For instance, if two parties have had a transaction in the past, but neither party remembers the exact terms or amounts due, they can still reconcile without kn

BENEFIT: The basis for the permissibility of settling disputes over unknown claims is the hadith of Umm Salama (may Allāh be pleased with her), in which it is reported that two men from the Ansar came to the Prophet ﷺ disputing over inherited property that had become unclear with time, and neither had any evidence to support his claim. The Prophet ﷺ said: ((إنكم تختصمون إليّ، وإنما أنا بشر، ولعل بعضكم أن يكون ألحن بحجته من بعض، فإني أقضي بينكم على نحو ما أسمع، فمن قضيت له من حق أخيه شيئًا فلا يأخذه؛ وإنما أقطع له قطعة من النار، يأتي بها في عنقه يوم القيامة)) "You bring your disputes to me, but I am only a human being. It may be that some of you are more persuasive in presenting their case than others. Thus, I judge according to what I hear. If I grant someone a right that belongs to his brother, he must not take it, for I am thereby giving him a piece of Hellfire, which he will carry around his neck on the Day of Judgment." Upon hearing this, both men wept, and each of them said, "I give up my right to my brother." The Prophet ﷺ then said,. ((أما إذا قلتما فاذهبا فاقتسما، ثم توخيا الحق، ثم استهما، ثم ليحلل كلٌ منكما صاحبه)) "Since you have said this, go and divide the property, strive to be just, then cast lots, and let each of you grant his brother absolution." Ibn Qudamah (may Allāh have mercy on him) described the proper way to grant absolution, stating: «يقول القابض: إن كان لي عليك حقٌ فأنت منه في حلّ، ويقول الدافع: إن كنت أخذت أكثر من حقك فأنت منه في حلّ”، أو يأتيان بأية عبارة تفيد هذا المعنى، وإنما أمر النبي ﷺ بأن يحلل كل منهما صاحبه احتياطًا لبراءة الذمة؛ لأن حق المخلوق عظيم، والصلح عن المجهول ربما لا يصل كلٌ منهما به إلى حقه على وجه التحديد، ومع كون حق كلٍ منهما مجهولًا، مع عدم وجود البيّنة، لا يبقى خيارٌ سوى أن يصطلحا صلحًا بعدما يتحريان الحق، ويحلل كلٌ منهما الآخر» "The recipient should say: ‘If I have any right over you, I release you from it,’ and the giver should say: ‘If I have taken more than my due, I release you from any claim.’” Alternatively, they may use any wording that conveys this meaning. The Prophet ﷺ instructed them to absolve each other as a precaution to ensure the clearance of any remaining claims, as the rights of others are a serious matter. Since settlements involving unknown claims may not always result in an exact division of rights, and given the lack of clear evidence in such cases, the only remaining option is for the parties to settle after making an effort to be just and then to release each other from any further claims. 2. Reconciliation is valid for anything that is permissible to receive compensation for, such as reconciliation for retribution (قصاص) by accepting the prescribed blood money (دِيَة), whether it is the specified amount, less, or more. 3. Reconciliation is not valid for matters that cannot be compensated, such as reconciliation for punishments (حدود), as they were established as a deterrent. _ Source: T.me/masjidsahabah https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VadAK4n5K3zclcMjeg0F