Why Was the Testimony of Khuzaymah ibn Thābit al-Anṣārī رضي الله عنه Equal to That of Two Men?
Source: Fatāwā Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
❖ Question:
Why was the testimony of Khuzaymah ibn Thābit al-Anṣārī رضي الله عنه regarded as equal to the testimony of two men?
❖ Answer:
The testimony of Khuzaymah رضي الله عنه was made equal to that of two men due to a specific incident, as narrated by ʿAmmārah ibn Khuzaymah رضي الله عنه from his uncle (a Companion):
✿ The Incident
The Prophet ﷺ purchased a horse from a Bedouin. The Prophet ﷺ brought the horse along to pay its price. He walked quickly while the Bedouin lagged behind. Some people approached the Bedouin, bargaining with him for the horse, not realizing that the Prophet ﷺ had already purchased it.
The Bedouin then called out to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “If you have bought this horse, then complete the purchase, otherwise I will sell it.”
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Did I not buy it from you?” The Bedouin replied: “No, by Allah, I did not sell it to you.”
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, I have bought it from you.” The Bedouin demanded: “Bring a witness.”
At that moment, Khuzaymah ibn Thābit رضي الله عنه said: “I bear witness that you have indeed purchased it.”
The Prophet ﷺ turned to him and asked: “On what basis do you testify?” He replied: “Because I believe you, O Messenger of Allah!”
So the Prophet ﷺ decreed that the testimony of Khuzaymah رضي الله عنه would be equal to the testimony of two men.
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 3607 – chain authentic. Al-Ḥākim declared it ṣaḥīḥ al-isnād, and al-Dhahabī agreed. It is also found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2807)
Conclusion:Khuzaymah رضي الله عنه’s testimony was given the weight of two men because of his unique reasoning — he bore witness not by sight, but by his absolute trust in the truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ. This special ruling was exclusive to him.
