Article 171 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 171 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب العاشر: الأحكام
The article empowers the court to correct purely clerical or arithmetical errors in the judgment deed by a decision, at the request of a litigant or on its own motion.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تتولى المحكمة - بقرار تصدره بناءً على طلب أحد الخصوم أو من تلقاء نفسها - تصحيح ما قد يقع في صك الحكم من أخطاء مادية بحتة كتابية أو حسابية.ويُجرى هذا التصحيح على نسخة الحكم الأصلية، ويوقعه قاضي (أو قضاة) المحكمة التي أصدرته، بعد تدوين القرار في ضبط 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 171 explained in plain English
An error may occur in the judgment deed that does not concern the substance of what the court ruled, such as a mistake in writing a word or a number or in an arithmetical operation. This article provides a way to correct it without the need to object to the judgment.
Scope of correction: purely material errors, clerical or arithmetical. Anything beyond that does not fall within this article.
Who initiates: the court makes the correction by a decision it issues:
- at the request of one of the litigants, or
- on its own motion.
How it is carried out:
- The correction decision is recorded in the case record.
- The correction is made on the original copy of the judgment.
- It is signed by the judge (or judges) of the court that issued the judgment.
Article 172 complements this rule, providing that if the court refuses the correction, the objection to that refusal is made together with the objection to the judgment itself, while the decision issued correcting may be objected to independently by the permitted means of objection.
It is therefore useful to review the judgment deed as soon as it is received and to submit a request for correction if a clerical error is found.
Practical example
Majed received a judgment deed ordering his opponent to pay a sum of money, and found that the total of the amounts mentioned in the reasons does not match the figure in the operative part because of an addition error. He may ask the court that issued the judgment to correct this arithmetical error, and it issues a decision that is recorded in the case record, with the correction made on the original copy.
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 171 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
How do I correct a clerical error in a judgment deed?
The court corrects purely clerical or arithmetical errors by a decision it issues at the request of one of the litigants or on its own motion.
Does the court correct the error without a request?
Yes. It may do so on its own motion, as it may at the request of one of the litigants.
Where is the correction made?
On the original copy of the judgment, signed by the judge or judges of the court that issued it after the decision is recorded in the case record.
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.