To Retaliate and Offset for Debts

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ وَقَعَ لِي عِنْدَهُ مَالٌ فَكَابَرَنِي عَلَيْهِ وَ حَلَفَ ثُمَّ وَقَعَ لَهُ عِنْدِي مَالٌ فَآخُذُهُ مَكَانَ مَالِيَ الَّذِي أَخَذَهُ وَ أَجْحَدُهُ وَ أَحْلِفُ عَلَيْهِ كَمَا صَنَعَ فَقَالَ إِنْ خَانَكَ فَلَا تَخُنْهُ‌[2] وَ لَا تَدْخُلْ فِيمَا عِبْتَهُ عَلَيْهِ.

“This is concerning my question before Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.), about the case of a man who had a certain amount of my property with him. He played arrogantly with me about it and swore to deny it. Thereafter a certain amount of his property came into my control. Can I take his property in place of my property with him, d

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع الرَّجُلُ يَكُونُ لِي عَلَيْهِ الْحَقُّ فَيَجْحَدُنِيهِ ثُمَّ يَسْتَوْدِعُنِي مَالًا أَ لِي أَنْ آخُذَ مَالِي عِنْدَهُ قَالَ لَا هَذِهِ خِيَانَةٌ.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who owes to me a right but he denies it and then leaves in my trust a certain amount of his property: if I can offset my rights with him from his property with me. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, you cannot do so because it is treachery’”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع رَجُلٌ كَانَ لَهُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مَالٌ فَجَحَدَهُ إِيَّاهُ وَ ذَهَبَ بِهِ ثُمَّ صَارَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لِلرَّجُلِ الَّذِي ذُهِبَ بِمَالِهِ مَالٌ قِبَلَهُ أَ يَأْخُذُهُ مِنْهُ مَكَانَ مَالِهِ الَّذِي ذَهَبَ بِهِ مِنْهُ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَ لَكِنْ لِهَذَا كَلَامٌ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي آخُذُ هَذَا الْمَالَ مَكَانَ مَالِيَ الَّذِي أَخَذَهُ مِنِّي وَ إِنِّي لَمْ آخُذْ مَا أَخَذْت

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has a certain amount of property with another person who denies the existence of such thing with him and goes away with it. Later a certain amount of the property of this person comes in the control of the first one; Can he offset