Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (179)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

4:135: “O you who believe, stand firm for justice as witnesses for Allah, even against yourselves.” Thus, a person’s testimony against himself is his admission against himself.

In the authentic hadith recounting the story of Mā‘iz: “When he had testified against himself four times, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had him stoned.”

Allah Most High says:

7:37: “They said, ‘We testify against ourselves.’ The life of this world deceived them, and they testified against themselves that they had been disbelievers.”

These and many more examples show that, for a witness’s testimony to be accepted before a judge or anyone else, he need not use an explicit formula of testimony. This is the position of Mālik and the people of Medina, and the apparent meaning of Ahmad’s words. None of the Companions or Successors is known to have stipulated this requirement.

Ibn ‘Abbās said: “Trustworthy men testified before me—the most trustworthy of them in my estimation being ‘Umar—that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade prayer after the dawn prayer until sunrise, and after the afternoon prayer until sunset.”

It is well known that they did not use an explicit formula of testimony. Likewise, when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, testified that the ten would be in Paradise, he did not use an explicit formula of testimony. Rather, he said: “Abū Bakr is in Paradise, ‘Umar is in Paradise, ‘Uthmān is in Paradise, and ‘Alī is in Paradise”—the hadith continues.

Muslims unanimously agree that when a disbeliever says, “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” he has entered Islam and borne true testimony. His entry into Islam does not depend on using an explicit formula of testimony. He is included in the Prophet’s words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Until they testify that there is no god but Allah.” In another wording: “Until they say, ‘There is no god but Allah.’” «1»

This shows that their saying, “There is no god but Allah,” constitutes testimony on their part. The supporting examples in the Quran and Sunnah are too numerous to list. Those who stipulate an explicit formula of testimony therefore have no evidence on which to rely. And Allah knows best.

As for the level of making things known and conveying information, it takes two forms: through words and through actions.

(1) Cited by al-Tirmidhī from Abū Hurayra: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say, ‘There is no god but Allah’…” Nos. 2606 and 2607. Also reported by al-Hākim in al-Mustadrak, 1/387 and 2/522.

٤: ١٣٥ يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ، شُهَداءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلى أَنْفُسِكُمْ. فشهادة المرء على نفسه: هي إقرار المرء على نفسه. وفي الحديث الصحيح في قصة ما عز «فلما شهد على نفسه أربع مرات رجمه رسول الله ﷺ» وقال تعالى: ٧: ٣٧الُوا: شَهِدْنا عَلى أَنْفُسِنا، وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا. وَشَهِدُوا عَلى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كانُوا كافِرِينَ. وهذا وأضعافه يدل على أن الشاهد عند الحاكم وغيره لا يشترط في قبول شهادته أن يتلفظ بلفظ الشهادة، كما هو مذهب مالك وأهل المدينة، وظاهر كلام أحمد. ولا يعرف عن أحد من الصحابة والتابعين اشتراط ذلك. وقد قال ابن عباس: «شهد عندي رجال مرضيّون- وأرضاهم عندي عمر- أن رسول الله ﷺ نهى عن الصلاة بعد صلاة الصبح حتى تطلع الشمس، وبعد العصر حتى تغرب الشمس» ومعلوم أنهم لم يتلفظوا بلفظ الشهادة، والعشرة الذين شهد لهم رسول الله ﷺ وسلم بالجنة: لم يتلفظ في شهادته لهم بلفظ الشهادة، بل قال: «أبو بكر في الجنة، وعمر في الجنة، وعثمان في الجنة، وعلي في الجنة- الحديث» . وأجمع المسلمون على أن الكافر إذا قال: «لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله» فقد دخل في الإسلام، وشهد شهادة الحق، ولم يتوقف إسلامه على لفظ الشهادة. وقد دخل في قوله ﷺ: «حتى يشهدوا: أن لا إله إلا الله» وفي اللفظ الآخر: «حتى يقولوا: لا إله إلا الله» «١» فدل على أن قولهم: «لا إله إلا الله» شهادة منهم، وهذا أكثر من أن تذكر شواهده في الكتاب والسنة. فليس مع من اشترط لفظ الشهادة دليل يعتمد عليه. والله أعلم. وأما مرتبة الإعلام والإخبار: فنوعان: إعلام بالقول، وإعلام بالفعل.

(١) أورده الترمذي عن أبي هريرة: «أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يقولوا لا إله إلّا الله..» الحديث. برقم ٢٦٠٦ و ٢٦٠٧. وأخرجه الحاكم في المستدرك ١/ ٣٨٧ و ٢/ ٥٢٢.