An Example of Noble Character

A person whose heart is filled with the fear of God finds that fear becomes a guardian over him. He corrects by morning the wrong he committed the evening before. But a person devoid of God’s fear is led only by his ego. He walks the path of pride and stubbornness—until it leads him to Hell. TWO WITNESSES Haji Imdadullah (1817–1899) was one of the revered spiritual elders of Deoband and a distinguished Indian Muslim figure of the Chishti Sufi order. He had a unique approach whenever someone brought a complaint about another person. He would immediately say, “Bring two witnesses.” If they failed to do so, he would drop the matter, saying, “If you cannot produce two witnesses for your claim, then your word has no credibility.” This is exactly the Islamic method. Islam has established the principle of shahadah (witness testimony) as the foundation for verifying claims. If someone makes an accusation, they must support it with reliable evidence. In the case of serious allegations like adultery, four witnesses are required; for other matters, two are sufficient. This is based on the legal principle: al-bayyinatu ‘ala almudda‘i—the burden of proof lies on the one who makes the claim. If the claimant fails to provide such proof, the accusation is to be dismissed as baseless.