Article 191 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 191 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب الحادي عشر: طرق الاعتراض على الأحكام
The article requires the Court of Appeal, in cases reviewed without pleadings, to uphold a judgment that accords with its Sharia basis and to rule on anything it sets aside after hearing the parties.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا وجدت محكمة الاستئناف أن منطوق الحكم في القضايا التي يتم تدقيقها دون مرافعة موافقًا من حيث نتيجته لأصوله الشرعية؛ أيدته، مع التوجيه بما قد يكون لها من ملحوظات لا تقتضي نقض الحكم، وإذا نقضت الحكم كليًّا أو جزئيًّا؛ فعليها أن تحكم فيما نقض بعد سماع أقوال الخصوم.
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 191 explained in plain English
This article deals with cases the Court of Appeal examines by review without pleadings, that is, without holding hearings in which the parties plead, and explains what the court does in two situations:
First situation — the judgment is sound in its result: If the court finds that the operative part of the judgment accords in its result with its Sharia basis, it upholds it. Along with upholding it, the court may point out any observations it has that do not call for setting the judgment aside. What matters here is that the result is sound; observations that do not affect the result do not lead to the judgment being set aside.
Second situation — setting aside the judgment: If the court sets the judgment aside in whole or in part, it must rule on what it set aside, but only after hearing the parties' statements. In other words, review without pleadings does not mean the court may issue a new judgment without listening to the parties.
This article complements Article 190, which regulates the examination of a request with pleadings and provides that the Court of Appeal rules to uphold the judgment or set it aside in whole or in part and rules on what it set aside. Article 192 deals with a special case in which the case must be returned to the first-instance court.
What the reader should take from this: if your case is reviewed without pleadings and the court decides to set the judgment aside, you will be given the chance to be heard before it rules on what it set aside. To assess your position in a particular case, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in litigation and court procedure.
Practical example
A company in Riyadh requested review of a judgment issued against it without pleadings. The Court of Appeal found that the result of the judgment was correct but that its reasoning contained an imprecise statement, so it upheld the judgment and pointed out its observation. Had it decided to set aside part of the judgment, it would have had to hear both parties before ruling on that part.
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 191 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
What does the Court of Appeal do if the judgment is correct in its result?
It upholds it, and may point out any observations it has that do not call for setting the judgment aside.
Does the Court of Appeal rule on review without hearing the parties?
If it sets the judgment aside in whole or in part, it must rule on what it set aside after hearing the parties' statements.
More articles on Appeal, Cassation and Petition for Reconsideration
- Article 95
A judge's work or judgment is void in the situations of bar in Article 94 even if done by agreement of the parties; if the voidness occurs in an affirmed judgment, a party may ask the Supreme Court to set it aside.
يقع باطلًا عمل القاضي أو قضاؤه في الأحوال المتقدمة في المادة (الرابعة والتسعين) من هذا النظام ولو تم باتفاق الخصوم. وإن وقع هذا البطلان في حكم مؤيد جاز للخصم أن
- Article 165
The article requires the court, after pronouncing the judgment, to inform the litigants of the means of objection and their time limits, and to inform guardians, custodians, endowment administrators and representatives of government bodies that the judgment must be appealed or reviewed.
يجب على المحكمة - بعد النطق بالحكم - إفهام الخصوم بطرق الاعتراض المقررة ومواعيدها. كما يجب عليها إفهام الأولياء والأوصياء والنظار وممثلي الأجهزة الحكومية ونحوهم
- Article 170
The article allows the court to which an objection is submitted to order a stay of provisional enforcement if it considers that the grounds of the objection may lead to the judgment being quashed and serious harm is feared from enforcement.
يجوز للمحكمة المرفوع إليها الاعتراض - متى رأت أن أسباب الاعتراض على الحكم قد تقضي بنقضه - أن تأمر بوقف التنفيذ المعجل إذا كان يخشى منه وقوع ضرر جسيم.
- Article 172
The article distinguishes between a refusal to correct, which is objected to together with the judgment itself, and a correction decision, which may be objected to independently.
إذا رفضت المحكمة التصحيح فيكون الاعتراض على ذلك مع الاعتراض على الحكم نفسه. أما القرار الذي يصدر بالتصحيح فيجوز الاعتراض عليه على استقلال بطرق الاعتراض الجائزة.
- Article 176
The article specifies three means of objection to judgments: appeal, cassation and petition for reconsideration.
طرق الاعتراض على الأحكام هي الاستئناف، والنقض، والتماس إعادة النظر.
- Article 177
The article limits the right to object to a judgment to the party against whom it was given or one who was not awarded all his claims, unless the Law provides otherwise.
لا يجوز أن يعترض على الحكم إلا المحكوم عليه، أو من لم يقض له بكل طلباته، ما لم ينص النظام على غير 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.