Chapter on Claims That Are Accepted Without Evidence

Hadith.3425 - A Bedouin came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, and claimed seventy dirhams as the price of a she-camel he had sold to Him (sw). The Prophet (sw) said: "I have paid you." The Bedouin said: "Appoint someone between me and you who will judge between us." Then, a man from Quraysh approached, and the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family, said: "Judge between us." The man asked the Bedouin: "What is your claim against the Messenger of Allah (swt)?" He replied: "Seventy dirhams, the price of a she-camel I sold to Him (sw)." The judge asked: "What do you say, O Messenger of Allah (swt)?" The Prophet (sw) said: "I have paid him." The judge then asked the Bedouin: "What do you say?" The Bedouin replied: "He (sw) has not paid me." The judge said to the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family: "Do you have any evidence that you have paid him?" The Prophet (sw) said: "No." The judge then said to the Bedouin: "Will you swear that you have not received your due and then take it?" The Bedouin replied: "Yes." Then the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family, said: "I will indeed take this matter for judgment to a man who judges between us with the judgment of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Majestic." The Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family, went to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), accompanied by the Bedouin. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "What is the matter, O Messenger of Allah (swt)?" He (sw) said: "O Abu al-Hasan (as), judge between me and this Bedouin." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "O Bedouin, what is your claim against the Messenger of Allah (swt)?" The Bedouin replied: "Seventy dirhams, the price of a she-camel I sold to him (sw)." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) asked: "What do you say, O Messenger of Allah (swt)?" The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "I have paid him its price." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "O Bedouin, has the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family, spoken the truth in what He (sw) said?" The Bedouin replied: "No, He (sw) has not paid me anything." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), then drew his sword and struck his neck. The Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family, said: "Why did you do that, O Ali (as)?" Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) replied: "O Messenger of Allah (swt), we believe you concerning Allah's (swt) commands and prohibitions, and regarding Paradise and Hell, reward and punishment, and the revelation of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Majestic. Should we then not believe you concerning the price of this Bedouin's she-camel? I killed him because he denied you when I asked him, 'Has the Messenger of Allah (swt) spoken the truth in what he said?' and he replied: 'No, he has not paid me anything.'" The Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family, said: "You have done right, O Ali (as), but do not repeat this again." Then, He (sw) turned to the Qurayshi man who had followed him and said: "This is the judgment of Allah (swt), not what you had judged."

The Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family, came out from the house of Aisha, and a Bedouin approached him with a she-camel. The Bedouin said: "O Muhammad, will you buy this she-camel?" The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Yes. For how much do you sell it, O Bedouin?" The Bedouin replied: "For two hundred dirhams." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Rather, your she-camel is worth more than this." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, continued to increase the price until he purchased the she-camel for four hundred dirhams. When the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, handed the dirhams to the Bedouin, the Bedouin grabbed the reins of the she-camel and said: "The she-camel is mine, and the dirhams are mine. If Muhammad (sw) has any claim, let him present evidence." Then a man approached, and the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Do you agree to this elder who has come to judge between us?" The Bedouin said: "Yes, O Muhammad (sw)." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Judge between me and this Bedouin." The man said: "Speak, O Messenger of Allah (swt)." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "The she-camel is mine, and the dirhams belong to the Bedouin." The Bedouin said: "Rather, the she-camel is mine, and the dirhams are mine. If Muhammad (sw) has any claim, let him present evidence." The man said: "The case is clear, O Messenger of Allah (swt), since the Bedouin is asking for evidence." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said to him, "Sit down." So he sat. Then another man approached, and the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Do you agree, O Bedouin, to this elder who has come to judge between us?" The Bedouin said: "Yes, O Muhammad (sw)." When the man came closer, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Judge between me and the Bedouin." The man said: "Speak, O Messenger of Allah (swt)." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "The she-camel is mine, and the dirhams belong to the Bedouin." The Bedouin said: "Rather, the she-camel is mine, and the dirhams are mine. If Muhammad (sw) has any claim, let him present evidence." The man said: "The case is clear, O Messenger of Allah (swt), because the Bedouin is asking for evidence." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Sit until Allah (swt) brings someone who will judge between me and the Bedouin with truth." Then Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) approached. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "Do you accept this young man who has come forward as a judge?" The Bedouin said: "Yes." When Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) drew near, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "O Abu al-Hasan (as), judge between me and this Bedouin." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Speak, O Messenger of Allah (swt)." The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "The she-camel is mine, and the dirhams belong to the Bedouin." The Bedouin said: "No, rather the she-camel is mine, and the dirhams are mine. If Muhammad (sw) has any claim, let him bring evidence." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Leave the she-camel with the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family." The Bedouin replied: "I will not do so unless He (sw) presents evidence." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) then entered his house, took hold of the hilt of his sword, and came back. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Leave the she-camel with the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family." The Bedouin replied: "I will not do so unless he presents evidence." So Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) struck him with a blow. The people of Hijaz said that he struck off his head, while some people of Iraq said that he cut off one of his limbs. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: "What made you do this, O Ali (as)?" Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "O Messenger of Allah (swt), we believe you concerning the revelation from the heavens, yet we do not believe you regarding four hundred dirhams?"