Dalīl al-Ṭālib - Marʿi al-Karmi - (356)

Chapter on the Impediments to Testimony
They are six:1

That the witness—or any part of him—belongs to the person in whose favour he testifies,2 and the same applies if he is, or once was, that person’s spouse, or if he is one of his descendants, however remote, through sons or daughters, or one of his ancestors, however far back. Testimony is accepted for his other relatives, such as a brother; and whenever a man’s testimony is inadmissible in someone’s favour, it is admissible against him.
That he would, by his testimony, draw a benefit to himself. Accordingly, his testimony is not accepted for his slave or his mukātib (slave under a manumission contract), nor for a person from whom he will inherit concerning a wound before it heals, nor for his partner regarding the property in which they share, nor for his lessee with respect to the subject of the lease.
That he seeks, by it, to avert harm from himself. Thus the testimony of the ʿāqila (the male agnates who pay blood money) to impeach the witnesses of an accidental killing is not accepted, nor the testimony of creditors to impeach the witnesses to a debt against an insolvent debtor, nor the testimony of a guarantor in favour of the one he guaranteed, whether by alleging payment of the debt or its discharge. The testimony of anyone whose evidence is inadmissible in a person’s favour is, however, accepted to impeach a witness against him.
Enmity that is not for the sake of Allah Most High—such as rejoicing at another’s misfortune,3 grieving at his happiness, or wishing him harm. A person’s testimony against his enemy is therefore not accepted, except in the case of a marriage contract.

(1) The same wording occurs in al-Iqnaʿ. Al-Muntaha, however, counts seven impediments and adds one more: “the eagerness to give testimony before a knowledgeable witness is summoned, whether this is prior to or after the lawsuit.” See Hashiyat al-Labbadi, p. 471. (2) In manuscript “A” the verb reads “yashhad” (he testifies). (3) In manuscript “M” the conjunction is “wa” (and) instead of “aw” (or).

باب موانع الشهادة وهي ستة١: أحدها: كون الشاهد أو بعضه ملكا لمن شهد٢ له وكذا لو كان زوجا له ولو في الماضي أو كان من فروعه وإن سفلوا من ولد البنين والبنات أو من أصوله وإن علوا وتقبل لباقي أقاربه: كأخيه وكل من لا تقبل له فإنها تقبل عليه. الثاني: كونه يجر بها نفعا لنفسه فلا تقبل شهادته لرقيقه ومكاتبه ولا لمورثه بجرح قبل اندماله ولا لشريكه فيما هو شريك فيه ولا لمستأجره فيما استأجره فيه. الثالث: أن يدفع بها ضررا عن نفسه: فلا تقبل شهادة العاقلة بجرح شهود قتل الخطأ ولا شهادة الغرماء بجرح شهود دين على مفلس ولا شهادة الضامن لمن ضمنه بقضاء الحق أو الإبراء منه وكل من لا تقبل شهادته له تقبل شهادته بجرح شاهد عليه. الرابع: العداوة لغير الله تعالى: كفرحه بمساءته أو٣غمه لفرحه وطلبه له الشر فلا تقبل شهادته على عدوه إلا في عقد النكاح.

١ وكذا في الإقناع وعدها في المنتهى سبعة فزاد من الموانع: الحرص على أدائها قبل استشهاد من يعلم بها قبل الدعوى أو بعدها. حاشية اللبدي "ص: ٤٧١". ٢ في "أ" "يشهد". ٣ في "م" بالواو, بدل: "أو".