What is the minimum amount legally obligatory when someone admits 'I owe him dirhams' (dirahim)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Acknowledgment of Rights
Primary text
When a person states, 'I owe him dirhams' (lahu 'alayya dirahim), the minimum required obligation is three dirhams. This is because three is the minimum number that constitutes a plural (*ajm'a al-qillah*). This ruling is held by Al-Shafi'i.
Supporting text
If the statement includes an adjective such as 'many' (*kathir*), 'abundant' (*wafirah*), or 'great' (*azimah*), the obligation remains three dirhams because 'manyness' has no specific legal or linguistic limit and varies according to context and people's situations. The possibility that the confessor meant 'many' relative to a lower amount or 'many' in his own estimation prevents imposing an obligation beyond the minimum.