ordered Ma'iz to acknowledge: "O Hazzal, if you had covered him with your garment, it would have been better for you." The companions of al-Shafi'i said: The repentance of such a person is his acknowledgment so that the hadd may be carried out upon him. This is not correct for the reason we have mentioned, and because the essence of repentance is attained without acknowledgment, and it wipes away what preceded it, as has been related in the reports, along with what the verses have indicated regarding the forgiveness of sins through seeking forgiveness and ceasing to persist in sin. As for innovation (bid'ah), repentance from it is by confessing it, turning away from it, and believing in the opposite of what he used to believe from it.

Section: The apparent meaning of the words of Ahmad and al-Khiraqi is that the rectification of deeds is not considered a condition for the establishment of the rulings of repentance, such as the acceptance of testimony and the validity of his guardianship in marriage. This is one of the two opinions of al-Shafi'i. In the other opinion, the rectification of deeds is considered, unless the person's sin was giving testimony for adultery while the number of witnesses was incomplete; for in that case, mere repentance suffices without requiring rectification. As for other sins, repentance does not suffice until a year passes, during which his repentance becomes apparent and his righteousness becomes clear. Abu al-Khattab mentioned this as a narration from Ahmad, because Allah, the Exalted, said: "Except for those who repent after that and correct themselves." This is an explicit text, for He forbade the acceptance of their testimony and then made an exception for the repentant one who corrects himself. Furthermore, when 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, struck Sabigh, he ordered him to be ostracized until his repentance reached him, then he ordered that he not be spoken to except after a year. Our evidence is his (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: "Repentance wipes away what preceded it." And his saying: "The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin." Also, because forgiveness is obtained merely by repentance, and thus the rulings follow suit. Furthermore, repentance from shirk (polytheism) by entering Islam does not require considering what follows it, and it is the greatest of all sins, so what is less than it is more deserving of this rule. As for the verse, it is possible that "rectification" refers to repentance itself.

Section: (And whoever testifies to a testimony that he had previously testified to while he was not upright, and it was rejected, it shall not be accepted from him while he is in a state of uprightness.)

The summary of this is that when a judge hears the testimony of a sinful person and rejects his testimony due to his immorality, then that person repents, rectifies himself, and repeats that testimony, the judge has no right to accept it. This is the position of al-Shafi'i and the scholars of rational deduction (Ashab al-Ra'y). Abu Thawr, al-Muzani, and Dawud said: It is accepted. Ibn al-Mundhir said: Reasoning supports this, because it is the testimony of...