An accusation of theft and zina

Question

Question: One night, at about eight o’clock, Zubayda heard some noise in the cattle shed next to her house and told her son and wife to light a lamp and look. Hearing their conversation, the neighbours came to ask what was going on; Zayd too was among these people and was asking questions. The above-mentioned neighbours looked all around but found no trace of any person or thief, and everyone went back to their homes.

Answer

To accuse anyone of zina without proof is haram; likewise, accusing someone of theft is also haram. If someone claims that so-and-so has committed theft and cannot produce witnesses recognized by the Shari‘a for it, then an oath becomes binding on the other person, the one who has been accused.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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