What is the third condition for a valid *Li'an* regarding the order of pronouncement?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Mutual Imprecation (Li'an)
Primary text
The third condition requires the husband to initiate the *Li'an* before the wife. If the wife begins, the *Li'an* is not considered valid. This is the position of Abu Thawr and Ibn Al-Mundhir.
Supporting text
Malik and the proponents of the Hanafi school hold that if the order is reversed, the Sunnah has been missed, but separation is permissible, and paternity is negated because the conjunction 'and' in the verse (Quran 24:8) does not necessitate sequence, and both oaths were uttered. Al-Shafi'i agrees that sequence is necessary for the completion of *Li'an*, but he maintains that the husband's sole *Li'an* is sufficient for paternity negation, which is achieved even if the sequence is faulty or the wife's pronouncements are incomplete.