Is a claimant's assertion of having dependents accepted without proof when seeking aid?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Deposits
Primary text
When a person claims to have dependents, Al-Qadi and Abu Al-Khattab rule that this claim is accepted, and aid is granted for the dependents, similar to accepting a claim of personal need. This ruling is established based on the principle of granting aid in cases of declared need.
Supporting text
Ibn Aqil holds that the claim regarding dependents is not accepted unless supported by evidence, as the default presumption is the absence of dependents, and proof for this is not inherently impossible to provide. This differs from claiming lack of earnings, where the claim aligns with the default (absence of earnings/wealth) and proof is difficult for the claimant.