Article 95 of the Saudi Law of Evidence
المادة 95 من نظام الإثبات · الفصل الأول: أحكام عامة
The article sets out when the oath is sworn on certainty and when on denial of knowledge, and provides that the oath is taken in the form the court approves.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- إذا كانت الواقعة التي تنصب عليها اليمين متعلقة بالحالف أو بإثبات فعل غيره؛ حلف على البت. وإذا كانت متعلقة بنفي فعل غيره حلف على نفي العلم إلا أن يكون المحلوف عليه مما يمكن أن يحيط به علم الحالف؛ فيحلف على البت.
2- يكون أداء اليمين بالصيغة التي تقرها المحكمة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 95 explained in plain English
This article sets out the manner of swearing, that is, whether the person swearing swears categorically, or swears that he has no knowledge of the fact.
Swearing on certainty means that the person swears categorically that the fact did or did not occur. This applies in two cases:
- If the fact is related to the person swearing himself.
- If the oath is to prove the act of another.
Swearing on denial of knowledge means that the person swears that he has no knowledge of the fact, and applies if the oath is to deny the act of another. The reason is that a person often cannot be certain that someone else did not do something.
But the article makes an exception: if the subject of the oath is something the knowledge of the person swearing can encompass, he swears on certainty even where the matter is a denial of another's act.
The second paragraph provides that the oath is taken in the form the court approves, so no party may impose his own form without the court's approval.
The article is read with Article 94, which requires capacity of the person swearing and does not accept representation in taking the oath, and with Article 96, which sets out when an oath may be tendered and when the court prevents it. In disputes that turn on an oath, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in litigation and civil matters.
Practical example
A person claimed from the heirs of a merchant in Dammam a debt that he said their deceased relative had borrowed from him. If the oath is tendered to one of the heirs to deny the borrowing, which is an act of another, he swears that he has no knowledge of it, unless the matter is one his knowledge can encompass, in which case he swears on certainty.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 95 of the Saudi Law of Evidence
When is the oath sworn on denial of knowledge?
When the fact concerns denying an act of someone other than the person swearing, unless the subject of the oath is something his knowledge can encompass, in which case he swears on certainty.
When does a person swear on certainty?
When the fact relates to him, or the oath is to prove the act of another, or to deny the act of another where it is something his knowledge can encompass.
Who decides the form of the oath?
The oath is taken in the form the court approves.
More articles on The Oath
- Article 3
The article sets general rules of evidence: the evidence is on the claimant and the oath on the denier, the function of each, and the difference between the force of evidence and of admission.
1- البينة على من ادعى، واليمين على من أنكر. 2- البينة لإثبات خلاف الظاهر، واليمين لإبقاء الأصل. 3- البينة حجة متعدية، والإقرار حجة قاصرة. 4- الثابت بالبرهان كال
- Article 12
A mute person's admission, interrogation, testimony and oath, and the directing, refusing and returning of it, are done in writing, or if he cannot write, by his customary gestures.
يكون إقرار الأخرس ومن في حكمه واستجوابه وأداؤه للشهادة واليمين وتوجيهها والنكول عنها وردها بالكتابة، فإن لم يكن يعرف الكتابة فبإشارته المعهودة.
- Article 31
The Article explains when merchants' books are binding for or against their owner, that they are not binding on non-merchants, and when the court may administer the supplementary oath based on them.
1- لا تكون دفاتر التجار حجة على غير التجار، ومع ذلك فإن البيانات المثبتة فيها تصلح أساساً يجيز للمحكمة أن توجه اليمين المتممة لمن قوي جانبه من الطرفين، وذلك فيم
- Article 35
The Article sets out when the court orders the opponent to produce the requested document, and the consequences if he refuses to produce it or denies that it exists.
1- إذا أقر الخصم أن المحرَّر في حوزته أو سكت، أو أثبت الطالب صحة طلبه، أمرت المحكمة بتقديم المحرَّر. 2- إذا امتنع الخصم عن تقديم المحرَّر المطلوب بعد إمهاله مرة
- Article 51
Where proof must be in writing, a judicial admission, a decisive oath, or a beginning of written proof supported by another means of proof may take its place, and the Article defines this beginning of proof.
1- يجوز في الأحوال التي يجب فيها الإثبات بالكتابة أن يحل محلها الإقرار القضائي، أو اليمين الحاسمة، أو مبدأ الثبوت بالكتابة المعزز بطريق إثبات آخر؛ وذلك فيما لم
- Article 74
The Article provides that testimony is given orally and may be given in writing with the court's permission, and that the court may administer an oath to the witness when necessary and assess the effect of his refusal to swear.
1- تؤدى الشهادة شفاهاً. ويجوز أداؤها كتابة بإذن المحكمة. 2- يجوز للمحكمة تحليف الشاهد عند الاقتضاء، وإذا امتنع عن الحلف فتقدر المحكمة أثر ذلك.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.