before what he owes has been settled (1), some of their sins will be taken and cast upon him, and then he will be cast into the Fire.” Reported by Muslim. (2)

Allah Most High has said:

“Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds.”

[Surah Hūd: 114]

(* This indicates that even while doing wrong, a person performs good deeds that erase his wrongs (3). Otherwise, if those misdeeds had already been removed through repentance or the like (4), the good deeds would not have removed them. This is not the place for an extensive discussion of the matter.

The point [here (5)] *) (6) is that Allah has made sinfulness a bar to accepting a report (7), but sinfulness does not preclude the performance of every good deed.

Since this is so, and since it has been established by the Book, the Sunnah, and consensus that only people of upright character may be called to testify—while it is sufficient that their uprightness be outwardly evident—then, if uprightness is required for holding office, it is all the more appropriate that its outward manifestation suffice.

It is therefore known that no greater degree of knowledge and uprightness is required for holding office than is required for