الكافي- ط الاسلامية, volume 7, page 387

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qasaniy all have narrated from al-Qasim ibn Yahya from Sulayman ibn Dawud from Hafs ibn Ghiyath who has narrated the following: “Once a man asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘If I see something in the hand of a man can I testify that it belongs to him?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, you can do so.’ The man then said, ‘I can testify that it is in his hand but how can I testify that it belongs to him, perhaps it belongs to someone else ? 5 He (the Imam) asked, ‘Is it lawful to buy it from him?’ The man replied, ‘Yes, it is lawful to buy it from him.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘It perhaps belongs to someone else; then how it becomes lawful for you to buy it from him and how can it become of your belongings? How after taking possession can you say that it belongs to you, you can swear and it would be unlawful to ascribe its ownership to one from whose possession its ownership is transferred to you?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Had it been as you said, the Muslims could never establish a market.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘ Umayr from Mu‘awiyah ibn Wahab who has narrated the following: “I once said to him (the Imam) (a.s.), that ibn abu Layla’ asks me to testify that this is a house and so and so has died and has left it behind as his legacy and that there is no other heir for him except the ones in whose favor we have testified. He (the Imam) said, ‘You can testify about what you have knowledge thereof.’ I then said that ibn abu Layla’ makes us to swear falsely. He (the Imam) said, ‘You can swear about what you know.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from certain persons of his people who has narrated the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), that I bear a testimony for one of our brothers but all of the judges around us do not grant it. He (the Imam) said, ‘If you know that it is right then you can correct it as such that can prove his right.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ’Isma‘il ibn Marrar from Yunus from Mu‘awiyah ibn Wahab who has narrated the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has a house and he remains absent from it for thirty years; but he leaves his family there, then news of his death comes. We do not know what may have happened in his house as well as to his children. We however, do not know of anything happening to his house and no birth of children has happened to him. This house is not divided among his heirs whom he had left in his house so that two just witnesses can testify that this house is the house of so and so son of so and so who has died and has left behind as legacy for so and so. Can we testify about it? He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, you can do so.’ I then said that a man has a slave and slave woman. He says that his slave has run away, his slave woman has run away and they are found in the town. The judge asks for proof that this is the slave of so and so whom he has not sold or gifted; if we can testify about it if we are asked and we do not know if anything has happened or not. He (the Imam) said, ‘Whatever goes out of the hands of a Muslim man, slave or slave woman or is absent from you, do not testify about it.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.