Calling one’s wife “sister” and the like

Question

Question: A man once suddenly said to his wife, “You (bobo)” — “bobo” (a form of address for an elder sister or older woman) with an indistinct (majhul) “o” — and at the moment of speaking he said it without any intent or intention of zihar; it slipped off his tongue like a common slip of ordinary people.

Answer

In the case asked about, zihar (likening one’s wife to a woman permanently unlawful to him) has not occurred; rather, this form of address is void (laghw). Addressing her so deliberately is makruh: [ar]ويكره قوله: أنت أمي، ويا ابنتي، ويا أختي، ونحوه اهـ[/ar] “His saying ‘You are my mother,’ ‘O my daughter,’ ‘O my sister’ and the like is makruh” (al-Durr al-Mukhtar).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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