Question: Why are two witnesses who are women, equivalent to only one witness who is a man ?


Answer:

It is not true that two female witnesses are always considered as equal to only one male witness. It is true only in certain cases. There are about five verses in the Qur’an that mention witnesses, without specifying male or female. There is only one verse in the Qur’an, that says two female witnesses are equal to one male witness. This verse is Surah Baqarah, chapter 2 verse 282. This is the longest verse in the Qur’an and deals with financial transactions. It says:

"Oh! ye who believe!
When ye deal with each other,
in transactions involving future obligation
in a fixed period of time
reduce them to writing and get two witnesses
out of your own men and if there are not two men,
then a man and two women, such as ye choose,
for witnesses so that if one of them errs
the other can remind her."
[Al-Qur’an 2:282]

This verse of the Qur’an deals only with financial transactions. In such cases, it is advised to make an agreement in writing between the parties and take two witnesses, preferably both of which should be men only. In case you cannot find two men, then one man and two women would suffice.

For instance, suppose a person wants to undergo an operation for a particular ailment. To confirm the treatment, he would prefer taking references from two qualified surgeons. In case he is unable to find two surgeons, his second option would be one surgeon and two general practitioners who are plain MBBS doctors.

Similarly in financial transactions, two men are preferred. Islam expects men to be the breadwinners of their families. Since financial responsibility is shouldered by men, they are expected to be well versed in financial transactions as compared to women. As a second option, the witness can be one man and two women, so that if one of the women errs the other can remind her. The Arabic word used in the Qur’an is ‘Tazil’ which means ‘confused’ or ‘to err’. Many have wrongly translated this word as ‘to forget’. Thus financial transactions constitute the only case in which two female witnesses are equal to one male witness.

However, some scholars are of the opinion that the feminine attitude can also have an effect on the witness in a murder case. In such circumstances a woman is more terrified as compared to a man. Due to her emotional condition she can get confused. Therefore, according to some jurists, even in cases of murder, two female witnesses are equivalent to one male witness. In all other cases, one female witness is equivalent to one male witness. There are about five verses in the Qur’an which speak about witnesses without specifying man or woman.

While making a will of inheritance, two just persons are required as witnesses. In Surah Maidah chapter 5 verse 106, the Glorious Qur’an says:

"Oh you who believe!
When death approaches any of you,
(take) witnesses among yourself when making bequests."
[Al-Qur’an 5:106]

two just persons of your own (brotherhood)
or other from outside if you are journeying
through the earth and the chance of death befalls you."
[Al-Qur’an 65:2]

Two persons endued with justice in case of talaq.

"Four witnesses are required
in case of charge against chaste women,
[Al-Qur’an 24:4]

There are some scholars who are of the opinion that the rule of two female witnesses equal to one male witness should be applied to all the cases. This cannot be agreed upon because one particular verse of the Qur’an from Surah Noor chapter 24, verse 6 clearly equates one female witness and one male witness:

"And those who launch a charge
against their spouses, and have (in support)
no evidence but their own -
their solitary evidence can be received."
[Al-Qur’an 24:6]

Hazrat Ayesha (RA) hadith narrated of one witness

Many jurists agree that even one witness of a woman is sufficient for the sighting of the crescent of the moon. Imagine one woman witness is sufficient for one of the pillars of Islam, i.e. fasting and the whole Muslim community of men and women agree and accept her witness! Some jurists say that one witness is required at the beginning of Ramadaan and two witnesses at the end of Ramadaan. It makes no difference whether the witnesses are men or women.

Some incidents require only female witness and that of a male cannot be accepted. For instance, in dealing with the problems of women, while giving the burial bath i.e. ‘ghusl’ to a woman, the witness has to be a woman.

The seeming inequality of male and female witnesses in financial transactions is not due to any inequality of the s-e-x-e-s in Islam. It is only due to the different natures and roles of men and women in society as envisaged by Islam.

Good balanced opnion



And if the first one dont err then ??

hmmmmmmmm 'gud n valid' point

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (١٨٣)

Al-Baqara

O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you,
even as it was prescribed for those before you,
that ye may ward off (evil); (183)

Allah ka hukm hai k tum rozay rakho takay tum muttaqi ban jawo........ lekin chouNkay Allah k Nabi saw pahlay say hi muttaqi thay lehaza aap saw par rozay farz nah thay. am I rite sir ?

jab Allah aur oska Rasool koi wazah hukm deta hai to kabhi kabhi iss hukm ki wajah bhi bayaan kardeta hai k iss hukm k peechay 'amoomi wajah' yeh hai. lekin iska yeh matlab nahi k jahaaN woh amoomi wajah nah ho, woh hukm kal.adam qarar paaye.

JazakAllah .. very informative

Qayaas ma-al faariq.......... aap ne do mukhtalif cheezon ko ek doosray par qayaas kiya hai jo yakeenan sahi cheez nahin......

Aap ne jis ayat ka hawala diya uss mein ye kahan kaha gaya hai k wohi roza rakhay jis mein taqwa nahin ???
Agar Quran ki ayat hoti k roza rakho AGAR tum mein taqwa nahin hai to phir wo nateeja nikala ja sakta tha jo aap ne example mein pesh kiya.......


Gawahi waali ayat ko phir ghaour se dekhiye........

Quran ne 2 aurton ki wajah ye batayi hai k "AGAR un mein se ek bhool jaye to doosri USSAY yaad dilaye"

Ghaour kijiye ga zara, Yani gawahi ek hi aurat de gi AGAR wo bhool jaye gi to doosri aurat GAWAHI nahin de gi balkeh wo sirf uss pehli aurat ko yaad dihana karwaye gi........ Yani gawahi ek aurat hi de gi........AGAR wo bhooli to doosri aurat gawahi nahin de gi balkeh pehli aurat ko yaad dahani karwaye gi.......

Aap agar khaalistan iss ayat par ghaour karein gay to aap bhi issi nateejay par pouhanchein gay magar pehle se hi ek nazarriya bana kar Quran ko uss nazarriye k taabay rakh kar baat karein gay to apko kabhi ye saamnay ki baat nazar nahin aaye gi

"Jiddat pasandon" ne to maujzaat, shaitaan, mailaika, jinnaat etc jesay masaail par hi taba azmaai ki jis par unko ilzam diya jata hai lekin "Rawayat paraston" ne Quran k ahkaami qawaneen ko hi badal daala......... zyada bara jurm kis ka hua ?? "jiddat pasando" ne unn ayaat k "maani badlay" jinka aam zindagi se kuch zyada taaluk nahin balkeh wo kalami masaail hain, magar "rawayat paraston" ne unn ayaat k "maani badlay" jinka taaluk ahkaam ki ayaat se tha aur jinka barahe raast insani zindagi se taaluk hota hai......... Afsos k jiddat pasando aur rawayat paraston dono ne hi do mukhtalif extremes par jaa kar islam k mutallik faislay kiye aur Quran ki ayaat ka jo wazeh mafhoom tha usko apnay apnay nazarriyaat k taabay kar diya, kisi ne apni aqal k taabay aur kisi ne rawayat k taabay......... aur iss se nuqsan sirf aur sirf Quran ko hua.

Ab ye wajah k mard ki dafa kyun nahin kaha gaya k uskay sath bhi koi jaaye ta k usko yaad dilaye to uski wajah abu adnan k pehle reply mein majood hai k mard financial transaction waghera k mutallik zyada "in" rehta hai iskay ilava aurtein chunke zyada tar adalati chakkron aur mardon se dooor rehti hain to yakeenan wo adalat k waqt gawahi detay huay ghabrain gi, lehaza kaha gaya k apnay sath ek aur aurat ko le jaao, wo aurat gawahi nahin de gi balkeh AGAR gawahi dene wali aurat ghabrai ya kuch bhooli to doosri uski dhaaras bandha kar usko hausla de gi aur yaad dahani karwaye gi k asal waqaya yun hai....... yani wo doosri aurat gawahi k liye nahin bulayi gai balkeh pehli aurat ko confidence dene aaye gi k wo katahray mein akeli kharay ho kar wakeelon k sawalaat se ghabra kar kuch ghalat na keh de pareshani mein....... lehaza doosri aurat bhi sath rahay gi , Quran ne khud wajah batayi hai doosri aurat ki......... Uss wajah se ye nateeja kesay nikalta hai k doosri aurat bhi gawahi k liye bulayi gai hai ???

Yakeenan ye un scholars ki apni soch hai warna Quran ne aisa koi hukam nahin diya.....

Murder case, duniya ka sub se aham aur mashoor murder case unn scholars ko kyun nazar nahin aya jiski wahid gawah ek aurat thi.......

Yani Hazrat Usman(RA) k qatal ki wahid gawah (eye witness) unki biwi Hazrat Naila(RA) thi, uss aik aurat ki gawahi par qasaas ka mutalba kiya gaya aur qasaas ka mutalba karne waalay ya jin se qasaas ka mutalba kiya ja raha tha un mein se kisi ek ne bhi ye daleel nahin pesh ki k janab iss qatal ki to gawahi hi aadhi hai pehle poori gawahi to pesh karo...... Agar waqayi murder case mein aurat ki gawahi aadhi hoti to yakeenan aisa kaha jata lekin kisi ne aisa nahin kaha........

"or gawah bana lo 2 mard apnay mardo'n main say or phir agar 2 mard na ho'n to 1 mard or 2 ortain aise logo'n main say jinhain tum pasand karte ho bataur'ay gawah ta kay agar 1 ghalti karay ot doosri yaad karaye usay"

idhar 2 batain clear hain... 1 to yai k financial transactions main agar 2 mard na milain to 1 mard or 2 ortain gawah banao. and 2ndly k 2 ortain is liye k agar 1 ghalti karay to doosri us ki correction kar lay..

baat abu adnan ki bhi theek hai or daylight ki bhi....lekin mujhe aisa feel hua k daylight kahna chah rahay k gawah sirf 1 orat hi banay gi jabkay doosri ka rols usay theek karna hoga... lekin above aayet main dekhain to saaf likha hai k 1 mard or 2 ortain gawah banao... jab wo dono hi gawah ban gayi'n to phir dono ka rols as a witness treat ho ga kisi 1 ka nahi.....or wo aik doosre ki help bhi karti rahain gi sath sath....