The Refusal of the Fourth Witness in the Testimony of Zina
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Does the fourth witness in the testimony of zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) commit a sin if he refuses to testify because it will result in the punishment of the three other witnesses?
Answer:
Yes, he is not required to testify. The hudud (fixed Qur'anic punishments) are established against the three, specifically the hadd for qadhf (falsely accusing someone of zina), and he is not required to testify. The Lawgiver covers up sins; the Lawgiver asks people to cover up the sins of others.
Does the fourth witness in the testimony of zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) commit a sin if he refuses to testify because it will result in the punishment of the three other witnesses?
Answer:
Yes, he is not required to testify. The hudud (fixed Qur'anic punishments) are established against the three, specifically the hadd for qadhf (falsely accusing someone of zina), and he is not required to testify. The Lawgiver covers up sins; the Lawgiver asks people to cover up the sins of others.
Source
أخصر المختصرات في الفقه الحنبلي [42] — alfawzan.live (42:18)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.