Book of Testimonies

Those Whose Testimony Is

Rejected

مَنْ تُرَدُّ شَهاَدَتُهُ

The Book of Dhihar

Glossary


Those Whose Testimony Is Rejected

Testimony is not accepted from: the child, the mentally incompetent, the mute, the unbeliever, the fâsiq, 1741 or one whose condition (in terms of credibility) is unknown.
Likewise, it is not accepted from: someone who will benefit himself or repel harm from it; the parent, however many generations removed, for the child; the child for the parent; the master for his or her slave or mukâtib, 1742 or their testimony for him or her; one spouse for the other; the guardian about that which is under his custody; the agent about that which is within his power of attorney; or the partner about the partnership. Moreover, the testimony of enemies against each other is not accepted, nor that of one who is known for frequent errors and oversights. Finally, testimony is not accepted from one who has no muroo’ah (integrity), like the one who acts foolishly, causing himself to be mocked; the one who exposes his private parts in public; and the like.

لاَ تُقْبَلُ شَهَادَةُ صَبِيٍّ، وَلاَ زَائِلِ اْلعَقْلِ، وَلاَ أَخْرَسَ، وَلاَ كَافِرٍ، وَلاَ فَاسِقٍ، وَلاَ مَجْهُوْلِ اْلحَالِ.
وَلاَ جَارٍّ إِلىٰ نَفْسِهِ نَفْعًا، وَلاَ دَافِعٍ عَنْهَا شَرًّا، وَلاَ شَهَادَةُ وَالِدٍ وَإِنْ عَلاَ لِوَلَدِهِ، وَلاَ وَلَدٍ لِوَالِدِهِ، وَلاَ سَيِّدٍ لِعَبْدِهِ وَلاَ مُكَاتِبِهِ، وَلاَ شَهَادَتُهُمَا لَهُ، وَلاَ أَحَدِ الزَّوْجَيْنِ لِصَاحِبِهِ، وَلاَ شَهَادَةُ اْلوَصِيِّ فِيْمَا هُوَ وَصِيٌّ فِيْهِ، وَلاَ اْلوَكِيْلِ فِيْمَا هُوَ وَكِيْلٌ فِيْهِ، وَلاَ الشَّرِيْكِ فِيْمَا هُوَ شَرِيْكٌ فِيْهِ، وَلاَ اْلعَدُوِّ عَلىٰ عَدُوِّهِ، وَلاَ مَعْرُوْفٍ بِكَثْرَةِ اْلغَلَطِ وَاْلغَفْلَةِ، وَلاَ مَنْ لاَ مُرُوْءَةَ لَهُ، كَالسُّخْرَةِ، وَكَاشِفِ عَوْرَتِهِ لِلنَّاظِرِيْنَ فِيْ حَمَّامٍ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ.

If someone testifies but is suspected (of lying) about part of it, then his or her entire testimony will be rejected.
To determine the trustworthiness of a person or of a translation, the testimony of two people is required.
If there are conflicting testimonies, the one asserting untrustworthiness will be favored.

الْقُضَاةُ ثَلاَثَةٌ وَاحِدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَاثْنَانِ فِي النَّارِ فَأَمَّا الَّذِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَقَضَى بِهِ وَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَوَمَنْ شَهِدَ بِشَهَادَةٍ يُتَّهَمُ فِيْ بَعْضِهَا، رُدَّتْ كُلُّهَا.
وَلاَ يُسْمَعُ فِيْ اْلجَرْحِ وَالتَّعْدِيْلِ، وَالتَّرْجَمَةِ، وَنَحْوِهَا، إِلاَّ شَهَادَةُ اثْنَيْنِ.
وَإِذَا تَعَارَضَ اْلجَرْحُ وَالتَّعْدِيْلُ، قُدِّمَ اْلجَرْحُ.

If one witness testifies (that someone is entitled to)

وَإِنْ شَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ بِأَلْفٍ،

1741. fâsiq: a perverted, open or frequent sinner who crosses the boundaries set by the Sharia; usually refers to someone who has no piety, so they commit sin without fear of God, shyness, or regret

1742. mukâtib: a slave who entered into an agreement to buy himself freedom

1000 (units of currency), and another testifies that it is 2000, then 1000 will be awarded. If he likes, he may take an oath, along with the testimony of the other witness, concerning the other 1000. If one of them says the 1000 was a loan, but the other says it was the price of a sold commodity, then the testimony is not conclusive.

وَآخَرُ، بِأَلْفَيْنِ، قُضِيَ لَهُ بِأَلْفٍ، وَحَلَفَ مَعَ شَاهِدِهِ عَلىٰ اْلأَلْفِ اْلآخَرِ إِنْ أَحَبَّ، وَإِنْ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا: أَلْفٌ مِنْ قَرْضٍ، وَقَالَ اْلآخَرُ: مِنْ ثَمَنِ مَبِيْعٍ، لَمْ تَكْمُلِ الشَّهَادَةُ.

If four people testify to fornication, or two witnesses testify to something else, yet they disagree over the location, time, or description (of the offense), their testimony is not conclusive.

وَإِذَا شَهِدَ أَرْبَعَةٌ بِالزِّنَى، أَوْ شَهِدَ اثْنَانِ عَلىٰ فِعْلِ سِوَاهُ، وَاخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْ الْمَكَانِ، أَوِ الزَّمَانِ، أَوِ الصِّفَةِ لَمْ تَكْمُلْ شَهَادَتُهُمْ.

Those Whose Testimony Is Rejected

( Page : no 178)