Article 163 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 163 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب العاشر: الأحكام
The article requires that, after pleading is closed and the judgment is reached, it be recorded in the record of pleading preceded by its reasons, then signed by the judge or judges who took part.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
بعد قفل باب المرافعة والانتهاء إلى الحكم في القضية يجب تدوين الحكم في ضبط المرافعة مسبوقًا بالأسباب التي بُنِيَ عليها، ثم يوقع عليه القاضي أو القضاة الذين اشتركوا في نظر القضية.
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 163 explained in plain English
This article sets the first formal step after the court reaches its view in the case: recording the judgment.
The article requires the following:
- Timing: recording takes place after pleading is closed and the judgment is reached.
- Place: the judgment is recorded in the record of pleading, the register in which the facts of the sessions are entered.
- Reasoning: the judgment must be preceded by the reasons on which it was based; stating the result alone is not enough.
- Signature: it is signed by the judge or judges who took part in hearing the case.
Giving reasons for the judgment lets the litigants know the basis on which the judgment rests, which they need if they wish to object to it.
The article relates to Article 162, which regulates issuing the judgment unanimously or by majority and recording the minority's opinion in the record, and to Article 164, which provides for pronouncing the judgment in a public session and allows one of the judges who took part in deliberation to be absent from the reading of the judgment due to an impediment if he has signed the judgment recorded in the record, which shows the importance of the signature this article requires.
Practical example
In an eviction case between a lessor and a tenant in Makkah, the judge reached a judgment after the close of pleading. He recorded in the record of pleading first the reasons on which the judgment was based, then the text of the judgment, and then signed it.
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 163 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
Must the judge state the reasons for the judgment?
Yes. The article requires that the judgment be recorded in the record of pleading preceded by the reasons on which it was based.
Who signs the judgment recorded in the record?
The judge or judges who took part in hearing the case.
When is the judgment recorded?
After pleading is closed and the judgment in the case is reached.
More articles on Issuing the Judgment
- Article 56Amended (1441 AH)
If the claimant is absent from the hearings under Article 55, the defendant may ask for judgment on the substance of the claim; the court rules if the claim is ready for judgment, and its judgment counts as given in the claimant's presence.
إذا لم يحضر المدعي جلسات الدعوى - وفقاً لما ورد في المادة (الخامسة والخمسين) من هذا النظام - فللمدعى عليه أن يطلب من المحكمة الحكم في موضوعها، وعلى المحكمة أن ت
- Article 57
The article explains the effect of the defendant's absence and when a judgment against him is in his absence or in his presence, and allows compelling his attendance in marital, custody, maintenance, visitation and guardians' refusal-to-marry matters.
1- إذا غاب المدعى عليه عن الجلسة الأولى ولم يكن تبلغ لشخصه أو وكيله في الدعوى نفسها، فيؤجل النظر في الدعوى إلى جلسة لاحقة يبلغ بها المدعى عليه، فإن غاب عن هذه ا
- Article 60
The article allows a person sentenced in his absence to object to the judgment before the court that issued it within the objection periods, and regulates the objection memorandum, the effect of his absence and stay of enforcement.
1- يكون للمحكوم عليه غيابيًا - خلال المدد المقررة للاعتراض في هذا النظام - المعارضة على الحكم لدى المحكمة التي أصدرته، من تاريخ إبلاغه أو وكيله بالحكم. 2- يقدم
- Article 69
Pleadings close as soon as the parties finish, but before pronouncing judgment the court may reopen them and return the case to the session roll for acceptable reasons.
يقفل باب المرافعة بمجرد انتهاء الخصوم من مرافعتهم، ومع ذلك فللمحكمة قبل النطق بالحكم أن تقرر - من تلقاء نفسها أو بناء على طلب أحد الخصوم - فتح باب المرافعة وإعا
- Article 70
At any stage of the case the parties may ask to have what they agreed on, such as an admission or settlement, recorded in the case record, and the court must issue a deed to that effect.
للخصوم أن يطلبوا من المحكمة في أي حال تكون عليها الدعوى تدوين ما اتفقوا عليه من إقرار أو صلح أو غير ذلك في محضر الدعوى، وعلى المحكمة إصدار صك بذلك.
- Article 77
The court rules on the defenses in Articles 75 and 76 separately, unless it decides to join them to the merits of the case, in which case it states what it ruled on each defense and on the merits.
تحكم المحكمة في الدفوع المنصوص عليها في المادتين (الخامسة والسبعين والسادسة والسبعين) من هذا النظام على استقلال، ما لم تقرر ضمها إلى موضوع الدعوى، وعندئذ تبيّن
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.