Is it permissible for two witnesses who were not present at the marriage ceremony, but are certain of its validity, to testify to it before a judge who will administer an oath to them regarding their presence? And what is the ruling on such testimony?

It is permissible to testify to the establishment of a marriage by widespread report (istifadah) or hearsay (tasamu'), meaning that the matter becomes well-known and people transmit it until it settles in the mind of the witness, without him claiming to have been present at the contract if he was not. It is stipulated that the witness hears the news from a large number of people from whom knowledge is derived. The jurists have agreed on the permissibility of this testimony in marriage, death, and lineage, and they differed regarding other matters.