Article 47 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 47 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب الثالث: رفع الدعوى وقيدها
If both litigants come to court of their own accord and ask for their dispute to be heard, the court hears it at once if possible, even if outside its territorial jurisdiction, and otherwise sets a hearing.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا حضر المدعي والمدعى عليه أمام المحكمة من تلقاء نفسيهما - ولو كانت الدعوى خارج اختصاصها المكاني - وطلبا سماع خصومتهما فتسمع المحكمة الدعوى في الحال إن أمكن وإلا حددت لها جلسة أخرى.
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 47 explained in plain English
This article sets a short route for hearing a case when both parties come to court together and ask for their dispute to be heard.
Conditions for applying the article:
- The claimant and the defendant must both appear before the court of their own accord.
- They must ask for their dispute to be heard.
The effect:
- The court hears the claim at once if possible, and if that is not possible it sets another hearing for it.
- This is so even if the claim is outside the court's territorial jurisdiction; the two parties' appearance and joint request lets the court hear a claim over which it has no territorial jurisdiction.
Note that the article speaks only of territorial jurisdiction and does not deal with other types of jurisdiction. It is also conditional on both parties appearing and asking together; the appearance of one alone is not enough.
Article 48 provides a similar rule for the case of the two litigants appearing at a time other than the one set for their hearing. Anyone who wants to be sure this route suits his dispute can consult a lawyer specializing in litigation and court procedure.
Practical example
Faisal and Turki disagree over a sum of money. Both are in Khobar, but the claim originally falls within the jurisdiction of a court in another city. They came together to a court in Khobar and asked for their dispute to be heard. Under this article the court hears the claim at once if possible, and otherwise sets another hearing for it.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentA question about Article 47 of Law of Sharia Procedure?
Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.
- Completely free
- Lawyers from the directory answer
- Your name stays hidden
General Practice lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
General Practice lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
Ali Al-Rubaie Law Office
Khalid Abdulrahman Al-Hajlah Law and Arbitration Office
Frequently asked questions about Article 47 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
Can my opponent and I go straight to court without filing a claim first?
If the claimant and the defendant appear of their own accord and ask for their dispute to be heard, the court hears it at once if possible, and otherwise sets another hearing.
Must the court have territorial jurisdiction in this case?
No. The court hears the claim even if it is outside its territorial jurisdiction.
More articles on Filing and Registering a Case
- Article 3
Article 3 requires a lawful, existing interest for any request or defense to be accepted, with a potential interest sufficient in two cases, and requires the court to reject a sham or malicious case.
1- لا يقبل أي طلب أو دفع لا تكون لصاحبه فيه مصلحة قائمة مشروعة، ومع ذلك تكفي المصلحة المحتملة إذا كان الغرض من الطلب الاحتياط لدفع ضرر محدق أو الاستيثاق لحق يخش
- Article 4
Article 4 provides that a hisbah case may be filed only through the public prosecutor after the King's approval, and is not heard after 60 days from the date the claimed right arose.
لا ترفع أي دعوى حسبة إلا عن طريق المدعي العام بعد موافقة الملك، ولا تسمع بعد مضي (ستين) يومًا من تاريخ نشوء الحق المدعى به.
- Article 10
The article bars transferring a case properly filed before a competent court to another court or body, or withdrawing it before judgment, and treats the case as filed from the date of its registration.
لا يجوز نقل أي قضية رفعت بطريقة صحيحة لمحكمة مختصة إلى محكمة أو جهة أخرى، ولا يحق لأحد سحبها منها قبل الحكم فيها، وتعد القضية مرفوعة من تاريخ قيدها في المحكمة.
- Article 41Amended (1440 AH)
Article 41 requires a case to be filed by a signed statement of claim with specified details, bars combining unrelated requests, and applies the rules of other labor disputes to collective labor disputes.
1- ترفع الدعوى من المدعي بصحيفة ـ موقعة منه أو ممن يمثله ـ تودع لدى المحكمة من أصل وصور بعدد المدعى عليهم. ويجب أن تشمل صحيفة الدعوى البيانات الآتية: أ - الاسم
- Article 42
The competent clerk registers the case on the day its statement of claim is submitted after recording the hearing date, and hands the original and copies to the process server or claimant for service by the next day at the latest.
يقيد الكاتب المختص الدعوى في يوم تقديم الصحيفة في السجل الخاص بذلك بعد أن يثبت - بحضور المدعي أو مَنْ يمثله - تاريخ الجلسة المحددة لنظرها في أصل الصحيفة، وصورها
- Article 43
The process server or claimant must deliver a copy of the statement of claim to the defendant within 15 days at most, or before the hearing if it is sooner, observing the appearance period.
يقوم المحضر أو المدعي ـ بحسب الأحوال ـ بتسليم صورة صحيفة الدعوى إلى المدعى عليه خلال خمسة عشر يومًا على الأكثرمن تسليمها إليه، إلا إذا كان قد حدد لنظر الدعوى جل
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.