What are the requirements for accepting testimony regarding character ('ta'deel)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Judiciary
Primary text
Acceptance of character testimony ('ta'deel) requires the testimony to come from those possessing deep, internal knowledge and established long-term familiarity. This is the position of Al-Shafi'i. The evidence provided is the narration concerning 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and the reasoning is that people customarily display righteousness outwardly while concealing sins; thus, without internal expertise, one might be deceived by an outwardly good appearance when the person is inwardly sinful.
Supporting text
There are two interpretations of this requirement: first, that a judge should reject the testimony if the judge knows the witness lacks internal expertise, as 'Umar (RA) did. Second, it means that a witness is not permitted to testify to another's uprightness unless the witness himself possesses internal expertise.