66. Witnesses
٦٦۔ كِتَابُ الشَّهَادَاتِ
A Muslim was about to die at Daquqa', but he did not find any Muslim to call him for witness to his will. So he called two men of the people of the Book for witness. Then they came to Kufah, and approaching AbuMusa al-Ash'ari they informed him (about his) will. They brought his inheritance and will. Al-Ash'ari said: This is an incident (like) which happened in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and never occurred after him. So he made them to swear by Allah after the afternoon prayer to the effect that they had not misappropriated, nor told a lie, nor changed, nor concealed, nor altered, and that it was the will of the man and his inheritance. He then executed their witness. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 3605)
أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ بِدَقُوقَا هَذِهِ وَلَمْ يَجِدْ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَشْهَدُ عَلَى وَصِيَّتِهِ فَأَشْهَدَ رَجُلَيْنِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ فَقَدِمَا الْكُوفَةَ فَأَتَيَا الْأَشْعَرِيَّ فَأَخْبَرَاهُ وَقَدِمَا بِتَرِكَتِهِ وَوَصِيَّتِهِ فَقَالَ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ هَذَا أَمْرٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ بَعْدَ الَّذِي كَانَ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَحْلَفَهُمَا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ بِاللهِ مَا خَانَا وَلَا كَذِبَا وَلَا بَدَّلَا وَلَا كَتَمَا وَلَا غَيَّرَا وَإِنَّهَا لَوَصِيَّةُ الرَّجُلِ وَتَرِكَتُهُ فَأَمْضَى شَهَادَتَهُمَا هَذَا حَدِيثُ هُشَيْمٍ وَحَدِيثُ ابْنِ نُمَيْرٍ مُخْتَصَرٌ
[Machine] That the Prophet ﷺ allowed the testimony of one Jew against another, and in the narration of Ibn Abadan, he allowed the testimony of the People of the Book against each other.
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ أَجَازَ شَهَادَةَ الْيَهُودِ بَعْضِهِمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَفِي رِوَايَةِ ابْنِ عَبْدَانَ أَجَازَ شَهَادَةَ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ بَعْضِهِمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ هَكَذَا
[Machine] Shurayh allowed the testimony of every religious group according to their own religion, but did not allow the testimony of a Jew against a Christian or a Christian against a Jew, except for the Muslims, as he allowed their testimony on all religions.
كَانَ شُرَيْحٌ يُجِيزُ شَهَادَةَ كُلِّ مِلَّةٍ عَلَى مِلَّتِهَا وَلَا يُجِيزُ شَهَادَةَ الْيَهُودِيِّ عَلَى النَّصْرَانِيِّ وَلَا النَّصْرَانِيِّ عَلَى الْيَهُودِيِّ إِلَّا الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يُجِيزُ شَهَادَتَهُمْ عَلَى الْمِلَلِ كُلِّهَا
[Machine] About Shurayh's statement, "or others from outside your community" [Surah Al-Ma'idah 106], he said, "If a man dies in a foreign land and does not find a Muslim witness, then he testifies in front of non-Muslim witnesses, their testimony is acceptable. However, if two Muslims come and testify against that, then their testimony is taken and the testimony of the non-Muslims is rejected."
عَنْ شُرَيْحٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ {أَوْ آخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ} [المائدة 106] قَالَ إِذَا مَاتَ الرَّجُلُ فِي أَرْضِ غُرْبَةٍ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ مُسْلِمًا فَأَشْهَدَ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ شَاهِدَيْنِ فَشَهَادَتُهُمَا جَائِزَةٌ فَإِنْ جَاءَ مُسْلِمَانِ فَشَهِدَا بِخِلَافِ ذَلِكَ أُخِذَ بِشَهَادَةِ الْمُسْلِمَيْنِ وَرُدَّتْ شَهَادَتُهُمَا
the Messenger of Allah ﷺ allowed the People of the Book to testify against one another. (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 2374)
أَنَّ شُرَيْحًا كَانَ يُجِيزُ شَهَادَةَ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ بَعْضِهِمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ