1221 – Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a man, “Do you see the sun?” He answered, “Yes.” The Prophet replied, “Then testify with clarity equal to that—or else refrain.” Recorded by Ibn ʿAdiyy with a weak chain; al-Ḥākim declared it sound, and he was mistaken (1).
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Degree of authenticity:
Its chain of transmission is weak.
Al-Albānī said: It was reported by al-ʿUqaylī, Ibn ʿAdiyy, al-Ḥākim, and al-Bayhaqī through the route of Muḥammad ibn Masmūl.
Al-ʿUqaylī and Ibn ʿAdiyy remarked, “It is known only through Ibn Masmūl,” and al-Ḥumaydī spoke critically of him. Al-Ḥākim, however, maintained that its chain is sound, a judgment refuted by al-Dhahabī, who said, “I say: it is weak; ʿAmr ibn Mālik al-Baṣrī used to steal ḥadith, and Ibn Masmūl has been declared weak by several scholars.”
Al-Ḥāfiẓ (Ibn Ḥajar) added: “Al-Ḥākim graded it sound, and he erred.”
Points derived from the ḥadith:
- The term shahādah (testimony) is derived from mushāhadah (direct witnessing); a witness informs of what he has observed, and such testimony is a Sharʿī proof that manifests the truth.
• Accordingly, a witness must possess certain knowledge—either by sight or by hearing—of the matter to which he testifies. Visual observation pertains to deeds, such as murder, usurpation, or theft.
• Hearing is of two kinds:
a) Hearing from the very person about whom the testimony is given, as in divorce, discharge of liability, contracts, and the like.
b) Hearing by widespread attestation (istifāḍah) regarding matters that are usually difficult to know directly, such as lineage, death, marriage (both the initial contract and its continuance), divorce, and the conditions of an endowment.