What is the ruling when a debtor says, 'I owe you more than that amount,' after the creditor stated a specific sum?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Acknowledgment of Rights
Primary text
If a creditor states, 'I am owed one thousand dinars by you,' and the debtor replies, 'You are owed more than that by me,' the debtor is not obligated to pay more than the initial stated sum. This is because the word 'more' (akthar) is ambiguous, allowing for interpretations such as the excess being in smaller denominations (fulus), or in grain like wheat or barley, thus referring the interpretation back to the creditor's intent.
Supporting text
This view is deemed distant. The term 'more' is used genuinely in reference to number or measure and refers exclusively to the genus of what it modifies. The Quran uses it strictly in this sense, such as in {They were more numerous than them} (Quran 40:82) and the statements: {I am greater than you in wealth} (Quran 18:34) and {We are greater in wealth and progeny} (Quran 34:35). Confessions are to be taken based on the apparent meaning, not mere general possibility. Hence, if one confesses to owing dirhams, they are obligated to pay the minimum recognized quantity of sound, weighed, current coins.