# Would the Prophet really call a woman wearing perfume a fornicator?

*Calling a woman a fornicator is qadhf: why the report slanders the Prophet*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bo72u9thuk8/s/3/
- Date: 2018-05-04 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: On Women Wearing Perfume: Debunking Weak and Blasphemous Hadith -Mufti Abu Layth (10:32–19:47)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO72u9ThuK8&t=632s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bo72u9thuk8/

**Topics:** Reports that disrespect the Prophet; Text criticism, reason and the Quran; Hudud and punishments

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: Mufti Abu Layth says calling a woman a fornicator is the crime of qadhf under Quran 24:4, punished by the Malikis whatever the intention, and the Prophet was never obscene, so the report insults him.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the report slanders the Prophet, since calling a woman a fornicator is qadhf punishable under the Quran and, for the Malikis, regardless of intention, and the Prophet was never obscene and would not have labelled women this way to deter them.

**Evidence, his words at 15:38:** “this is the Prophet would never ever have said something like this this is a slander against the honor of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam right that he would speak about women in such a way” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO72u9ThuK8&t=938s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says the deeper problem is not only that the report seeks to control women but that it attacks the Prophet, since calling a woman a fornicator carries a hadd in the Quran: those who accuse chaste women and do not bring four witnesses are lashed eighty times and their testimony is never accepted (24:4). He explains that the Malikis punish such an accusation whatever the speaker's intention, while the Hanbalis, Shafi'is and Hanafis consider intention where the wording is not explicit, and he reads from the Mudawwana that Imam Malik applied the hadd to a man who called a woman a fornicator even when he added that it was against her will or before she became Muslim, and treated 'your eye fornicates' as slander too. He contrasts this with the Prophet's character, citing the verse on his great character [?], Anas's description in al-Bukhari that he was never obscene, abusive or given to cursing, and a report in Abu Dawud that whoever accuses a believer to degrade him will be held on a bridge over the fire. He says the Prophet would not label women fornicators merely to deter them when he could simply have said not to wear perfume, and restates that the chain is weak and was not traced to the Prophet by some early transmitters.

## Sources and names cited

- Quran 24:4 (those who accuse chaste women without four witnesses): https://quran.com/24/4
- Quran 68:4 (you are of a great character) [?] (reference uncertain; possibly https://quran.com/68/4)
- report: ayyuma imraatin istatarat fa marrat ala qawmin li yajidu rihaha fa hiya zaniya
- report: lam yakun al-nabi fahishan wa la sabbaban wa la laanan (Anas, in al-Bukhari, number not stated)
- report: man rama musliman bi shayin yuridu shaynahu bihi habasahu allah ala jisri jahannam (Abu Dawud, number not stated)
- Imam Malik
- Ibn al-Qasim
- al-Mudawwana
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Sunan Abi Dawud
- Anas ibn Malik
- qadhf (accusation of zina)
- hadd
- zina
- Maliki school

## Transcript (machine tier, 10:32–19:47)

[10:06] is this a problem people why is this a problem this hadith is not a problem simply because it's trying to just control women it's not a problem because of that per se that is a problem but that is not the shocking problem here because that is done in other places too the shocking thing is this is an attack on the messenger of allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam why do I say that because to call somebody a zania to call

[10:42] a woman and adulterous or a fornicating woman goes not only it is a clear head in the Quran against anybody who says that so in the Quran there is a verse while Lavina yamuna masa not those who throw words women saying about Xena thumbnail um yeah to be our Bharati Shahada then they do not come with four weaknesses fragile ii dooms the man image elder lashed them 80 lashes when i talked about allah whom

[11:22] shahadat an a burden do not ever accept from them a testimony again if a man was to call a woman zania use a Nia he would be punishable under Islamic law punishable to say The Messenger of Allah casually called every woman a fornicating woman that goes out with perfume is an attack on the honor of the messenger of allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam not only that somebody

[12:00] may say oh but the Prophet here didn't mean it like this they may say the Prophet didn't mean it like this ah so let's take a look at the ruling in fact what is the ruling if you call a woman Yesenia so the my lakiya the school of Medina make it very clear whether you had that intention or another intention you will be punished because you have attacked the honour of a woman you have attacked the honor of a woman yes the humble ease and the chauffeur is in the

[12:39] Hanna fear do go into saying the intention ought to be there but even they say if the wording is totally clear like Xena but if you used a different word like if you said for example oh you're easygoing and then you meant by and she said what do you mean by and and you said oh no I meant something else as in in life casually easygoing I don't mean it like as in you're a prostitute or something like that then those methods are a bit relaxed the Maliki method is still very harsh that if you attacked the honor of a woman you will

[13:19] be punished regardless then not so just to let me just see if I've got this here Imam Malik in the Madonna Imam Malik in his 5th April person says ara 8:00 a.m.

[13:39] rats and Carla ha Roger Anya's Anya if a man says to a woman yeah Sonia and then he goes on adds more as well if this and she says this says total to the rock I'll had that the head is applied live Roger upon the man ok the hug that the man is punished for what he said check this out now if a woman imagined this now if a woman this is coming to the intention part if a woman they speak of the example were if a woman had been a victim of rape but

[14:18] the man said to her call le Marat in Edina BIA is na tu did Xena you fornicated and then he says what Anton was stuck gonna hire you for negated but it was done against your will right all if he says to her you come you fornicated what whilst you were a Christian what antonis Rania or if he said to a man even this doesn't have to be gender specific that oh you fornicated you whilst you were a Christian right what did Imam Malik say Dorabella Dorabella all

[14:58] had had l-fatiha he is taken in that day and age he was lashed as in he is punished leon Nimmons enough in nasa Rani Alya do zaleka zina even if he did that previously before Islam that does not take he's not taken into account in Islam and this is a slander against him now and then Imam Malik says in he says lana malikan caliphate re al had Hamelin now what's interesting what about this hadith how could the Prophet be saying

[15:38] that to people how could he be saying that the lasagna you are a zania search and what does the Quran say about the Prophet in Nacala Allah who looking nothing this is the Prophet would never ever have said something like this this is a slander against the honor of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam right that he would speak about women in such a way and what does the hadith in Bukhari when Una's describing him say let me hakuna he was never for Hashem what a suburban he was not somebody that

[16:15] would be fahisha in his words or suburb or use Swiss Oh curse well Allah Annan this was the messenger of allah salallahu alaihe salam now the messenger himself said in a hadith that is in abu dawood man rama mu'minin whosoever accused a believer Bechet in you read to be he shana in a way to kind of degrade them right huh Bursa hello I like history Jahannam then Allah will hold this person on a bridge above the fire meaning that this is how

[16:53] seriously and in another this another narration as well another the old man olofi movement in Malaysia fihi as can allow rather intelligible hat is once again trying to say that he will be held in that he will be punished for these things but what happened what about this part of the hadith Kulu I mean in zhonya your eye is an adult rating of fornicating I look what it my Malik is asked Allah Aitor ignore Qasim says in color in color signing fook that your mouth is an

[17:30] adult rating mouth o Senate Ridge look o your foot or your leg is an adult rating leg fornicating like Imam Malik is being lost this okay so imam malik being asked aarathi hill hat I understand him him to be punished that's what Imam Malik said this is the school of Medina people write these these things are miss attributions to the messenger of allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam they are art early against his

[18:08] honor to say that the Prophet would be a kid saying oh but he meant it to dis to just as they kind of deterrent the Prophet wouldn't call a woman a fornicating woman just to deter her he could just say that using other words he could have said don't wear perfume or don't don't do this it said why would he accuse throw such a grandiose such a a serious label at them so this is utterly false the chain like I said is only transmitted through abu musa al-ashari through her name interface through

[18:47] saboted Namara Sabbath of Marah is a weak transmitter as I've explained chi Cygni her name has transmitted strange things and doesn't transmit much anyway and abour asking who transmits this chain from Daraa me say is that some of our companions said this was from the Prophet so this was not from the prophet of God now somebody could say what there are some other narrations that not that don't say things like this at all but there's some other narrations like from

[19:21] so there's two other kinds one is from zeyneb hasta Coffea now this hadith from zainabou sokovia is transmitted in books right it's transmitted you've got this in a few different books like in it does come in in the Muslim life more than and quite a few others as well this is all one narration it's all too with the eshop ray she was the wife of

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment bO72u9ThuK8/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bo72u9thuk8/s/3/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.