What happens to an established lineage if subsequent evidence contradicts it?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Foundlings

Book 30 · Issue 4 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

If a valid expert ascertainment (Qafah) appears later, attributing the child to someone other than the one to whom the child was previously ascribed based on assertion, the prior assertion is nullified. This is because the Qafah is considered stronger than mere assertion. If verifiable evidence supporting another claimant's lineage appears after the initial assertion, that assertion is also voided. Similarly, if an expert ascertainment (Qafah) is found after the child has been attributed to someone, and the Qafah attributes the child to a different person, the prior attribution is invalidated because the Qafah holds greater evidential weight than mere assertion, just as definitive proof invalidates the ruling based on Qafah.