A Reflection on the Validity or Invalidity of Presenting a Supplementary Oath for the Testimony (Subject of Note to Article 209 of the Islamic Penal Code, the Final Part of Clause B of Article 230, and Note to Article 277 of the Code of Civil Procedure for Public and Revolutionary Courts)

فقه و اصول (Fiqh va uṣūl)

Article 3, Volume 56, Issue 4 - Serial Number 139, February 2025, Pages 67-88   

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/jfiqh.2023.83115.1602

Authors

Sediqeh Hatami^{* 1}; Taher Ali Mohammadi²

¹Assistant Professor, department of Jurisprudence and Foundations of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

²Associate Professor, department of Jurisprudence and Foundations of Islamic Law, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

Abstract

Imāmī jurists agree on the legitimacy of resolving disputes and proving financial claims according to the evidence of “one witness and one oath”. However, they do not agree on the necessity of maintaining the sequence of presenting testimony and taking the oath. Imāmī jurists have predominantly accepted the necessity of maintaining sequence, while some others, particularly contemporary jurists, have accepted the theory of non-necessity of maintaining sequence.  The legislator has followed the prevalent theory in the Note to Article 209 of the Islamic Penal Code, the final part of Clause B of Article 230, and the Note to Article 277 of the Civil Procedure Code. The present study investigates this subject using a descriptive-analytical method, explaining each opinion and analyzing its evidence. It is concluded that “non-necessity of sequence” is the preferred theory, based on the inadequacy of the arguments for the prevalent opinion and considering the verbal generality of hadiths and other proofs.

Keywords

prioritizing the oath (Taqdīm-i yamīn); prioritizing testimony (Taqdīm-i shahadat); sole witness; plainfitt’s oath; proving financial claims

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