Evidence on the claimant

Arabic

لَوْ يُعْطَى النَّاسُ بِدَعْوَاهُمْ لَادَّعَى نَاسٌ دِمَاءَ رِجَالٍ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ، وَلَكِنَّ الْبَيِّنَةَ عَلَى الْمُدَّعِي وَالْيَمِينَ عَلَى مَنْ أَنْكَرَ.

Translation

If people were given what they claimed, some would claim the blood and wealth of others. But the burden of proof is on the claimant, and the oath is on the one who denies.

Narrator

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās

Source

Bayhaqī

Commentary

The evidentiary spine of Islamic procedure. A claim without proof is only a feeling; a denial under oath holds until proof is produced. Nawawī includes this to remind us that justice is procedural, not emotional.