Likewise, it is forbidden for the judge to accept a gift from anyone who was not in the habit of giving him gifts before he assumed his post. The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said, “Gifts to public officials are misappropriated spoils,” reported by Ahmad. Accepting a present from someone who never used to give him gifts is simply a means for that person to secure a favorable judgment.

It is disliked for the judge to buy and sell openly; he should do so only through an agent whose connection to him is unknown, lest he be shown preferential treatment—for commercial transactions can serve the same function as gifts.

A judge must not rule in his own case, nor in favor of anyone whose testimony on his behalf would be inadmissible, such as his father, son, or wife; nor should he adjudicate a case involving his enemy, for partiality is suspected in all these situations. Whenever a lawsuit concerns him personally or someone whose testimony for him would be rejected, he must refer it to another judge. Thus ʿUmar litigated with Ubayy before Zayd ibn Thābit; ʿAlī took an Iraqi man before Shurayḥ; and ʿUthmān referred a dispute with Ṭalḥah to Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim—may Allah be pleased with them all.

It is recommended that the judge give priority to cases whose circumstances demand swift resolution: the cases of prisoners, of minors among orphans and the mentally incapacitated, and then the cases of endowments and bequests that have no appointed overseer.

A judicial ruling is not to be overturned unless it conflicts with the Quran and the Sunnah, or with a matter of incontrovertible consensus. Any decision that falls into this category must be annulled because it opposes the Book, the Sunnah, or the consensus.

From this brief survey of judicial etiquette, it becomes clear that the justice of the