Question: One of my friends asked me to testify with him in court regarding the issuance of a title deed for his house. I went with him to the court, and when I arrived before the judge, I was surprised to find that the witnesses who had testified before me, They said in their testimony: stated that the owner of the house has owned it for sixteen years, whereas he has only owned it for six years. At that time, I was in a difficult position, as I did not want to deny their testimony, so I agreed to the matter of the deed and testified to the validity of the first witnesses' testimony. Is this testimony considered false, and what is its expiation? Please note that there is no one contesting the claim to the house of the applicant for the deed; the house is indeed his property, and the only difference is regarding the duration of ownership. Please inform us, may Allah reward you. Answer: You made a mistake in this action, as you did not clarify the truth in the testimony, and you agreed with them while knowing their error. This is considered false testimony, and it is obligatory for you to clarify, Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, says: يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice [Al-Ma'idah 5:8] [Al-Ma'idah: 8] , And He, the Exalted, says: كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِنْ يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَى بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَى أَنْ تَعْدِلُوا وَإِنْ تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted. [An-Nisa 4:135] [An-Nisa: 135] , so it is obligatory for you to clarify the truth in this situation. As for what has already happened as you described, what is obligatory for you is to go to the judge through whom this documentation was carried out and inform him of the truth, so that he may rectify what occurred based on this testimony. This is what is obligatory for you.

False Testimony

Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan

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Question: One of my friends asked me to testify with him in court regarding the issuance of a title deed for his house. I went with him to the court, and when I arrived before the judge, I was surprised to find that the witnesses who had testified before me,They said in their testimony: stated that the owner of the house has owned it for sixteen years, whereas he has only owned it for six years. At that time, I was in a difficult position, as I did not want to deny their testimony, so I agreed to the matter of the deed and testified to the validity of the first witnesses' testimony. Is this testimony considered false, and what is its expiation? Please note that there is no one contesting the claim to the house of the applicant for the deed; the house is indeed his property, and the only difference is regarding the duration of ownership. Please inform us, may Allah reward you.

Answer: You made a mistake in this action, as you did not clarify the truth in the testimony, and you agreed with them while knowing their error. This is considered false testimony, and it is obligatory for you to clarify,Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, says:

O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ

[Al-Ma'idah: 8] ,And He, the Exalted, says:

be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.

كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِنْ يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَى بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَى أَنْ تَعْدِلُوا وَإِنْ تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا

[An-Nisa: 135] , so it is obligatory for you to clarify the truth in this situation.
As for what has already happened as you described, what is obligatory for you is to go to the judge through whom this documentation was carried out and inform him of the truth, so that he may rectify what occurred based on this testimony. This is what is obligatory for you.

Source shamela.ws

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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