What is the ruling when a witness testifies to an obligation of one thousand, and later, before judgment, states that five hundred of it has already been paid?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Judicial Rulings
Primary text
The testimony is nullified because the initial statement that the entire thousand was owed is contradicted by the subsequent statement that five hundred was paid, rendering the witness's speech contradictory. This differs from a witness retracting the entire amount to five hundred, which is considered a return from the testimony or an admission of error. Ahmad's established position permits accepting the testimony for the remaining five hundred, treating the payment testimony as a withdrawal concerning that portion, similar to retracting the testimony to half the amount.
Supporting text
It is also stated that if the witness makes this statement about payment after the session or after a judgment has been passed regarding the thousand, the testimony regarding the payment is not accepted because the obligation of the thousand has already been established and ruled upon, and establishing payment requires more than one witness.