Book of Testimonies

الشَّهَادَاتِ

Glossary

Book of Testimonies

Witnessing (legally consequential events) and testifying (as to what was witnessed) is a farḍ kifâyah. If there are only two people found who can do so, it is required of them, whether regarding relatives or strangers, if they can both do this without incurring harm. This is due to the statement of Allah, Exalted is He: {O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents…} (an-Nisâ’ 4:

الْقُضَاةُ ثَلاَثَةٌ وَاحِدٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَاثْنَانِ فِي النَّارِ فَأَمَّا الَّذِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّ فَقَضَى بِهِ وَرَجُلٌ عَرَفَ الْحَقَّتَحَمُّلُ الشَّهَادَةِ وَأَداَؤُهَا فَرْضُ كِفَايَةٍ، إِذَا لَمْ يُوْجَدْ مَنْ يَقُوْمُ بِهَا سِوَى اثْنَيْنِ، لَزِمَهُمَا اْلقِيَامُ بِهَا، عَلىٰ اْلقَرِيْبِ وَاْلبَعِيْدِ، إِذاَ أَمْكَنَهُمَا ذٰلِكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ ضَرَرٍ؛ لِقَوْلِ اللهِ تَعَالىٰ: "يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ" [سورة النساء: 135]

135)

(Legally consequential events) that are witnessed fall into four categories:
1) Fornication and anything which mandates its ḥadd is not confirmed except by four free, trustworthy, male individuals. ¹⁷³⁴

الْمَشْهُوْدُ بِهِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَقْسَامٍ:
أَحَدُهَا: الزِّنَى وَماَ يُوْجِبُ حَدَّهُ، فَلاَ يَثْبُتُ إِلاَّ بِأَرْبَعَةِ رِجَالٍ أَحْرَارٍ عُدُوْلٍ.

2) Financial transactions and other contracts pertaining to them ¹⁷³⁵ are confirmed by two (male) witnesses, or a man and two women, ¹⁷³⁶ or a man along with the oath of the claimant.

الثَّانِيْ: الْماَلُ وَمَا يُقْصَدُ بِهِ الْمَالُ، فَيَثْبُتُ بِشَاهِدَيْنِ، أَوْ بِرَجُلٍ وَامْرَأَتَيْنِ، وَبِرَجُلٍ مَعَ يَمِيْنِ الطَّالِبِ.

3) Aside from the above two categories, any

الثَّالِثُ: مَا عَدَا هَذَيْنِ مِمَّا يَطَّلِعُ عَلَيْهِ الرِّجَالُ، فَلاَ يَثْبُتُ إِلاَّ

1734. See below concerning the testimony of women.

1735. Such as collateral or guaranteeing another’s debt.

1736. There is reason to believe that there are certain differences between men and women that make the testimony of two women equal to that of one man in financial matters, whereas (according to A +H) a woman’s testimony is of higher value than a man’s testimony in other areas, such as childbirth and breastfeeding. The scholars of the past and present have indicated that women, in general, do not have as much exposure to those financial transactions, so they are less cognizant and observant of their details. This has nothing to do with trustworthiness; otherwise, it would have been the case in all matters. Also, if women were less trustworthy, their narrations of the Prophet’s sayings and actions would have not been accepted, but it is established that they are just as reliable as those of men. In fact, Imam adh-Dhahabi stated that no woman narrator has ever been accused of fabrication. Ibn al-Qayyim said in aṭ-Ṭuruq al-Ḥukmiyah:

“And the trustworthy woman is like the trustworthy man in terms of truthfulness, honesty, and religiosity, except that inattention and forgetfulness were feared in her case, so (her testimony) was corroborated with another woman like her.”

وَلاَ يَجُوْزُ لَهُ أَنْ يَقْبَل رِشْوَةً، وَلاَ هَدِيَّةً مِمَّنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُهْدِيْ إِلَيْهِ، وَلاَ اْلحُكْمُ قَبْلَ مَعْرِفَةِ اْلحَقِّ، فَإِنْ أَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ،والمَرْأَةُ العَدْلُ كالرَّجُلِ في الصِّدْقِ والأمَانَةِ والدِّيانَةِ، إلا أنَّها لمَّا خيفَ عليها السَّهْوُ والنِّسيانُ قُوِّيَت بمثلِها.

matters that men are customarily acquainted with ¹⁷³⁷ can only be confirmed by the testimony of two men. ¹⁷³⁸

بِشَهَادَةِ رَجُلَيْنِ.

4) (Issues) that men do not have access to observe – such as childbirth, menstruation, mourning periods, and body defects that are customarily covered – are confirmed by the testimony of a trustworthy woman. This is because ‘Uqbah ibn al-Ḥârith said that he married Umm Yaḥyâ bint Abi Ihâb. He said, “A black slave-lady came and said, ‘I suckled you both.’ I then mentioned that to the Prophet (SA), so he said, ‘How can you (keep her as your wife) when the lady has claimed that she suckled both of you?’” ¹⁷³⁹

الرَّابِعُ: مَا لاَ يَطَّلِعُ عَلَيْهِ الرِّجَالُ، كَاْلوِلاَدَةِ، وَاْلحَيْضِ، وَاْلعِدَّةِ، وَاْلعُيُوْبِ تَحْتَ الثِّيَابِ، فَيَثْبُتُ بِشَهَادَةِ امْرَأَةٍ عَدْلٍ؛ لِأَنَّ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ اْلحَارِثِ قَالَ: تَزَوَّجْتُ أُمَّ يَحْيَى بِنْتَ أَبِيْ إِهَابٍ، فَجَاءَتْ أَمَةٌ سَوْدَاءٌ، فَقَالَتْ: قَدْ أَرْضَعْتُكُمَا، فَذَكَرْتُ ذٰلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ، فَقَالَ: "‏ وَكَيْفَ وَقَدْ زَعَمَتْ ذَلِكَ."

وَتُقْبَلُ شَهَادَةُ أَمَةٍ فِيْمَا تُقْبَلُ فِيْهِ شَهَادَةُ النِّسَاءِ؛ لِلْخَبَرِ، وَشَهَادَةُ اْلعَبْدِ فِيْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، إِلاَّ فِيْ اْلحُدُوْدِ

1737. Aside from ḥudood and qiṣâṣ, this applies to: marriage, divorce, raj‘ah, emancipation, hiring and firing, establishment of lineage, walâ’ (allegiance to the emancipator), and agency in other than financial matters, as well as bequests and the like.

1738. This is the position of (A) + (+M, +S).

(a) + (-H): Women’s testimony is accepted in all matters except ḥudood and qiṣâṣ. They cited some reports from the Companions and righteous predecessors, including a report from az-Zuhri:

“The established Sunnah from the time of the Prophet (SA) and his two successors is that there is no valid testimony by women in ḥudood and qiṣâṣ.” (Mâlik. W because the chain has Ismâ‘eel ibn ‘Ayyâsh and al-Ḥajjâj ibn Arṭâh)

مَضَت السُّنَّةُ مِن لَدُن رسول الله والخَليفَتَينِ مِن بعدِهِ أن لا شَهادة للنِّساءِ في الحُدودِ والقِصاصِ

(-Z, -ash-Shawkâni): Women’s testimony is accepted in all matters, including ḥudood and qiṣâṣ. (-t, -Ibn al-Qayyim, -some Mâlikis): Women’s testimony is accepted regarding crimes that occur in their gatherings to which men usually have no access, such as public baths for women.

1739. (B)

وَاْلقِصَاصِ. [المذهب قبولها فيهما.]

The testimony of a person about their own acts is acceptable, like the one who breastfed (testifying) about her breastfeeding, and the distributor (testifying) about his distribution; also the testimony of a brother for his own brother, or a friend for his friend; the testimony of a deaf person about (events) that were seen; the testimony of a blind person who is certain of the voice; the testimony of someone who was hiding (at the time of witnessing); and the testimony of someone who heard a person confess something, even if (the confessor) did not tell the witness, “Witness (what I say).”

وَتُقْبَلُ شَهَادَةُ اْلفَاعِلِ عَلىٰ فِعْلِهِ، كَالْمُرْضِعَةِ عَلىٰ الرَّضَاعِ، وَاْلقَاسِمِ عَلىٰ اْلقِسْمَةِ، وَشَــهَادَةُ اْلأَخِ لأَخِيْــهِ، وَالصَّدِيْـقِ لِصَدِيْقِـــهِ، وَشَــهَادَةُ اْلأَصَـــمِّ عَلىٰ الْمَرْئِيَّاتِ، وَشَهَادَةُ اْلأَعْمىٰ إِذاَ تَيَقَّنَ الصَّوْتَ، وَشَهَادَةُ اْلـمُسْتَخْفِي، وَمَنْ سَمِعَ إِنْسَانًا يُقِرُّ بِحَقٍّ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَقُلْ لِلشَّاهِدِ: اشْهَدْ عَلَيَّ.

If something, such as lineage or childbirth, is reported by so many people that it becomes established (as true) in one’s heart, then one may testify about it. However, this is not permissible in the case of ḥadd or qiṣâṣ.
The testimony of the qâdhif and the like will be accepted after their repentance. ¹⁷⁴⁰

الرَّابِعُ: مَا لاَ يَطَّلِعُ عَلَيْهِ الرِّجَالُ، كَاْلوِلاَدَةِ، وَاْلحَيْضِ، وَاْلعِدَّةِ، وَاْلعُيُوْبِ تَحْتَ الثِّيَابِ، فَيَثْبُتُ بِشَهَادَةِ امْرَأَةٍ عَدْلٍ؛ لِأَنَّوَمَا تَظَاهَرَتْ بِهِ اْلأَخْبَارُ، وَاسْتَقَرَّتْ مَعْرِفَتُهُ فِيْ قَلْبِهِ، جَازَ لَهُ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ بِهِ، كَالشَّهَادَةِ عَلىٰ النَّسَبِ وَاْلوِلاَدَةِ، وَلاَ يَجُوْزُ ذٰلِكَ فِيْ حَدٍّ وَلاَ قِصَاصٍ.
وَتُقْبَلُ شَهَادَةُ اْلقَاذِفِ وَغَيْرِهِ، بَعْدَ تَوْبَتِهِ.

1740. qâdhif: one who makes an unproven accusation of fornication

Book of Testimonies

( Page : no 177)

Book of Testimonies

الشَّهَادَاتِ

Introduction

The Book of Purification

The Book of Prayer

The Book of Funerals

The Book of Fasting

The Book of Hajj and 'Umrah

Book of Zakat

The Book of Selling and Commercial Transactions

The Book of Bequests

The Book of Inheritance

The Book of Marriage

The Book of Divorce

The Book of Sadaq

The Book of Dhihar

The Book of Lian

The Book of Foods

The Book of Oaths

Book of Fatal and Non-Fatal Assault

The Book of Indemnities

The Book of Hudood

The Book of Jihad

The Book of the Judiciary

The Book of Testimonies

Appendix

Glossary

Book of Testimonies