Tafsir Ibn Abbas: Al-Maaida, Ayah 106
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Other Scholars on This Ayah
Tafsir
O you who believe let testimony between you when death that is one of its causes draws near to one of you at the time of a bequest be that of two men of justice among you ithnāni dhawā ‘adlin minkum ‘two men of justice among you’ is the predicate expressed with the sense of an imperative in other words ‘let two men bear witness … etc.’; the genitive annexation of shahāda ‘testimony’ and bayn ‘between’ is meant to allow for a range of alternatives; hīn ‘at the time of’ is a substitute for idhā ‘when’ or an adverbial qualifier of time for the verb hadara ‘draws near’; or of two others from another folk that is from other than your own religious community if you are travelling in the land and the affliction of death befalls you. Then you shall empanel them you shall detain them tahbisūnahumā ‘you shall empanel them’ is an adjectival qualification of ākharān ‘two others’ after the mid-afternoon prayer and if you are in doubt if you are uncertain about it their testimony they shall swear by God both of them saying ‘We will not sell it our testimony in swearing by God for any price for any compensation that we might take in exchange for it from this world neither by swearing by Him falsely nor by testifying falsely for the sake of that price; even if he the person before whom it is being sworn or the one for whose sake testimony is being given be a near kinsman a close relative of ours nor will we hide testimony to God which He has commanded us to give for then if we were to hide it we would surely be among the sinful’.
Related Hadiths
from Tamim Ad-Dari, regarding this Ayah: O you who believe! When death approaches any of you then take the testimony (5:106). He said: "The people are innocent of it, other than myself and 'Adi bin Ba...
A man from Banu Sahm went out with Tamim ad-Dari and Adi ibn Badda'. The man of Banu Sahm died in the land where no Muslim was present. When they returned with his inheritance, they (the heirs) did no...
"A man from Banu Sahm went out with Tamim Ad-Dari and 'Adi bin Badda. The Sahmi man died in a land in which there were no Muslims. When they arrived with what he left behind, they searched for a bowl ...
A Muslim was about to die at Daquqa', but he did not find any Muslim to call him for witness to his will. So he called two men of the people of the Book for witness. Then they came to Kufah, and appro...
Ibn 'Abbas (ra) said, "A man from the tribe of Bani Sahm went out in the company of Tamim Ad-Dari and 'Adi bin Badda'. The man of Bani Sahm died in a land where there was no Muslim. When Tamim and 'Ad...
He who took an oath in order to entitle himself (to the possession) of a property, whereas he is a liar, would meet Allah in a state that He would be very much angry with him. Then the remaining part ...
I came to Medina when an epidemic had broken out. While I was sitting with `Umar bin Al-Khattab a funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. `Umar said, "It has been affirmed t...
`Abdullah bin Masud said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Whoever takes an oath when asked to do so, in which he may deprive a Muslim of his property unlawfully, will meet Allah Who will be angry with ...
He who perjured with a view to appropriating the property of a Muslim, and he is in fact a liar and would meet Allah in a state that He would be angry with him. He (the narrator) said: There came Ash'...
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who swears an oath in which he tells a lie to take the property of a Muslim by unfair means, will meet Allah while He is angry with him. Al-Ash'ath said: I s...
Ibn Abbas Commentary
(O ye who believe! Let there be witnesses between you) in settlement or upon travelling (when death draweth nigh unto one of you, at the time of bequest) of the dead person (two witnesses) should testify, just men from among you) two free men; it is also said: two of your own people, (or two others from another tribe) who adhere to your religion, as it is said that this means: two people from outside your own people. Then, leaving the question in the case of settlement, Allah mentioned the same question in the case of travelling, saying: (in case you are campaigning in the land) if you are out in the land or travelling (and the calamity of death befall you). This verse was revealed about three men who travelled together for trade to Historic Syria. On the way, one of them, Budayl Ibn Abi Mariyah, a client of 'Amr Ibn al-'As, who was a Muslim, died. But before he died, he requested his two companions, 'Adiyy Ibn Bida' and Tamim Ibn Aws al-Dari, who were Christians, to hand over his property to his people. They however betrayed his testament. So Allah said to the custodians of the deceased person: (You shall empanel them both) the two Christians (after the prayer) of 'Asr, (and, if ye doubt) O custodian of the deceased person that they gave back less than the deceased person had with him, (they shall be made to swear by Allah (saying): We will not take a bribe) let them say: we will not exchange our oath for a paltry portion of this world, (even though it were (on behalf of) a near kinsman) even if the deceased person is one of our kinsmen (nor will we hide the testimony of Allah) let them also say: we will not withhold our testimony, if asked, (for then) for if we withhold our testimony (indeed we should be of the sinful) i.e. of the wrong-doers.