How is the character of a witness verified through inquiry (*ta'deel* and *tajreeh*)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Judiciary
Primary text
When the appointed inquirers return their findings, if two of them testify to the witness's justice (*ta'deel*), the original testimony is accepted. If two testify to their being flawed (*tajreeh*), the testimony is rejected. If one testifies to justice and the other to flaw, further inquirers must be sent. If the subsequent pair agrees on justice, the initial flaw is dismissed. If they agree on flaw, the testimony is rejected. If the second pair disagrees (one justice, one flaw), both reports are established, and the negative report (*tajreeh*) takes precedence. Both affirmation (*ta'deel*) and rebuttal (*tajreeh*) require the testimony of two persons, and the reports of the appointed inquirers are accepted.
Supporting text
An alternative view holds that only the testimony of the appointed inquirers is accepted, and two of them must formally testify under the standard conditions of testimony, viewing the initial inquiry as testimony upon testimony (*shahada 'ala shahada*) while the original witnesses are present. The primary view counters this by defining the inquiry as testimony of widespread knowledge (*shahadat istifadah*), not testimony upon testimony, which necessitates only one person for confirmation, similar to other reports of widespread knowledge, thereby avoiding undue burden on the witness.