What is the ruling if a husband is accused by his wife of adultery-slander (*Qadhf*), denies it, and then witnesses confirm the slander, but the husband claims the accusation is true and thus not slander?

Primary text

If the husband admits the wife committed adultery but claims he spoke the truth and his statement was not slander (which requires falsehood), the statement is not considered self-contradiction, as he persists in asserting her adultery. He retains the right to avert the punishment via *Li'an*. The ruling of Al-Shafi'i aligns with this position regarding this specific scenario.