موطا امام مالك رواية يحييٰ
Muwatta Imam Malik (Riwayat Yahya)
كتاب القسامةBook: On the Explanation of Qasamah (Oath in Murder Cases)
بَابُ تَبْدِئَةِ أَهْلِ الدَّمِ فِي الْقَسَامَةِChapter on giving precedence to the family of the victim in qasamah (oath procedure)
Hadith 1539B5
قَالَ مَالِكٌ : فِي الْقَوْمِ يَكُونُ لَهُمُ الْعَدَدُ يُتَّهَمُونَ بِالدَّمِ فَيَرُدُّ وُلَاةُ الْمَقْتُولِ الْأَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَهُمْ نَفَرٌ لَهُمْ عَدَدٌ أَنَّهُ يَحْلِفُ كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا، وَلَا تُقْطَعُ الْأَيْمَانُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِقَدْرِ عَدَدِهِمْ، وَلَا يَبْرَءُونَ دُونَ أَنْ يَحْلِفَ كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا. قَالَ مَالِكٌ : وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ مَا سَمِعْتُ فِي ذَلِكَ. ¤
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that in cases of blood (murder), fifty oaths are taken, and in claims, one oath is taken, because bloodshed is not committed in front of people but in solitude. So if in qasamah (oath-taking in murder cases) things were handled only by testimony as in other claims, then many cases of bloodshed would go to waste, and people would become more daring in committing murder when they learned the ruling. But qasamah was first placed in favor of the heirs of the murdered person, so that people would refrain from bloodshed and fear, knowing that in this matter only the statement of the murdered person’s heirs is sufficient.
