Chapter: Retracting Testimony
If the witnesses withdraw their testimony before judgment is issued on its basis, the testimony falls and no ruling is rendered. However, if the judge has already ruled on their testimony and they then retract, the judgment is not annulled; instead, the witnesses must compensate for whatever loss their testimony has caused. A retraction is valid only in the judge’s presence.

When two witnesses testify to a financial claim, the judge rules accordingly, and the pair later retract, they are liable for the entire amount in dispute; if only one of them retracts, he is liable for one-half.

If three witnesses testify to a monetary claim and one retracts, he bears no liability, because the remaining two still establish the proof. Should a second witness retract, the two who retracted together are liable for one-half of the claim.

If the evidence consists of one man and two women, and one woman retracts, she is liable for one-quarter of the right; if both women retract, the two of them are jointly liable for one-half.

If one man and ten women testify, and eight women retract, none of them is liable. If yet another woman retracts, the women collectively owe one-quarter of the claim. If both the man and the women all retract: according to Abu Ḥanīfah, the man is liable for one-sixth and the women for five-sixths; Abu Yūsuf and Muḥammad rule that the man and the women each bear one-half.

If two witnesses testify that a woman married for a mahr equal to the customary dower of her peers and then retract, they incur no liability; the same applies if they testify that a man married a woman for the customary amount. But if they had testified to a mahr exceeding the norm and later retract, they are liable for the excess.

If they testify to a sale at the going market price—or higher—and then retract, they are not liable; but if they had testified to a price below market value and later retract, they must make up the difference.

If they testify that a man divorced his wife before consummation and later retract, they are liable for one-half.