Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (15/318)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

If the claimant says, “I have no evidence,” the judge informs him that he is entitled to require his opponent to swear an oath in accordance with the latter’s response. If he asks that his opponent be made to swear, the judge administers the oath to him and lets him go. An oath is not recognized unless the claimant has first requested it. If the defendant refuses to swear, the judge rules against him. He says to him, “Either swear, or I shall rule against you.” If he does not swear, the judge rules against him. If the denying party swears and then the claimant produces evidence, the judge rules according to it, for the oath does not nullify the right.

His statement, “If the claimant says, ‘I have no evidence’”: mā is a particle of negation; that is, “I have no evidence.” As will come, Allah willing, evidence varies according to what is being testified to: it may consist of one man and two women, two men, or one woman, depending on the matter testified to, as will come, Allah willing.

Regarding his statement, “I have no evidence,” we say that the claimant should instead say, “I am unaware of any evidence I possess,” for there may be evidence of which he is unaware, or which he has forgotten. Then, if he produces it after having said, “I have no evidence,” it will not be heard according to the well-known position of the school, as will come, Allah willing. Thus, it is better for him to say, “I am unaware of any evidence I possess.”

His statement, “The judge informs him that he is entitled to an oath from his opponent in accordance with the latter’s response,” means not in accordance with the claimant’s allegation. Thus, if you have no evidence and the defendant denies the claim, we say: You are entitled to an oath from your opponent in accordance with his response, not in accordance with what you alleged. For example, if the claimant says, “I claim one hundred,” and his opponent says, “He is entitled to no more than fifty from me,” how should he swear? He says, “By Allah, he is entitled to no more than fifty from me.” He need not say, “By Allah, he cannot claim one hundred from me,” because he is only required to swear in accordance with the nature of his response. Thus, he is made to swear in accordance with what he answered. The evidence is the Prophet’s statement: “The evidence is upon the claimant, and the oath is upon the one who denies.” (1) The reasoning is that the oath is

(1) Reported by al-Bayhaqi (10/252). Al-Tirmidhi and al-Daraqutni also reported it with the wording: “The burden of proof is upon the claimant, and the oath is upon the one against whom the claim is made.” Its basis is found in the two Sahihs, without the phrase: “The burden of proof is upon the claimant.”

وَإِنْ قَالَ الْمُدَّعِي: مَا لِي بَيِّنَةٌ، أَعْلَمَهُ الْحَاكِمُ أَنَّ لَهُ الْيَمِينَ عَلَى خَصْمِهِ، عَلَى صِفَةِ جَوَابِهِ، فَإِنْ سَأَلَ إِحْلَافَهُ أَحْلَفَهُ وَخَلَّى سَبِيلَهُ، وَلَا يُعْتَدُّ بِيَمِينِهِ قَبْلَ مَسْأَلَةِ الْمُدَّعِي، وَإِنْ نَكَلَ قَضَى عَلَيْهِ، فَيَقُولُ: إِنْ حَلَفْتَ وَإِلاَّ قَضَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَحْلِفْ قَضَى عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ حَلَفَ المُنْكِرُ ثُمَّ أَحْضَرَ المُدَّعِي بَيِّنَةً حَكَمَ بِهَا، وَلَم تَكُنِ الْيَمِينُ مُزِيْلَةً لِلْحَقِّ. قوله: «وإن قال المدعي: ما لي بينة» «ما» نافية، يعني ليس لي بينة، والبينة سيأتي ـ إن شاء الله ـ أنها تختلف باختلاف المشهود به، فقد تكون رجلاً وامرأتين، وقد تكون رجلين، وقد تكون امرأةً واحدةً، حسب المشهود به كما سيأتي إن شاء الله. وقوله: «ما لي بينة» هنا نقول: إنه ينبغي للمدعي أن يقول: لا أعلم لي بينة؛ لأنه قد يكون هناك بينة لم يعلم بها، أو نسيها، ثم إذا أقامها بعد أن قال: ما لي بينة، فإنها لا تسمع على المشهور من المذهب كما سيأتي إن شاء الله، فالأحسن أن يقول: لا أعلم لي بينة. قوله: «أعلمه الحاكم أن له اليمين على خصمه على صفة جوابه» لا على حسب دعوى المدعي، فإذا لم يكن لك بينة وأنكر المدعى عليه نقول: إن لك اليمين على خصمك على صفة جوابه، لا على ما ادعيت، فمثلاً إذا قال: أدعي بمائة، وقال الخصم: إنه لا يستحق عليَّ إلا خمسين فكيف يحلف؟ يقول: والله لا يستحق عليَّ إلا خمسين، ولا حاجة إلى أن يقول: والله لا يطلبني مائةً؛ لأنه ما يُلزم باليمين إلا على صفة ما أجاب به، فيُحلّف على صفة ما أجاب به، والدليل قول النبي ﷺ: «البينة على المدعي واليمين على من أنكر» (١)، والتعليل أن اليمين في

(١) أخرجه البيهقي (١٠/ ٢٥٢)، وأخرجه الترمذي والدارقطني بلفظ: «البينة على المدعي واليمين على المدعى عليه». وأصله في الصحيحين بدون قوله: «البينة على المدعي».