Whoever is to be entrusted with the judiciary must, as far as possible, possess ten qualities:
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Legal competence—that is, he must be an adult of sound mind—for one who lacks competence is himself under another’s guardianship and therefore cannot be placed in authority over others.
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Masculinity, on the basis of the Prophet’s saying, “A people who entrust their affairs to a woman will never prosper.”
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Freedom, because a slave is preoccupied with the obligations he owes his master.
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Islam, since being Muslim is a prerequisite for uprightness, and the law seeks to humble the unbelievers; appointing one of them as a judge would confer honor and esteem upon him.
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Uprightness (‘adl); a flagrant sinner may not be appointed, for Allah says, “O you who believe! If a wicked man comes to you with a report, verify it” (Qur’an 49:6). If his report is inadmissible, his judgment is even more so.
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The ability to hear, because a deaf person cannot listen to the arguments of the litigants.
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The ability to see, for a blind person cannot distinguish the claimant from the defendant.
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah said: “By the correct analogy of the school, his appointment is permissible just as his testimony is, for all that he lacks is the ability to identify the litigant by sight, and that is not required. He may rule on the basis of a description, as David judged between the two disputants. It could even be argued that the appointment is valid without restriction, for he may recognize witnesses and litigants by their names just as he grasps the meanings of their words in…"