5. Sūrat al-Māʾidah

٥۔ سُورَةُ المَائدة

5.35 Last will and testament, and testimony of witnesses.

٥۔٣٥ مقطع في سُورَةُ المَائدة

quran:5:105

O you who have believed, upon you is ˹responsibility for˺ yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided. To Allah is you return all together; then He will inform you of what you used to do.  

O you who believe, you are responsible for your own souls, in other words, preserve them and do what is in their best interest; he who is astray cannot hurt you, if you are rightly guided: it is said that this means, ‘None of those misguided ones from among the People of the Scripture can hurt you’; it is also said to mean others, on the basis of the ˹following˺ hadīth of Abū Tha‘laba al-Khushanī: ‘I asked the Messenger of God (s) about it ˹this verse˺ and he said, “Enjoin one other to decency and forbid one another indecency, and then if you see niggardliness being obeyed, whims being followed, this present world being preferred, and every intelligent person proud of his own opinions, then you are ˹still˺ responsible for ˹looking after˺ your own soul”,’ as reported by al-Hākim and others. Unto God you shall return, all together, and He will inform you of what you used to do, and requite you for it.
القرآن:٥:١٠٥

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۖ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ۚ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ  

(يا أيها الذين آمنوا عليكم أنفسكم) أي احفظوها وقوموا بصلاحها (لا يضركم من ضل إذا اهتديتم) قيل المراد لا يضركم من ضل من أهل الكتاب وقيل المراد غيرهم لحديث أبي ثعلبة الخشني: سألت عنها رسول الله ﷺ فقال: "" إئتمروا بالمعروف وتناهوا عن المنكر حتى إذا رأيت شحا مطاعا ودنيا مؤثرة وإعجاب كل ذي رأي برأيه فعليك نفسك "" رواه الحاكم وغيره (إلى الله مرجعكم جميعا فينبئكم بما كنتم تعملون) فيجازيكم به.
quran:5:106

O you who have believed, testimony ˹should be taken˺ among you when death approaches one of you at the time of bequest - ˹that of˺ two just men from among you or two others from outside if you are traveling through the land and the disaster of death should strike you. Detain them after the prayer and let them both swear by Allah if you doubt ˹their testimony, saying˺, "We will not exchange our oath for a price, even if he should be a near relative, and we will not withhold the testimony of Allah. Indeed, we would then be of the sinful."  

O you who believe, let testimony between you, when death, that is, ˹one of˺ its causes, draws near to one of you, at the time of a bequest, be that of two men of justice among you (ithnāni dhawā ‘adlin minkum, ‘two men of justice among you’, is the predicate expressed with the sense of an imperative, in other words, ‘let ˹two men˺ bear witness … ˹etc.˺’; the genitive annexation of shahāda, ‘testimony’, and bayn, ‘between’, is meant to allow for a range ˹of alternatives˺; hīn, ‘at the time of’, is a substitute for idhā, ‘when’, or an adverbial qualifier of time for ˹the verb˺ hadara, ‘draws near’); or of two others from another folk, that is, ˹from˺ other than your own religious community, if you are travelling in the land and the affliction of death befalls you. Then you shall empanel them, you shall detain them (tahbisūnahumā, ‘you shall empanel them’, is an adjectival qualification of ākharān, ‘two others’) after the, mid-afternoon, prayer and, if you are in doubt, ˹if˺ you are uncertain about it ˹their testimony˺, they shall swear by God, both of them saying: ‘We will not sell it, ˹our testimony˺ in ˹swearing by˺ God, for any price, ˹for˺ any compensation that we might take in exchange for it from this world, neither by swearing by Him ˹falsely˺, nor by testifying falsely for the sake of that ˹price˺; even if he, the person before whom it is being sworn or the one for whose sake testimony is being given, be a near kinsman, a close relative of ours, nor will we hide testimony to God, which He has commanded us ˹to give˺, for then, if we were to hide it, we would surely be among the sinful’.
القرآن:٥:١٠٦

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ حِينَ الْوَصِيَّةِ اثْنَانِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِنْكُمْ أَوْ آخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ إِنْ أَنْتُمْ ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَأَصَابَتْكُمْ مُصِيبَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۚ تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا مِنْ بَعْدِ الصَّلَاةِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ لَا نَشْتَرِي بِهِ ثَمَنًا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَىٰ ۙ وَلَا نَكْتُمُ شَهَادَةَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا إِذًا لَمِنَ الْآثِمِينَ  

{يا أيها الذين آمنوا شهادة بينكم إذا حضر أحدكم الموتُ} أي أسبابه {حين الوصية اثنان ذوا عدل منكم} خبر بمعنى الأمر أي ليشهد وإضافة شهادة لبين على الإتساع وحين بدل من إذا أو ظرف لحضر {أو آخران من غيركم} أي غير ملتكم {إن أنتم ضربتم} سافرتم {في الأرض فأصابكم مصيبة الموت تحبسونهما} توقفونهما صفة آخران {من بعد الصلاة} أي صلاة العصر {فيقسمان} يحلفان {بالله إن أرتبتم} شككتم فيها ويقولان {لا نشتري به} بالله {ثمنا} عوضا نأخذه بدله من الدنيا بأن نحلف به أو نشهد كذبا لأجله {ولو كان} المقسم له أو المشهود لله {ذا قربى} قرابة منا {ولا نكتم شهادة الله} التي أمرنا بها {إنا إذا} إن كتمناها {لمن الآثمين}.
quran:5:107

But if it is found that those two were guilty of perjury, let two others stand in their place ˹who are˺ foremost ˹in claim˺ from those who have a lawful right. And let them swear by Allah, "Our testimony is truer than their testimony, and we have not transgressed. Indeed, we would then be of the wrongdoers."  

But if it be discovered, ˹if˺ it be ascertained after they have sworn their oaths, that both of them have merited ˹the suspicion of˺ sin, that is, that they have done something to incur it, in the way of a breach of faith or perjury in the testimony; for example, if what they are accused of is found with them and then they claim that they had bought it from the deceased or that he had bequeathed it to them, then two others shall take their place, so that the oaths are to be taken from them, being the nearest (al-awlayān is a substitution for ākharān, ‘two others’; a variant reading has al-awwalīn, plural of awwal, as an adjectival qualification of, or a substitution for, alladhīna, ‘of those’), in kinship to the deceased, of those most concerned, with the bequest, namely, the inheritors, and they shall swear by God, to the breach of faith of the two witnesses, and they shall both say, ‘Verily, our testimony, our oath, is truer, is more faithful, than their testimony, their oath, and we have not transgressed, we have ˹not˺ overstepped the ˹bounds of˺ truth in our oaths, for then we would assuredly be among the evildoers’: meaning, let the one about to die call two men as witnesses to his bequest, or let him instruct in his bequest that the two be from among his co-religionists or from among others, if he cannot find any ˹from among the former˺ because he is travelling or for some similar reason. If the inheritors have doubts about the two men and claim a breach of faith on the part of the two for having taken something or given it to some other person — alleging that the deceased bequeathed it to him — then let the two men swear in full ˹in the way mentioned above˺. If then some indication surfaces that the two men have been lying and these two then claim some motivation for this action ˹of theirs˺, the nearest of the inheritors in kinship ˹to the deceased˺ shall swear to the perjury of the two men and to the truth of what they ˹the inheritors˺ suspected. This stipulation holds for the two trustees, but is abrogated in the case of the two witnesses. Likewise, the testimony of non co-religionists is abrogated. The reason for ˹stipulating˺ the mid-afternoon prayer is to consecrate the oaths. The specification in this verse that the oath be from the two inheritors nearest in kinship concerns the incident regarding which it was revealed. This ˹incident˺, as reported by al-Bukhārī, involved a man from the Banū Sahm who had set out on a journey with Tamīm alDārī and ‘Adiyy b. Baddā’, when they were both ˹still˺ Christians. The man from the Banū Sahm died in a place where there were no Muslims. When the two came back with his bequest, they ˹his relatives˺ found that a silver bowl plated with gold was missing and so the two were brought before the Prophet (s); thereupon this verse was revealed. The Prophet (s) made the two swear oaths. The bowl was later discovered in Mecca, where the owners said that they had bought it from Tamīm and ‘Udayy. The next verse was then revealed, after which two of the Sahmī man’s close kin came to swear their oaths; in al-Tirmidhī’s version, ‘Amr b. al-‘Ās, who was closer to the deceased man, stood up with one other from among the kin, and they swore an oath; in yet another version, the ˹Sahmī˺ man fell ill and instructed them as to his bequest and asked them to deliver what he had left to his family, but when he died, they took the bowl ˹and sold it˺ and then gave what remained ˹of that money˺ to his family.
القرآن:٥:١٠٧

فَإِنْ عُثِرَ عَلَىٰ أَنَّهُمَا اسْتَحَقَّا إِثْمًا فَآخَرَانِ يَقُومَانِ مَقَامَهُمَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَوْلَيَانِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ لَشَهَادَتُنَا أَحَقُّ مِنْ شَهَادَتِهِمَا وَمَا اعْتَدَيْنَا إِنَّا إِذًا لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ  

{فإن عُثر} اطُّلع بعد حلفهما {على أنهما استحقا إثما} أي فعلا ما يوجبه من خيانة أو كذب في الشهادة بأن وجد عندهما مثلا ما اتُّهما به وادعيا أنهما ابتاعاه من الميت أو وصى لهما به {فآخران يقومان مقامهما} في توجيه اليمين عليهما {من الذين استحق عليهم} الوصية وهم الورثة ويبدل من آخران {الأوليان} بالميت أي الأقربان إليه وفي قراءة الأَوَّلينَ جمع أوَّل صفة أو بدل من الذين {فيقسمان بالله} على خيانة الشاهدين ويقولان {لشهادتنا} يمننا {أحق} أصدق {من شهادتهما} يمينهما {وما اعتدينا} تجاوزنا الحق في اليمين {إنا إذا لمن الظالمين} المعنى ليشهد المحتضر على وصيته اثنين أو يوصي إليهما من أهل دينه أو غيرهم إن فقدهم لسفر ونحو فإن ارتاب الورثة فيهما فادعوا أنهما خانا بأخذ شيء أو دفعه إلى شخص زعما أن الميت أوصي له به فليحلفا إلى آخره فإن اطلع على أمارة تكذيبهما فادعيا دافعا له حلف أقرب الورثة على كذبهما وصدق ما ادعوه والحكم ثابت في الوصيين منسوخ في الشاهدين وكذا شهادة غير أهل الملة منسوخة واعتبار صلاة العصر للتغليظ وتخصيص الحلف في الآية باثنين من أقرب الورثة لخصوص الواقعة التي نزلت لها وهي ما رواه البخاري أن رجلا من بني سهم خرج مع تميم الداري وعدي بن بداء أي وهما نصرانيان فمات السهمي بأرض ليس فيها مسلم فلما قدما بتركته فقدوا جاما من فضة مخوصا بالذهب فرفعا إلى النبي صلىالله عليه وسلم فنزلت فأحلفهما ثم وجد الجام بمكة فقالوا ابتعناه من تميم وعدى فنزلت الآية الثانية فقام رجلان من أولياء السهمي فحلفا، وفي الترمذي فقام عمرو بن العاص ورجل آخر منهم فحلفا وكان أقرب إليه، وفي رواية فمرض فأوصى إليهما وأمرهما أن يبلغا ما ترك أهله فلما مات أخذا الجام ودفعا إلى أهله ما بقي.
quran:5:108

That is more likely that they will give testimony according to its ˹true˺ objective, or ˹at least˺ they would fear that ˹other˺ oaths might be taken after their oaths. And fear Allah and listen; and Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.  

That, ruling mentioned, where the oath devolves to the inheritors, ˹makes it˺ likelier, brings closer ˹the eventuality˺, that they, the witnesses or the trustees, will bear the testimony in its true form, ˹the form˺ in which they have been charged to bear it, without distortion or breach of faith, or, it is likelier, that they will be afraid that after their oaths other oaths may be taken, from the inheritors, the plaintiffs, who would swear to the two men’s breach of faith or perjury, in which case they would be disgraced and would incur penalties, and so ˹because of this˺ they will not lie. Fear God, by refraining from betrayal and perjury, and listen, to what you have been commanded, listening in acceptance. God does not guide the wicked people, those rebelling against obedience to Him; ˹He does not guide the wicked˺ to the way of goodness.
القرآن:٥:١٠٨

ذَٰلِكَ أَدْنَىٰ أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِالشَّهَادَةِ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهَا أَوْ يَخَافُوا أَنْ تُرَدَّ أَيْمَانٌ بَعْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ ۗ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْمَعُوا ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ  

{ذلك} الحكم المذكور من رد اليمين على الورثة {أدنى} أقرب إلى {أن يأتوا} أي الشهود أو الأوصياء {بالشهادة على وجهها} الذي تحملوها عليه من غير تحريف ولا خيانة {أو} أقرب إلى أن {يخافوا أن تُرد أيمان بعد أيْمانهم} على الورثة المدعين فيحلفون على خيانتهم وكذبهم فيفتضحون ويغرمون فلا يكذبوا {واتقوا الله} بترك الخيانة والكذب {واسمعوا} ما تؤمرون به سماع قبول {والله لا يهدي القوم الفاسقين} الخارجين عن طاعته إلى سبيل الخير.