two men, or one man and two women. Malik said: It is not established except by the acknowledgement of two men, because he attaches lineage to someone else, so the number is considered in it, just as with testimony. Our argument is that it is a right established by acknowledgement, so the number is not considered in it, just like debt. Furthermore, it is a statement in which trustworthiness is not considered, so the number is not considered in it, just like the acknowledgement of the inherited person; considering it akin to testimony is not correct, because neither wording nor trustworthiness is considered in it, and it is invalidated by the acknowledgement of debt (11).

Section on the conditions of acknowledgement of lineage: There are two possibilities: either he acknowledges it for himself alone, or for himself and another. If he acknowledges it for himself, such as acknowledging a child, four conditions are considered for the establishment of his lineage. The first is that the acknowledged person must be of unknown lineage. If he is of known lineage, it is not valid, because he would be severing his established lineage from another, and the Prophet - peace and blessings of God be upon him - cursed whoever affiliates with someone other than his father, or takes guardians other than his own (12). The second is that no one disputes him over it; because if someone else disputes him over it, they conflict, and thus attaching him to one of them is no more appropriate than the other. The third is that his claim must be possible, such that the acknowledged person is