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Bayhaqi Q20513 — The command to take witnesses

قَالَ اللهُ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ {وَأَشْهِدُوا إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ} [البقرة: 282]، قَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ: " الَّذِي يُشْبِهُ، وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ، وَإِيَّاهُ أَسْأَلُ التَّوْفِيقَ، أَنْ يَكُونَ أَمْرُهُ بِالْإِشْهَادِ عِنْدَ الْبَيْعِ دَلَالَةً عَلَى مَا فِيهِ الْحَظُّ بِالشَّهَادَةِ، لَا حَتْمًا، وَاحْتَجَّ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى فِي آيَةِ الدَّيْنِ، وَالدَّيْنُ تَبَايُعٌ: {فَاكْتُبُوهُ} [البقرة: 282]، ثُمَّ قَالَ: {وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا كَاتِبًا فَرِهَانٌ مَقْبُوضَةٌ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا فَلْيُؤَدِّ الَّذِي اؤْتُمِنَ أَمَانَتَهُ} [البقرة: 283]، فَلَمَّا أَمَرَ إِذَا لَمْ يَجِدُوا كَاتِبًا بِالرَّهْنِ ثُمَّ أَبَاحَ تَرْكَ الرَّهْنِ دَلَّ عَلَى أَنَّ الْأَمْرَ الْأَوَّلَ دَلَالَةٌ عَلَى الْحَظِّ، لَا فَرْضًا مِنْهُ، يَعْصِي مَنْ تَرَكَهُ، وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ..
Allah, exalted be His praise, says: "And take witnesses when you conclude a sale." [Surah al-Baqarah: 282]
Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What seems most fitting, and Allah knows best, and I ask Him alone for success, is that His command to take witnesses at the time of sale is guidance towards the benefit that lies in testimony, not a binding obligation."
And he argued from the words of Allah Almighty in the verse of debt, and debt is also (a kind of) sale: "Then write it down." [Surah al-Baqarah: 282]
Then He said: "And if you are on a journey and do not find a scribe, then a pledge taken into possession (suffices). And if one of you entrusts another, then let the one who is entrusted discharge his trust." [Surah al-Baqarah: 283]
(Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:) "So when Allah Almighty commanded that, if they do not find a scribe, they should take a pledge, and then permitted leaving the pledge, this shows that the first command (too) is guidance towards benefit, not an obligation from Him whose neglecter is sinful, and Allah knows best."
Hadith Reference السنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب آداب القاضي / Q20513