Accepting the testimony of people who commit sins when necessary
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, some sins have become widespread, such as shaving the beard, letting the garment hang below the ankles, smoking, and others. If the testimony of these people is rejected, it may cause harm to people. So, should there be leniency in accepting their testimony?
Answer:
Yes, every era is judged by its own standards. The testimony of the most righteous is accepted, then the next most righteous. If only one type of person were accepted, such as the Companions or the blessed generations, people’s rights would be lost. But the most righteous, then the next, in every era according to its circumstances. The testimony of the most just of the open sinners is accepted when there is no one else, and the testimony of open sinners against one another is accepted according to need, meaning dire necessity, so that rights are not lost. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, some sins have become widespread, such as shaving the beard, letting the garment hang below the ankles, smoking, and others. If the testimony of these people is rejected, it may cause harm to people. So, should there be leniency in accepting their testimony?
Answer:
Yes, every era is judged by its own standards. The testimony of the most righteous is accepted, then the next most righteous. If only one type of person were accepted, such as the Companions or the blessed generations, people’s rights would be lost. But the most righteous, then the next, in every era according to its circumstances. The testimony of the most just of the open sinners is accepted when there is no one else, and the testimony of open sinners against one another is accepted according to need, meaning dire necessity, so that rights are not lost. Yes.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، باب الشهادات — islamhouse.com (42:17)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.