Chapter: The Testimony of Women

1. A woman’s testimony is inadmissible in ḥudūd (criminal penalties), in matters of marriage, divorce, resumption of marital life, manumission, clientage (walāʾ), lineage, and—in general—anything other than financial cases such as debts, inheritance, leases, gifts, and charitable donations.

2. In financial matters, a woman’s testimony is accepted only alongside that of men, on condition that two women accompany each male witness.

3. The same ruling applies to agency (wakāla), the compensation for accidental wounds, and wills, provided the will does not involve the emancipation of a slave.

4. Some authorities maintain that women’s testimony is not admissible in agency on behalf of the agent, nor in testamentary cases on behalf of the executor. Rather, it is accepted on behalf of the legatee, not the executor, so long as the bequest contains neither manumission nor an acknowledgment of lineage.

5. Women’s testimony without male corroboration is admissible in matters that men ordinarily cannot observe, such as concealed physical defects.