The Rare Ahadith

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that once Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam, asked his Lord to show him one of the cases of the next life being judged. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent him revelation. It said, ‘O Dawud, what you have asked Me is something about which no one of My creatures has known. It is not proper for any of My creatures to judge in that manner besides Me.’ He (the Imam) said that this did not stop him from asking Allah to show him a case and judgment of the cases and judgments of the next life. He (the Imam) said that Jibril (a.s.), then came to him and said, ‘O Dawud, you had asked your Lord for something that no other Prophet before you had asked. What you have asked is not known to anyone of His creatures and it is not proper for anyone to judge in that manner besides Him. However, Allah has accepted your prayer and has granted what you wanted. O Dawud, the case of the first two parties that will come to you tomorrow, is one of the cases of the next life.’ He (the Imam) said that next day when Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam, took his seat in the adjudicating office, one old man who had grabbed a young boy with a bunch of grapes in his hand came to him. The old man said, £ 0 Prophet of Allah, this young man entered my garden, destroyed my vineyard, ate from them without my permission and this bunch is what he has taken without my permission.’ Dawud then asked the young man, ‘What do you say?’ The young man confessed that he has done so. Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent revelation to Dawud and said, ‘If I reveal before you a case of the cases of the next life and you judge between the old man and the young man your heart cannot bear it and your people will not agree. O Dawud, this old man entered on the father of this boy in his garden and killed him, usurped his garden, took from him forty thousand dirham and buried it on the side of the garden. Therefore, you must give a sword to the young man and command him to strike the neck of the old man, give the garden back to him, command him to dig such and such place and take his assets thereof. Dawud (a.s.), was shocked. He called the scholars of his companions, informed them of the news and then approved to issue the judgment as Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, had revealed to him.’”

“This is about the case of a man to whom one man sends thirty dirham in a piece of cloth, another man sends him twenty dirham in a piece of cloth and they become mixed so much that he cannot distinguish. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He must give three-fifths of the value to the man of thirty dirham and two-fifths of the value to the other one.’ I then said the man with thirty has said to the man with twenty, take whichever you like. He (the Imam) said, ‘He has been fair.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who forms a contract with another man. It requires him to dig a well of ten heights of a man deep for ten dirhams of which he digs one height and could not do the rest. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He deserves one part out of fifty- five parts of a ten dirhams.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once a woman was brought before ‘Umar. She was attached to a man of al-Ansar (people of al-Madinah) and loved him but was not able to achieve from him what she wanted. She plotted to use the white part of the egg, after removing the yolk, poured it on her cloth between her thighs and came to ‘Umar saying, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin, this man in such and such place caught, raped and disgraced me. 5 ‘Umar then intended to subject al-Ansari to applicable penalty, but he (the accused) was swearing and denying the accusation, when ’Amir al- Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), was also present, saying, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin, why are you quiet in my case?’ When the man pleaded a great deal ‘Umar then said to ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), ‘O abu al-Hassan, what do you say about him? 5 ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), looked at the white substance on her cloth between her thighs and he (the Imam) charged her with plotting a trick. He (the Imam) asked to bring water in boiling condition. When water in boiling condition was brought, he (the Imam) asked them to pour it on the white substance, which turned into a cooked shape. ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), picked up (a part) thereof, placed in his mouth and after recognizing the test, threw it out and then turned to the women until she confessed. Thus Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, saved the man of al-Ansar from penalty of ‘Umar.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of ten people sitting in a certain place, among them there was a bag with a thousand dirham in it and they asked each other about whose bag is it. No one claimed it except one man. To whom does it belong?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It belongs to the one who claimed it.’”

“I heard a boy in al-Madinah saying, ‘O best of judges, judge between me and my mother.’ ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab asked, ‘O boy, why do you pray against your mother?’ He replied, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin, she bore me in her womb for nine months and breastfed me until I began to move, learn to distinguish between good and bad, right and left. She then expelled me and disowned me as if she did not know me at all.’ ‘Umar asked, ‘Where is your mother?’ He replied, ‘She is in Saqifah (meeting place) of banu so and so.’ ‘Umar commanded to bring her to him. They brought her before him with her four brothers and forty people who took an oath that she did not know the boy. The boy is an oppressive and aggressive boy who wants to disgrace her in her tribe, that she is a girl from Quraysh who has not married anyone and that she still has the seal of the Lord, on her. ‘Umar then asked the boy, ‘What do you say?’ He replied, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin, by Allah she is my mother who bore me for nine months in her womb, breastfed me for two years. When I began to move, learned what is good and what is bad and which is my right and my left she expelled me, disowned me and thought that she did not know me.’ ‘Umar then asked her, ‘What does the boy say?’ She replied, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin, I swear by the One who is hidden in light, no eye can see Him and by the right of Muhammad and his progeny, that I do not know him and I do not know to which people does he belong except that he is a boy whose claim disgraces me in my tribe. I am a girl from Quraysh and I am not yet married. I still have the seal (virginity) from my Lord on me.’ ‘Umar asked, ‘Do you have witnesses?’ She replied, ‘Yes, these people are my witnesses.’ Forty people came forward and took oath before ‘Umar that the boy’s claim was false, that he wanted to disgrace her in her tribe, that she is a girl from Quraysh who is not married yet and that she still has the seal (virginity) from the Lord on her.’ ‘Umar then ordered the boy to be jailed so that he can examine the witnesses if they are balanced then subject the boy to the penalty applicable to a falsely accuser. As they took the boy to jail ’ Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), met them on the way and the boy cried, ‘O son of the uncle of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, I am an oppressed boy.’ He repeated the words of ‘Umar and said that ‘Umar has commanded to imprison him. Ali (a.s.), then told them to return him back to ‘Umar. When they returned, ‘Umar said, ‘I commanded you to jail him but you have brought him back to me.’ They replied, ‘O Amir al- Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib has told us to return him back to you and we have heard you saying, “Do not disobey Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.).’” At this time Ali (a.s.), arrived and asked to bring the mother of the boy before him. She was then brought before Ali (a.s.). Ali (a.s.), asked, ‘What do you say, O boy?’ He repeated his words. Ali ‘Alayhi al-Salam, then asked ‘Umar, ‘Do you allow me to judge among them?’ ‘Umar replied, ‘Allah is free of all defects, how will I not allow you when I heard the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, saying, “The most knowledgeable among you is Ali ibn abu Talib.’” Ali (a.s.), then asked the woman, ‘Do you have witnesses?’ She replied, ‘Yes,’ and forty swearing men came forward who presented the testimony that they had done before. Ali (a.s.), said, ‘Today I will judge with a judgment that will be acceptable to the Lord from above the throne in the way my beloved, the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has taught me.’ Ali (a.s.), then asked her, ‘Do you have a guardian?’ She replied, ‘Yes, these are my brothers.’ He (the Imam) then asked her brothers, ‘Can I command your sister?’ They replied, ‘Yes, O son of the uncle of Muhammad (SAW), your command on us and on our sister is obligatory.’ Ali (a.s.), said, ‘I hereby appoint Allah as witness and all the Muslims present that I pronounce this boy and this girl as wife and husband for a mahr (dower) of four hundred dirham which is payable from my assets. O Qanbar, bring for us the dirhams.’ Qanbar then brought the dirhams. He placed in the hand of the boy and said, ‘Take it, place it in the lap of your woman, and do not come back to us without signs of being married, after Ghusl (bath)’ The boy took the dirhams and placed them in the lap of the woman, then asked her to stand up. The woman cried, ‘It is the fire, it is the fire. O son of the uncle of Muhammad, why do you give me in marriage to my own son, this one? This by Allah is my son. My brothers gave me in marriage to a Hajin (ignoble) man from whom I gave birth to this boy. When he grew up, they commanded me to disown and expel him. This by Allah is my son, and my heart burns for my son in regret.’ She then took the hand of the boy and left and ‘Umar said aloud, ‘Woe is you O ‘Umar, if Ali would have not been present ‘Umar would have been destroyed.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once a woman was brought before ‘Umar who was married to an old man who when going to bed with her had died on her belly. When she gave birth to a boy, his sons claimed that she has committed fornication and presented testimony against her. ‘Umar commanded to stone her to death. Ali (a.s.), passed by and she said, ‘O son of the uncle of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, I have a proof.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Show it to me.’ She give a document to him (the Imam) and he read it and said, ‘This woman is informing you about the day she became married, the day she went to bed and how the sexual intercourse took place. You must return the woman back.’ The next day he called the children of the same age along with the disputed child and asked them to play until they were tired. He (the Imam) told them to sit down until they had taken their places, then he (the Imam) called them to get up. The children stood up but the (disputed) child when getting up had to support himself by placing both of his palms on the ground. Ali (a.s.), then made him to inherit his father and whipped his brothers one by one of falsely accusing his mother. ‘Umar then asked him (the Imam), ‘How did you do it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I found out the weakness of the old man in the boy’s seeking support from his palms when getting up to stand upright.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that in the time of the government of Ali (a.s.), a man from the mountains with his slave went for al-Hajj. His slave committed a sin and his master beat him as a measure for discipline. He (the slave) said, ‘You are not my master. I am your master.’ They continued threatening each other. He told him, ‘Wait until our arrival in al-Kufah, O enemy of Allah, and I will take you before Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.).’ When they arrived in al-Kufah, they came to ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), and the one who had beaten the slave said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, this is my slave. He committed a sin and I beat him for discipline but he jumped on me.’ The other one said, ‘He by Allah is my slave. My father sent him for me for guidance but he jumped on me to claim and take away my assets.’ They each began to swear and the other to refute. He (the Imam) told them to leave for the night, be truthful and come to me with the truth. The next day ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), asked Qanbar to make two holes in the wall. He (the Imam) said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), in the morning would remain reciting prayer after his morning Salat (prayer) until the sun would rise by the length of a spear. The two men then came and people gathered. They said that there is a case like no other case before him (the Imam), it is difficult and he (the Imam) may not be able to solve it. He (the Imam) then asked them, ‘What do you say?’ Each one swore and claimed that the other man is his slave. He (the Imam) then told them, ‘You both stand up. I do not think you are speaking the truth.’ He then told one of them to place his neck in the hole in the wall and pull out his head from the other side. Then he told the other one to do the same thing. He (the Imam) said, ‘O Qanbar, bring for me the sword of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, quickly and of the two strike down the neck of the slave one.’ He (the Imam) said that the slave quickly pulled his head out of the hole. Ali (a.s.), asked him (slave), ‘Did you not think that you were not a slave?’ The other one remained with his head in the hole. He then said, ‘Yes, but he beat me up and transgressed against me.’ He (the Imam) said that ’Amir al- Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), prepared a document for him and handed over the slave to him (the slave-master).”’

Once a girl was brought before ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and testimony was presented against her for committing fornication. Her story was that she was an orphan with a man who very often remained absent from his family. The orphan girl matured and the woman feared her husband’s being attracted to the young girl. She called certain of her neighbor women to hold the girl and she with her finger destroyed the virginity of the young girl in the absence of her husband and accused her of committing fornication, presented testimony of her neighbor women, who had helped her, before ’Umar who did not know how to deal with the case. ’Umar then asked the people, ’Allow us to go before Ali ibn Abu Talib (as).’ They came to Ali (as), and told him (the Imam) the story. He (the Imam) asked the wife of the man if she had testimony and evidence. She said, ’I have witnesses. These are my neighbors who testify against her about what I have said’ and she brought them in. Ali (as), took the sword out of its sheath and placed it before him. He (the Imam) commanded to keep each one of them in a separate home. He (the Imam) called the woman of the man and questioned her in several ways but she remained firm on her accusation in her position. He (the Imam) then returned her to her room, called another one of the witnesses when he was sitting with his legs folded backward, and said, ‘Do you know that I am Ali ibn abu Talib and this is my sword. The woman of the man has said what she said and turned to the truth. I granted her amnesty but if you will not tell me the truth I will fill you up with the sword.’ She then turned to ’Umar and said, ‘O ’ Amir al-Mu’minin, will you grant me amnesty?’ Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (as), said, ‘Tell the truth.’ She said, ‘No, by Allah, when she saw the beauty of the young girl, she feared that her husband may become attracted to her and that may destroy her relation with him. She then made her drink an intoxicating drink, called us to hold her down and she then destroyed her virginity with her finger.’ Ali (as), said Takbir (Allah is great beyond description). He (the Imam) then said, ‘I am the first one to separate the witnesses from each other besides Daniel, the Prophet.’ He then subjected the women to the penalty applicable to falsely accusers and made all of them to pay mahr (dower) of the girl, which was four hundred dirham. He (the Imam) commanded the woman to be divorced by her husband and gave the girl in marriage to him. Ali (as), paid the mahr (dower) for him. ‘Umar then asked, ‘O Abul Hassan, tell us about the story of Daniel (as). Ali (as), said that Daniel was an orphan, a boy without parents. Among the Israelites, there was an old woman who cared for him. One of the kings of the Israelites had two judges who had a virtuous friend. Their friend had a beautiful woman. He would meet the king and speak to him. The king needed a man to send for a task so he asked the judges to find for him someone for the task. They said that so and so is proper for this task. The man then said to the two judges, ‘I ask you to look after the welfare of my wife in my absence.’ They said, ‘Yes, we will do so.’ The man left and the two judges would go to the door of their friend at certain times and they fell in love with his woman. They tried to seduce her but she refused. They said to her, ‘By Allah, if you do not agree with us we will testify before the king against you for fornication, then you will be stoned to death.’ She said, ‘You can do what you want.’ They went to the king, informed him of their story, and testified before him against her for her committing fornication. The king was troubled a great deal with sadness. He also liked her. He then said to them, ‘Your words are acceptable but stone her to death after three days.’ He called people of the town where he lived to attend the stoning to death of so and so worshipper woman because of her committing fornication and that the two judges have testified against her, so great many people gathered. The king asked his vizier for help who said, ‘I have no way out of this.’ The vizier on the third day went out and it was the last day for her when he saw children playing naked and among them was Daniel (as) whom he did not know. Daniel said to the children, ‘O children allow me to be the king. You, so and so pretend to be the worshipper woman and so and so with so and so be the two witnessing judges against her.’ He collected soil, made a sword out of a piece of reed, and told the children, ‘Take the hand of this and move him away to so and so place.’ He then called the other and said to him, ‘Speak the truth because if you did not speak the truth I will put you to death.’ The vizier standing listened and watched it all. He said, ‘I testify that she committed fornication.’ He asked, ‘When was it?’ He replied, ‘It was on so and so day.’ He then said, ‘Take him away to his place and bring the other one.’ They took him away and brought the other one. He asked, ‘What do you say and how you testify?’ He said, ‘I testify that she committed fornication.’ He then asked, ‘When was it?’ He then asked, ‘With whom did she commit fornication?’ He replied, ‘He was so and so son of so and so.’ He asked, ‘Where did it happen?’ He replied, ‘It happened in such and such place.’ Thus they contradicted each other’s testimony and Daniel (as) said, ‘Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) they have testified falsely. O so and so announce among people that they have testified falsely against her so come to witness their death as their penalty.’ The vizier quickly went to the king and informed him of his experience. He called the two judges and they contradicted each other in their testimony just as the children had found. The king announced among people to witness their (the two judges’) penalty in the form of death.’”

“I once heard ibn abu Layla’ speaking to his people. He said, ‘About the case of two men of whom one during a journey for their lunch took out of his supplies five loafs of bread, the other one took out three and a passerby, whom they invited joined them for lunch, ate with them so they finished all the loafs. The passerby gave them eight dirham for what he ate of their food. The owner of three said to the owner of five to divide it into half and half among them but the owner of five said that each one must take a number of dirham equal to the number of their bread loafs used. He said that they went to ’ Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), who listened to their story and told them to reach a settlement in their small case. They insisted that he must judge among them with truth. He gave seven dirham to the owner of five and one dirham to the owner of three. He (the Imam) then asked, ‘Is it not the case that one of you took out five and the other took out three loafs of bread from his supplies?’ They replied, ‘Yes, that is true.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘Did your guest not eat equal to what each one of you did?’ They replied, ‘Yes, that is true.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘Is it not the case that each one of you ate three loafs less one-third of a loaf?’ They replied, ‘Yes, that is true.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Did you, owner of three, not eat three loafs less one-third of a loaf? Did you, the owner of five loafs, not eat three loafs less one-third of a loaf of bread and your guest ate three loafs less one-third of a loaf? Is it not the case, O owner of three loafs that only one-third of a loaf of your loafs of bread was left extra and two loafs and one-third of a loaf of the owner five? You ate three loafs less one-third.’ He gave to them for each one-third of a loaf one dirham so the owner of two loafs and one- third loaf received seven dirham and the owner of one-third of a loaf one dirham.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that about the case of a man who had a sheep told his people, ‘If you eat all of it, it then is yours; but if you could not eat, then you must pay such and such amount.’ ’ Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali, issued a judgment that said, ‘It is invalid. There is nothing in eating food, more or less’; and he (the Imam) prohibited it.”

“Two men once left something in trust with a woman and said, ‘Do not give it back unless we both are present.’ They remained absent; then one of them came to her and asked for the trust saying, ‘My friend has died.’ She refused and the argument became a great deal. She then gave it to him then the other one came and asked for the trust. She said, ‘Your friend took it saying that you have died.’ They brought it before ‘Umar who said, ‘I see that you are responsible,’ but she said, ‘We must leave it before Ali (a.s.),’ ‘Umar asked him (the Imam) to judge for them. Ali (a.s.), said, ‘She is in trust with me; you had commanded her not to give the trust to anyone of you without the presence of the other, so you must bring your friend (to get her).’ He (the Imam) did not hold her responsible. He (the Imam) said, ‘They only wanted to take away her assets.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said to me, ‘If you see Ghaylan ibn Jami‘ ask permission for a meeting with me, you should give him permission. I had information that he would meet with people of banu Hashim.’ When he sat down he said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, I am Ghaylan ibn Jami‘ al-Muharibiy, judge of ibn Hubayrah.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘O Ghaylan, I do not think ibn Hubayrah appoints a judge other than one who is a scholar of law.’ He replied, ‘Yes, that is true.’ I then asked, ‘O Ghaylan, do you issue decree which brings a man together with his wife?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I do so.’ I asked, ‘Do you issue a decree that separates a man from his wife?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I do so.’ I asked, ‘Do you issue a decree which puts a man to death?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I do so.’ I asked, ‘Do you execute penalties?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I do so.’ I asked, ‘Do you issue decrees about the assets of the orphans?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I do so.’ I asked, ‘According to whose judgments do you judge?’ He replied, ‘I judge according to the judgment of ‘Umar, ibn Mas‘ud, ibn al-‘Abbas and the judgments of Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.), in a few things.’ I then asked, ‘O Ghaylan, did you not, O people of Iraq, think and believe that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, “Ali (a.s.), is the best judge among you?”’ He replied, ‘Yes, that is true.’ I then asked, ‘Why is it then that you judge according to the judgment of Ali (a.s.), only in few things, when the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, “Ali (a.s.), is the best judge among you?”’ I then asked, ‘How do you issue judgments, O Ghaylan?’ He replied, ‘I write, “This is the judgment issued by so and so son of so and so, on so and so day of so and so month of so and so year, and then keep it in the office (for the record).”’ I then said, ‘O Ghaylan, that indeed is necessary for a judge to do as you mentioned. What will you say when all people of the past and later generations will be brought in one place and you are found judging against the judgment of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and Ali (a.s.) ?’ I swear by Allah, he began to sob. I then said, ‘Just keep your tongue balanced.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then arrived in al-Kufah and stayed as Allah wanted, and then I heard a man in the town speaking, a close associate of ibn Hubayrah, saying, “One night I was with ibn Hubayrah when the guard came and said, ‘Ghaylan ibn Jami‘ is here.’ He said, ‘Allow him to come in.’ When he came in he (ibn Hubayrah) treated him with insults and asked, ‘How is the condition of the people and tell me, in a turbulent condition, who do you think is for them?’ He replied, ‘I did not see there anyone else for them besides Ja‘far ibn Muhammad (a.s.) .’ He then asked, ‘Tell me about what you did with the assets with you? It has come to my notice that he asked you but you refused? He replied, ‘I distributed it.’ ‘Why did you not give him what he had asked from you?’ He replied, ‘I was afraid to act against you? He then said, ‘I ask you by Allah, did I not ask you to allow him to be the first?’ He replied, ‘Yes, that is true? He then asked, ‘Did you then do so?’ He replied, ‘No, I did not do so? He then said, ‘Why did you oppose me in giving him of the assets as you opposed me in making him to be the last? By Allah, had you done it, you would still remain a great master. What do you need?’ He replied, ‘I ask for a private meeting? He said, ‘You must speak it out in public? He said, ‘I ask you to excuse me from performing the task of a judging? The associate said that he pulled his sleeves up to his elbows and said, ‘I am abu Khalid and you have found him to be a readily prepared box of assets. Yes, we have excused you from performing the task of judgeship and we appoint al-Hajjaj ibn ‘Asem instead?’””

“Once I had a business deal with a Jewish man and he cheated me in the deal for one thousand dirham. I took him before the governor and made him take an oath, which he did. I knew that it was a sinful oath, taking on his part. Afterward a profit of many dirham emerged for him with me, I wanted to compensate the one thousand dirham from his profits; so I wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about it and informed him (the Imam) about my asking the Jewish man to take oath, and that he did take an oath. That now a certain amount of profit that belongs to him exists with me; if you permit, me I can offset thereof the one thousand dirham for which he took an oath. He (the Imam) wrote back the answer, ‘No, do not take anything thereof. If he did injustice to you, you must not do injustice to him. Had you not agreed to his taking an oath, I would have commanded you to compensate from what is in your hands; but you agreed that he must take an oath and it has taken with it whatever there was? I then was stopped by the letter of abu al-Hassan (a.s.).”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about testimony when it is presented before a judge; if he can issue a judgment on the basis of the testimony, which he does not know, without asking? He (the Imam) said, ‘In five things it is obligatory on people to accept them for the face value of the rule: guardianship, marriage, inheritance slaughtered animals and testimonies. If they apparently are safe and clear, it then is permissible to accept the testimony, and there is no need to ask about its indepth details?”

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man who gives one thousand dirham to a man to mix with his assets and use in trade. When he asks for payment, he says that the asset has gone along with an equal amount of assets that belongs to someone else with a great deal of funds of other people. He then asks, ‘What have the others done?’ He replies, ‘They took their assets? Abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, both have said, ‘He can ask him (the trader) for his assets, who can then ask them for whatever (extra) they have taken?”

“I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of one who hires a man who because of not being able to trust each other, places the wages in the hand of another man who dies without any replacement and the wages vanish. He (the Imam) said, ‘The person hiring is responsible for the wages of the worker until he pays, unless the worker has told him to do so and agreed to give it to that person; if so then his right is where he agreed to be placed.’”

“I once wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, a woman dies and her father claims that she had borrowed from him certain things of household materials; if his claim is acceptable without testimony.’ He (the Imam) wrote to him, ‘It is permissible to accept his claim without testimony.’ He wrote to him (the Imam) asking, ‘What happens if a husband claims against a dead woman or father of her husband or mother of her husband about her assets or her servants like what her father claimed which was in the form of borrowing; if it is like the claim of the father. He (the Imam) (a.s.), wrote the answer, ‘No, it is not permissible.’”

Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that a taxpayer slave who had become a Muslim was brought before Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali (a.s.). He (the Imam) issued a judgment that said, ‘You (people of the state) must sell him to a Muslim and pay his price to his owner and do not leave him with him.’”

“Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.), has said, ‘The judicial laws of Muslims are based on three principles; Just witnesses or decisive oath or a tradition practiced by the Imam of guidance who have passed away.’”

“Once two men brought their case before Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about a cow which both claimed to be his, and each one presented testimony. Dawud went to the temple and asked, ‘Lord, this case has tired me so You must decide.’ Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, sent him revelation that said, ‘Take away the thigh of the cow from the hand of the one who has it in his hand, give it to the other one and strike his neck with sword.’ The Israelites raised a great deal of objections saying, ‘This one presented testimony and this one presented testimony. The one who had it in his hand was more rightful but he took it away from him and struck his neck with a sword then gave the cow to the other one.’ Dawud ‘Alayhi al-Salam, went in the temple and said, ‘Lord, the Israelites have made much noise because of Your decree.’ His Lord sent him revelation and said that the one who had the cow in his hand met the father of the other one, killed him and took away his cow. So do not ask Me to issue a decree until the Day of Judgment.’”

“I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who hires a man to dig for him a well as deep as ten times the height of a man for ten dirham; but then he fails to do so because of weakness. He (the Imam) said, ’Ten must be divided into fifty-five of which one is for the first length, two for the second and three for the third in the same way until the tenth.’”

“This is about the case of two men who each had claimed a mule to be his mule. One of them presented two witnesses and the other one presented five witnesses. Abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.), issued a judgment. It gave two shares to the one who presented two witnesses and five shares to the one who presented five witnesses.’”