—namely, the three. If the claimant produces no evidence, the suit is not admissible against them.

4. Our jurists state that a lawsuit is valid only when it is precisely framed, for the ruling is built upon it. For this reason the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I only judge according to what I hear” (al-Bukhari 6967; Muslim 1713).

The object of the claim must also be clearly identified so that enforcement becomes possible once the right is established. Moreover, the claim must be free of anything that customarily refutes it; one may not, for example, allege that someone committed murder or theft twenty years ago when he was not yet of age at the time. It is likewise unnecessary to mention the cause of entitlement to a particular property or debt, because the causes are many and may be unknown to the claimant.

5. Al-Rawḍ and similar works add: If the dispute concerns a marriage contract, a sale, or another agreement such as a lease, its stipulations must be specified, for people differ over contractual conditions. The judge might deem the contract invalid, and he cannot rule on its validity while unaware of its terms.