Library Ethics Greater Sins Chapter 22 Concealing Evidence Harm and being deprived of benefit
Harm and being deprived of benefit
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Harm and being deprived of benefit
It must be mentioned that to be harmed is different from being deprived of some benefit. In the examples already mentioned, if a witness refrains from testifying due to fear that the accused will deprive him of some money, or that some benefit may not accrue to him; this does not amount to him being ‘harmed’.
However if the accused is the employer of the witness and will fire him from his job thus causing untold hardship, then it is allowed for the witness to refrain from testifying as it could be regarded as ‘harm’ in common parlance.
Hence we can conclude that false oath, false testimony and concealing evidence, each of these are Greater sins if there is no risk of any harm. If there is any chance of any harm to a Muslim or an innocent witness, then they do not remain sins - they are permitted. Rather in some circumstances these actions become Wajib as we have seen from the traditions of Ma’sÅ«mÄ«n (a.s.). However as far as possible one must give priority to the more important alternative.
