are wise then know this!”
When research was done on this saying attributed to Imam Shafi’i (RA), it was found that this matter is actually mentioned in the poetry of Imam Shafi’i which is recorded in the Diwan of Imam Shafi’i:
عِفُّوا تَعِفُّ نِسَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْمَحْرَمِ … وَتَجَنَّبُوا مَا لَا يَلِيقُ بِمُسْلِمِ
إِنَّ الزِّنَا دَيْنٌ فَإِنْ أَقْرَضْتَهُ … كَانَ الْوَفَا مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِكَ فَاعْلَمِ
(Translation: Remain chaste regarding the forbidden, your women will remain chaste. And avoid what does not befit a Muslim. Indeed, Zina is a debt; if you loan it, the repayment will be from your household, so know this!)
But remember, this matter is not proven from authentic Ahadith (Sahih Ahadith). However, the details of the narrations pointed to in this poem are mentioned below.
First Point
عِفُّوا تَعِفُّ نِسَاؤُكُمْ
(That if you remain chaste, your women will also remain chaste)
No narration in this regard is authentic. It is reported through several chains and several Companions, but all of them are weak (Da’eef) and fabricated (Mawdu’). Two chains of this narration are weak while the rest are fabricated.
First Chain:
وأخرجه أبو نعيم أيضاً في المرجع السابق (2/285) من طريق الوليد بن مسلم، ثنا صدقة بن يزيد، ثنا العلاء بن عبد الرحمن، عن أبيه، عن أبي هريرة قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:1
“عِفُّوا تَعِفُّ نِسَاؤُكُمْ”.2
Although Imam Hakim has declared this chain as Sahih, Imam Dhahabi has critiqued it saying Suwayd is weak.
الحديث صححه الحاكم، وتعقبه الذه5بي بقوله: “بل سويد ضعيف”.6
قلت: سويد هذا هو ابن إبراهيم الجَحْدَري، أبو حاتم الحنّاط، وهو صدوق، إلا أنه س7يىء الحفظ، له أغلاط.
(الكامل لابن عدي (3/1257، 1259)، والتقريب (1/340 رقم 593)، والتهذيب (4/270 رقم 467))
Second Chain:
In this chain, Sadaqah bin Yazid is a weak narrator.
وأما الطريق التي رواها أبو نعيم، عن الوليد بن مسلم، ففي سندها شيخ الوليد، وهو صدقة بن يزيد الخراساني، الشامي، ضعفه أحمد، وابن عدي، وأبو حاتم، وعده ابن الجارود، والساجي، والعقيلي في الضعفاء.
– وقال البخاري: منكر الحديث. ووثقه أبو زرعة الدمشقي، ودحيم.
قلت: ولعل الأرجح من حاله أنه: صدوق يخطيء.
Other Fabricated Narrations on This Subject
1- Narration of Hazrat Aisha (RA):
In this, Khalid bin Yazid Al-Umari is a lying narrator.
عن الزبير، عن عائشة، عن النبي صلَّى الله عليه وسلم قال: “عِفُّوا تَعِفُّ نِسَاؤُكُمْ، وَبَرُّوا آبَاءَكُمْ تَبَرَّكُمْ أَبْنَاؤُكُمْ، وَمَنِ اعْتَذَرَ إِلَى أَخِيهِ الْمُسْلِمِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ بَلَغَهُ عَنْهُ، فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ عُذْرَهُ، لَمْ يَرِدْ عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ”.89
(قال الهيثمي في “المجمع” (8/81 و 139): فيه خالد بن يزيد العمري وهو كذاب).1011121314
2- Narration of Hazrat Anas (RA):1516171819
I20n this, there is Ibrahim bin Hudba Al-Farisi Al-21Basri who has been declared a malicious liar.222324
وأما حديث أنس رضي الله عنه فقال السيوطي في الموضع السابق: قال ابن عساكر في سباعياته: أخبرني أبو القاس25م هبة الله بن عبد الله بن أحمد الواسطي، الشروطي، أ26نبأ أبو بكر أحمد بن علي بن ثابت الخطيب، أنبأ أب27و سعيد أحمد بن محمد بن عبد الله الماليني، سمعت أبا بكر المفيد، سمعت الحسن بن عبد الله العبدي، سمعت أبا هدبة يحدث عن أنس قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “بَرُّوا آبَاءَكُمْ تَبَرَّكُمْ أَبْنَاؤُكُمْ، وَعِفُّوا تَعِفُّ نِسَاؤُكُمْ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْ مُتَنَصِّلاً صَادِقاً أَوْ كَانَ كَاذِباً فَلَا يَرِدُ عَلَيَّ الْحَوْضَ”.2829
: والحديث بهذا الإسناد موضوع.3031
أبو هدبة الراوي للحديث عن أنس اسمه إبراهيم بن هدبة الفارسي، البصري، وهو كذاب خبيث، كذبه ابن معين، وعلي بن ثابت، وأبو حاتم.32333435
و36قال ابن حبان: دجال من الدجاجلة. اهـ. من المجروحين (1/114 -115)، واللسان (1/119 – 12370 رقم: 370).3839
3- Chain of Ibn Abbas (RA):4041
In this also, Ishaq bin Najih Al-Malati is a liar.4243
وأما حديث ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما فأخرجه ابن عدي في الكامل (441/324) من طريق إسحاق بن نجيح الملطي، عن ابن جريج، عن عطاء، عن ابن 45عباس، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: “عِفُّوا تَعِفُّ نِسَاؤُكُمْ”.
ومن طريق ابن عدي أخرجه ابن الجوزي في “الموضوعات” (3/106).
وهذا أيضاً موضوع بهذا الإسناد في سنده إسحاق بن نجيح الملطي وقد كذبوه. (الكامل: 1/323 – 325) والتقريب.
Therefore, it is known that no narration on this topic is present in any book with an authentic chain.
Second Famous Saying
“Zina is a debt; if the father takes it, the daughter will have to pay it.”
This statement is not correct regarding its chain, nor is there any proof for it rationally or textually.
Third Famous Saying
مَا زَنَى عَبْدٌ قَطُّ فَأَدْمَنَ عَلَى الزِّنَا إِلَّا ابْتُلِيَ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ.
“No servant ever commits Zina and becomes addicted to Zina, except that his family members are tested with it.”
This narration is fabricated; it has no origin. In it, Ishaq bin Najih is a fabricator of narrations.
هذا الحديث موضوع.
رواه ابن عدي (15/2) وأبو نعيم في “أخبار أصبهان” (1/278)
عن إسحاق بن نجيح عن ابن جريج عن عطاء عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما مرفوعاً، وقال ابن عدي: “وإسحاق بن نجيح بين الأمر في الضعفاء، وهو ممن يضع الحديث”.
(وأورده السيوطي في “ذيل الأحاديث الموضوعة” (ص: 149 رقم: 728) وقال: “إنه من أباطيل إسحاق بن نجيح”).
Fourth Famous Saying
مَنْ زَنَى زُنِيَ بِهِ وَلَوْ بِحِيطَانِ دَارِهِ.
“Whoever commits Zina, Zina will be committed with him, even if it is with the walls of his house.”
This narration is also fabricated.
In it, Qasim Al-Malati is a lying narrator.
هذا الحديث موضوع.
رواه ابن النجار بسنده عن القاسم بن إبراهيم الملطي: أنبأنا المبارك بن عبد الله المختط: حدثنا مالك عن الزهري عن أنس رضي الله عنه مرفوعاً، قال ابن النجار: “فيه من لا يوثق به”. قلت: وهو القاسم الملطي كذاب. [كذا في “ذيل الأحاديث الموضوعة” للسيوطي (ص 134) و”تنزيه الشريعة” لابن عراق (316/1)]،
And then, all these things are against Allah’s law itself: that someone else commits the sin and someone else suffers? What kind of justice is this? That a person himself is an evildoer, and his wife is of good character and chaste, so why would Allah punish his wife? A father is an evildoer and his daughter is of good character and chaste, so why would Allah punish his daughter?
While the command of Allah the Exalted is!
وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ۞
Translation:
And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.
(Surah Al-An’am, Verse 164)
Similarly, in another place, the same matter has been stated:
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۞
Translation:
That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.
(Surah An-Najm, Verse 38)
Therefore, saying that Zina is a debt and family members pay this debt is completely wrong. Whoever commits a sin, he himself will suffer its punishment, because punishing someone else for someone’s punishment is oppression (Zulm), and Allah, the Lord46 of Glory, is not an oppressor, nor will He punish others for the sins of one person. However, noble scholars state that if a person openly commits Zina and persists in this immorality and sin, then surely his family members who are watching him do this act, and do not even stop him, then slowly the evil of this sin will vanish from their hearts too, and it is 48near that they too become involved in this sin. Because as is the training of the head (of the family), and as is the environment of the house, so is the character of the family members. But if a person repents after committing a mistake and is ashamed of his action, then InshaAllah His forgiveness and mercy are very vast. And why would Allah, the Exalted, punish His pious and chosen servants with an act He Himself dislikes? While they have no fault!
A similar question was asked on the Saudi Fatwa website IslamQA, which we are quoting here:
Will the adulterer be deprived of Hoors? And what is the ruling on the following Hadith (Whoever commits Zina, Zina will be committed with him)?495051
Fatwa Number 22769
Question
Will the adulterer be deprived of Hoors in the Hereafter, and what is the meaning of the following Hadith, and if its meaning is that this act will happen with his Mahrams (close female relatives), the59n what is their fault?60
(Zina will be committed with him even if it is within the four walls of his house).
Answer:
Alhamdulillah:
If the adulterer and other sinners repent sincerely before Allah, Allah accepts their repentance and forgives their sins. The Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) are full of proofs for this:
Regarding this, Allah, the Possessor of Majesty and Honor, says:
Say, "O My servants who have trans64gressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
(Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 53)
Rather, if he repents with sincerity of heart and truthfulness, Allah, by His grace and kindness, changes those sins into good deeds, and Allah’s mercy and bounty are very vast.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says:
And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated – Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
(Surah Al-Furqan 68 – 70)
Therefore, the requirement of Allah forgiving sins and accepting repentance is that He does not punish for those sins after repentance.
But the person who insists on his sins and Zina and then does not repent from it either, he will have to face various punishments in this world and similarly in the grave and the Hereafter, but we have not found any text stating that he will be deprived of Hoors in the Hereafter.
However, some scholars have analogized him to the drinker of alcohol and the one who wears silk clothes, that the person who drinks alcohol and does not repent from it will not get wine in the Hereafter, and similarly, the one who wears silk clothes in this world will not be made to wear silk clothes in the Hereafter.
Hafiz Ibn Qayyim (May Allah have mercy on him), mentioning the punishments incurred by one who commits Zina and does not repent, writes: If he does not repent, he faces various punishments:
One punishment is that: He will be deprived of benefiting from the Hoors in the eternal gardens, just as Allah has deprived the one who wears silk in this world from silk in the Hereafter, and the alcohol drinker from the wine of Paradise.
So similarly, the person who looks at forbidden images in this world, rather whoever commits a forbidden act in this world, will be deprived of that kind of thing on the Day of Judgment.
(See Rawdat al-Muhibbin by Ibn Qayyim (RA) (365 – 368))
And this narration is reported from the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) that the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said:
(Whoever commits Zina, Zina will be committed with him even if it is within the four walls of his house).
This is a fabricated (Mawdu’) Hadith which has no origin/basis. Hafiz Iraqi and Allama Suyuti (May Allah have mercy on them) have also declared it fabricated and6566
Allama Albani (May Allah have mercy on him) has also declared it fabricated in6768
(As-Silsilah Ad-Da’ifah 2 / 155).
So based on this, there is no validity to what has been mentioned, nor can there be any objection. And if the Hadith were hypothetically accepted as authentic, it could be interpreted to mean:
The person who commits Zina and insists on this sin is a Fasiq (transgressor) and creates corruption, and this corruption will transfer to his family members, because mixing (with people) has an effect. When the head of the house is one who ruins himself, then primarily he will ruin his family members too; neither will he train them according to religion nor reform them. Therefore, it is not far-fetched that his family members, due to weakness of faith, become involved in the sin and disobedience in which he himself is involved. So in this way, this will be a punishment for him as well… End.
(Source: IslamQA)
( And Allah knows best the truth )
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