Community
Hadith 33 of 42
Title
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.