What is the legal obligation when a debtor states, 'Katha wa Katha' (such and such and such) followed by a specific number, 'Dirhaman' (dirhams, accusative)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Acknowledgment of Rights
Primary text
If the debtor states, 'Katha wa katha dirhaman' (such and such and such dirhams), he is obligated to pay twenty-one dirhams. This is considered the minimum composite number formed by conjunction that can be interpreted by a single accusative noun. This interpretation is attributed to Muhammad bin Al-Hasan.
Supporting text
Abu Al-Hasan Al-Tamimi holds that two dirhams are obligatory when the structure is 'Katha Dirhaman' if it implies two distinct statements, where the specification refers back to each statement individually, similar to 'twenty dirhams' referring to the twenty. A third view suggests the amount is more than one dirham, where the interpretation applies only to the subsequent 'katha', leaving the first 'katha' ambiguous.