Islamic Fiqh > Penalties (hudud) > Qadhf in Islamic law
Accusing without proof is a crime in itself in fiqh: qadhf, its qualification, the honor protection it establishes, and its link with li'an.
Updated on 06 October 2026 at 10:50 PM
Qadhf is the accusation of misconduct made without proof. The legal encyclopedia defines it, fixes its penalty, details its wordings, the conditions bearing on the slandered person, the special case of the husband, pardon, settlement, and the specific status of an accusation directed against Aisha and the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
The chapter is published in sections, each complete and directly accessible:
Al-Hawi al-Kabir by al-Mawardi · Shafi'i school
Chapter: the punishment of qadhf (slander). Question: al-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "If an adult free man slanders an adult free Muslim, or an adult free Muslim woman, the punishment is eighty (lashes)."
Al-Mawardi said: the origin of the prohibition of qadhf is the Book, the Sunna and consensus. Allah, the Most High, said: "Indeed, those who accuse chaste, unaware, believing women are cursed in this world and the hereafter, and they shall have a great torment" (an-Nour, 23).
And he reported from Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said.