Witnesses
52/8. Chapter:
The witness of a person falsely accusing somebody of illegal sexual intercourse and the witness of a thief or an adulterer
وَقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {وَلاَ تَقْبَلُوا لَهُمْ شَهَادَةً أَبَدًا وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ تَابُوا}. وَجَلَدَ عُمَرُ أَبَا بَكْرَةَ وَشِبْلَ بْنَ مَعْبَدٍ وَنَافِعًا بِقَذْفِ الْمُغِيرَةِ ثُمَّ اسْتَتَابَهُمْ، وَقَالَ مَنْ تَابَ قَبِلْتُ شَهَادَتَهُ. وَأَجَازَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُتْبَةَ وَعُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَطَاوُسٌ وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَالشَّعْبِيُّ وَعِكْرِمَةُ وَالزُّهْرِيُّ وَمُحَارِبُ بْنُ دِثَارٍ وَشُرَيْحٌ وَمُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ قُرَّةَ. وَقَالَ أَبُو الزِّنَادِ الأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا بِالْمَدِينَةِ إِذَا رَجَعَ الْقَاذِفُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ فَاسْتَغْفَرَ رَبَّهُ، قُبِلَتْ شَهَادَتُهُ. وَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ وَقَتَادَةُ إِذَا أَكْذَبَ نَفْسَهُ جُلِدَ وَقُبِلَتْ شَهَادَتُهُ. وَقَالَ الثَّوْرِيُّ إِذَا جُلِدَ الْعَبْدُ ثُمَّ أُعْتِقَ، جَازَتْ شَهَادَتُهُ، وَإِنِ اسْتُقْضِيَ الْمَحْدُودُ فَقَضَايَاهُ جَائِزَةٌ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ لاَ تَجُوزُ شَهَادَةُ الْقَاذِفِ، وَإِنْ تَابَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لاَ يَجُوزُ نِكَاحٌ بِغَيْرِ شَاهِدَيْنِ، فَإِنْ تَزَوَّجَ بِشَهَادَةِ مَحْدُودَيْنِ جَازَ، وَإِنْ تَزَوَّجَ بِشَهَادَةِ عَبْدَيْنِ لَمْ يَجُزْ. وَأَجَازَ شَهَادَةَ الْمَحْدُودِ وَالْعَبْدِ وَالأَمَةِ لِرُؤْيَةِ هِلاَلِ رَمَضَانَ. وَكَيْفَ تُعْرَفُ تَوْبَتُهُ، وَقَدْ نَفَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الزَّانِيَ سَنَةً. وَنَهَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ كَلاَمِ كَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ وَصَاحِبَيْهِ حَتَّى مَضَى خَمْسُونَ لَيْلَةً.The Statement of Allah عز وجل: "... And reject their testimony forever, they indeed are the Fasiqun (liars, rebellious, disobedient to Allah). Except those who repent thereafter and do righteous deeds..." (V.24:4,5) Umar gave legal punishment of scourging to Abu Bakra, Shibl bin Ma'bad and Nafi' for accusing Al-Mughira for illegal sexual intercourse falsely, and then they were made to repent and he said that whoever repented, his witness would be accepted (in the future). Abdullah bin 'Utba, 'Umar bin 'Abdul Aziz, Sa'id bin Jubair, Tawus, Mujahid, Ash-Sha'bi, 'Ikrima, Az-Zuhri, Muharib bin Dithar, Shuraih and Mu'awiya bin Qurra considered it permissible (i.e., the witness of the false accusers after being punished). Abu Az-Zinad said, "Our verdict in Al-Madina is that, if the false accuser (of others of illegal sexual intercourse) withdraws the accusation and repents, then his (future) witness is acceptable." Ash-Sha'bi and Qatada said, "If he tells that he has told a lie, the punishment will be instituted against him, but his (future) witness will be accepted." Ath-Thauri said, "If a slave is scourged (for falsely accusing others of illegal sexual intercourse) and later on he is manumitted, then his (future) witness is to be accepted. If somebody who has received such punishment is made a judge, his decisions will be valid." Some people said, "The witness of a false-accuser is not to be accepted even if he repented." They added: "The marriage is not legal unless it is witnessed by two witnesses; it is permissible that the two witnesses can be those who have received such punishments, but the slaves are not to be accepted as witnesses to marriage." He accepts the witness of the person who has received the punishment (for falsely accusing others of illegal sexual intercourse) and the witness of a male slave and a female slave concerning the appearance of the new moon (i.e., crescent) (of the month of fasting etc.). How to know the repentance of a person who has received the punishment of false accusation and no doubt, the Prophet ﷺ kept an adulterer in exile for a year. The Prophet ﷺ did not allow anybody to talk to Ka'b bin Malik and his two companions for fifty days.
Sahih Bukhari
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ يُونُسَ،. وَقَالَ اللَّيْثُ حَدَّثَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ امْرَأَةً، سَرَقَتْ فِي غَزْوَةِ الْفَتْحِ، فَأُتِيَ بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ أَمَرَ فَقُطِعَتْ يَدُهَا. قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ فَحَسُنَتْ تَوْبَتُهَا وَتَزَوَّجَتْ، وَكَانَتْ تَأْتِي بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأَرْفَعُ حَاجَتَهَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Narrated `Urwa bin Az-Zubair: A woman committed theft in the Ghazwa of the Conquest (of Mecca) and she was taken to the Prophet who ordered her hand to be cut off. `Aisha said, "Her repentance was perfect and she was married (later) and used to come to me (after that) and I would present her needs to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 2648In-book reference : Book 52, Hadith 12USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 3, Book 48, Hadith 816