and if he says, “It was not my property, but I acquired it later,” and then produces evidence, that evidence is accepted—unless he had previously acknowledged that it was his property or that he had already received¹ the price of that property², in which case his plea is rejected.

Section

If a man says, “I owe him something,” or “such-and-such,” he is told, “Clarify what you mean.” If he refuses, he is detained until he does so. Should he explain that it concerns a right of pre-emption (shufʿa) or even the least ascertainable amount of wealth³, his clarification is accepted. If, however, he defines it as carrion, wine, or something worthless like a walnut shell, it is not accepted. It is accepted, though, if he specifies a dog whose use is lawful⁴ or the prescribed penalty for slander. If he states, “I owe him one thousand,” determination of the kind of thousand reverts to his own explanation; whether he defines it as a single category or several categories, his clarification is accepted.

If he says, “I owe him between one dirham and ten,” he is liable for eight. If he says, “between one dirham to ten,” or “from one dirham to ten,” he is liable for nine. And if he says, “I owe him a dirham or a dinar,” he is liable for either one of them⁶.

If he says, “I owe him dates in a sack,” “a knife in a sheath,” “a gem in a ring,” and the like⁷, he is deemed to have acknowledged only the first item. Allah knows best⁸.