The ruling on relying on a single midwife

Question : And is one person sufficient? There are two views on this. The first is that one is sufficient, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted the statement of a single midwife, and because she is in the position of a judge; the judge must exert his effort and rule. The second view is that two are required, because this is a ruling based on resemblance and physical appearance, so one person is not accepted, just as a ruling based on resemblance is not accepted from one person in the case of the penalty for hunting.

Answer : The apparent view is that one person is sufficient, and the correct view is that one person is sufficient, because this is a ruling and not a testimony. She does not say, “I testify that this child was born on the bed of so-and-so,” but rather, based on her experience, she rules that he is the son of so-and-so.