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What is the ruling on adultery with one's wife's sister?

· 15 Muharram 1442 AH1 min readFatwa 45584English
Jurisprudence and Rulings (Fiqh)

Question

What is the ruling on adultery with one's wife's sister?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Indeed, committing adultery is one of the major sins in Islam and a despicable act in the eyes of Allah Ta’alā. Allah Ta’alā says:

Translation: “And do not go close to adultery. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and it is an evil way.”

(Surah Al-Isra:32)

Furthermore, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) advised one to be very cautious around one’s in-laws. See the following Hadith:

‏Translation: Uqba bin Amir reported Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as saying: Beware of getting, into the houses and meeting women (in seclusion). A person from the Ansar said: Allah's Messenger, what about husband's brother, whereupon he (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: Husband's brother is like death. ‏‏(Saheeh Muslim: 2172)

Nevertheless, the rulings pertaining to committing adultery with one’s sister in law are the same as committing adultery with a common woman. In an Islamic country, an unmarried individual found guilty of adultery would receive 100 lashes and a married individual found guilty of adultery would be punished by stoning to death.[1]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَا إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا (سورة الاسراء: 32)

عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ إِيَّاكُمْ وَالدُّخُولَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفَرَأَيْتَ الْحَمْوَ قَالَ ‏"‏ الْحَمْوُ الْمَوْتُ ‏" (صحيح مسلم: 2172)

[1] الزَّانِيَةُ وَالزَّانِي فَاجْلِدُوا كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا مِائَةَ جَلْدَةٍ ۖ وَلَا تَأْخُذْكُم بِهِمَا رَأْفَةٌ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۖ وَلْيَشْهَدْ عَذَابَهُمَا طَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ – 24:2

Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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