Home / Regular Issue / JSSH Vol. 29 (2) Jun. 2021 / JSSH-7214-2020

 

Role of Forensic Evidence in Upholding Justice: Exploring Islamic Law and the Experience of Syariah Courts in Malaysia

Abdul Basir Mohamad and Nurbazla Ismail

Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Volume 29, Issue 2, June 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.29.2.19

Keywords: Circumstantial evidence, forensic evidence, Islamic law of evidence, Islamic justice, Syariah Court

Published on: 28 June 2021

In Islamic law of evidence, there are several forms of evidence commonly used by courts to establish facts. In today’s era, a form of evidence called forensic evidence has also emerged. A question then arises, what is the appropriate legal basis for acceptance of this forensic evidence in the Islamic law of evidence. This paper focuses on the evolution of the Islamic law of evidence and investigates the position of forensic evidence in Islamic law from sources such as the Quran, the Prophet’s traditions, and the practices of the Companions of the Prophet. In addition, this study also looks at the experience of the Malaysian Syariah Courts in terms of how forensic evidence is dealt with in hearing family law cases. The research design of this study is content analysis. Data were obtained by document analysis, including books, papers, journals, case reports, and other records relating to the role of forensic evidence. The methods used to interpret the data for this qualitative research are analytical and deductive. As a result, it can be said that forensic evidence is not an unfamiliar matter in the Islamic law of evidence. In fact, forensic evidence has been relied on by the Syariah Courts of Malaysia in making several decisions for certain cases in order to ensure that justice is upheld in society.

  • al-Mawdudi, A. A. (1978). Towards understanding Islam. Idara Tarjuman Ul-Qur’an.

  • al-Qurubi, A. ‘A. A. M. A. a.-A. (1950). al-Jami‘ li ahkam al-Qur’an [Collection of laws of the Quran] (Vol. 20). Maba‘ah Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah.

  • al-Sarakhsi, S. a.-D. (1986). al-Mabsut [The extensive] (Vol. 30). Dar al-Ma‘rifah.

  • al-Zuhayli, M. (1998). al-Ithbat fi al-sharia`h al-Islamiyyah [The conviction in Islamic law]. Dar al-Makatib.

  • Bahnasi, A. F. (1962). Nazariyyat al-ithbat [The theory of prosecution]. al-Sharikah al-‘Arabiyyah li al-Tiba‘ah.

  • Eddyham bin Zainuddin v. Rahimah binti Muhamad (2012) 05000-006-0011-2012.

  • Glugston, M. J. (1998). The new penguin dictionary of science. The Penguin Group.

  • Hoyland, R. G. (2005). Physiognomy in Islam. Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 30, 361-402.

  • Ibn Farhun, B. A. al-W. I. (1884). Tabsirat al-hukkam fi usul al-aqdiyyah wa manahij al-ahkam [Judges notes of the fundamentals in judgments and legal rulings approaches]. al-Matba‘ah al-Bahiyyah.

  • Ibn Qayyim, S. A. ‘A. (n.d). al-uruq al-hukmiyyah fi al-siyasah al-shar‘iyyah [Judgmental methods on legitimate policy]. In M. H. al-Faqi (Ed.). Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah.

  • Anas, M, A. ‘A. (1989). Muwatta’ Imam Malik [Muwatta’ of Imam Malik] (M. Rahimuddin, Trans.). Kitab Bhavan.

  • Mohd Zulhaini Uzir v. Fadzlina Mohd Fadzil, 1 CLJ (SYA) (2012).

  • Pass, A. E., & Allan, D. (2009). Forensic! Hamilton Printing Company.

  • Qadri, A. A. (1973). Islamic jurisprudence in the modern world. Sh. Muhammad Ashraf.

  • Sabah State Syarie Prosecutor v. Rosli Abdul Japar, 1 CLJ SYA 496 (2007).

  • Shabana, A. (2012). Paternity between law and biology: The reconstruction of the Islamic law of paternity in the wake of DNA testing. Zygon, 47(1), 214-239. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2011.01246.x

  • Syariah Courts Evidence Enactment (State of Sabah) 1992 s. 33(1), 33(2), 33(3), s. 86(1) (Malaysia).

  • Syariah Courts Evidence Enactment (Negeri Sembilan) 2003 s. 33 (Malaysia).

  • Syariah Courts Evidence Enactment (State of Penang) 2004 s. 33 (Malaysia).

  • Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1995 (State of Sabah) s. 80(1) (Malaysia).

  • Zakaria@Supar bin Ali v. Haznah@Maznah binti Embong, 2 ShLR 12 (2012).

  • Zaydan, A. K. (1984). Nizam al-qada’ fi al-shariah al-Islamiyyah [The judiciary system on the Islamic law]. Matba’ah al-Ani.

ISSN 0128-7702

e-ISSN 2231-8534

Article ID

JSSH-7214-2020

Download Full Article PDF

Share this article

Recent Articles