The Ruling on Swearing by Intercourse with One’s Mother

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. Abu al-Sa'ib says: I took my wife to her parents' house before she gave birth, and then she stayed with her parents for a long time. My mother started reproaching me for that, so I said to my mother, while I was angry and wanting to please her, “By Allah, if I have intercourse with my wife, I will have intercourse with you, O my mother.” Is this zihar or an oath, even though my intention was to provoke my mother? A long time has passed since this issue arose, so what is required of me, my brother Ibn Abi?

Answer:
This is zihar. If he likens intercourse with his wife to intercourse with his mother, that is zihar. He must expiate the zihar, and he must not have intercourse with his wife until he expiates the zihar. He must free a slave, and if he cannot find one, he must fast two consecutive months. If he is unable to fast, he must feed sixty poor people. Yes, that is the end of it. Allah the Exalted, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.