Is the statement of one person accepted, or is only the statement of two accepted? The apparent meaning of Ahmad's words is that only the statement of two is accepted, for al-Athram narrated from him that it was said to him: "If one of the qafah says: 'He belongs to this one,' and the other says: 'He belongs to that one?'" He replied: "One person is not accepted until two gather, thus becoming two witnesses." So if two of the qafah testify that he belongs to this one, he belongs to him; because it is a statement by which lineage is established, so it resembles testimony. Al-Qadi said: The statement of one is accepted, because it is a legal judgment (hukm), and the statement of one person is accepted in legal judgments. He interpreted Ahmad's words as applying to when the statements of two qafah contradict each other, saying: "If a qa'if disagrees with another, they contradict each other and are both dropped. If two say one thing, and one disagrees with them, then their statement is preferred because they are two witnesses, so their statement is stronger than the statement of one. If the statement of two contradicts the statement of two, the statement of all is dropped. If the statement of two contradicts three or more, it is not prioritized, and all are dropped, just as if one of the two pieces of evidence consisted of two [witnesses], and the other of three [or more]." However, if the qafah attach him to one, then another group of qafah comes and attaches him to another, he remains attached to the first; because the qa'if acts in the capacity of a judge's ruling, and whenever a judge renders a judgment, it is not overturned by someone else's disagreement with him. The same applies if they attach him to one, then return and attach him to someone else; for this reason. If the other person produces evidence that he is his child, he is judged to be his, and the statement of the qa'if is dropped; because it is a substitute, and it is dropped upon the existence of the original, like tayammum (dry ablution) in the presence of water.

Section: If the qafah attach him to a disbeliever or a slave, he is not judged to be a disbeliever or a slave; because freedom and Islam were established for him by the appearance of the abode (dar), and this is not removed by mere resemblance and conjecture, just as it is not removed by the mere claim of an individual. We only accepted the statement of the qa'if regarding lineage due to the necessity of establishing it, and because it does not contradict the apparent status. For this reason, we were content with the mere claim of an individual regarding it, whereas there is no need to establish his servitude or disbelief, and establishing both contradicts the apparent status.

Section: If a person claims the lineage of a foundling (laqit), and his lineage is attached to him due to his exclusivity in the claim...