Chapter on Legal Stratagems in Rulings

النَّبِيُّ ص يُدْخِلُ الْفِيلَ سَفِينَةً ثُمَّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى مَوْضِعِ مَبْلَغِ الْمَاءِ مِنَ السَّفِينَةِ فَيُعَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ الْفِيلَ وَ يُلْقِي فِي السَّفِينَةِ حَدِيداً أَوْ صُفْراً أَوْ مَا شَاءَ فَإِذَا بَلَغَ الْمَوْضِعَ الَّذِي عَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ أَخْرَجَهُ وَ وَزَنَهُ.

Hadith.3245 - In the narration of al-Nadr ibn Suwayd, attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): A man swore an oath that he would weigh an elephant. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "He should place the elephant in a boat, then observe the water level reached by the boat and mark

أَحَدُ الرَّجُلَيْنِ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي قَيْدِهِ كَذَا وَ كَذَا فَامْرَأَتُهُ طَالِقٌ ثَلَاثاً فَقَالَ الْآخَرُ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ كَمَا قُلْتَ فَامْرَأَتُهُ طَالِقٌ ثَلَاثاً فَذَهَبَا إِلَى مَوْلَى الْعَبْدِ وَ هُوَ الْمُقَيِّدُ فَقَالا لَهُ إِنَّا حَلَفْنَا عَلَى كَذَا وَ كَذَا فَحُلَّ قَيْدَ غُلَامِكَ حَتَّى نَزِنَهُ فَقَالَ مَوْلَى الْعَبْدِ امْرَأَتُهُ طَالِقٌ إِنْ حَلَلْتُ قَيْدَ غُلَامِي فَارْتَفَعُوا إِلَى عُ

Hadith.3246 - In the narration of Amr ibn Shimr, from Jafar ibn Ghalib al-Asadi, who reported: Two men were sitting during the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab when a man passed by them in chains. One of the men said: "If there is not such-and-such weight in his chains, then my wife is divorced three times." The other man s

كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ أَنْتَ عَبْدِي قَدِ اشْتَرَيْتُكَ قَالَ يُحْكَمُ بَيْنَهُمَا مِنْ حَيْثُ افْتَرَقَا فَيُذْرَعُ الطَّرِيقُ فَأَيُّهُمَا كَانَ أَقْرَبَ فَالَّذِي أَخَذَ فِيهِ هُوَ الَّذِي سَبَقَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَبْعَدُ[4] وَ إِنْ كَانَا سَوَاءً فَهُمَا رَدٌّ عَلَى مَوَالِيهِمَا[5].

Hadith.3247 - Ahmad ibn A'idh narrated from Abu Salamah, from Abu Abdillah (as), regarding two slave men who were authorized to buy and sell with the wealth of their masters. A dispute arose between them, and they fought. Each ran to the master of the other. They were equal in strength. One purchased the other from his

أَعْطِينِي وَدِيعَتِي فَإِنَّ صَاحِبِي قَدْ مَاتَ فَأَبَتْ حَتَّى كَثُرَ اخْتِلَافُهُ إِلَيْهَا ثُمَّ أَعْطَتْهُ ثُمَّ جَاءَ الْآخَرُ فَقَالَ هَاتِي وَدِيعَتِي قَالَتْ أَخَذَهَا صَاحِبُكَ وَ ذَكَرَ أَنَّكَ قَدْ مِتَّ فَارْتَفَعَا إِلَى عُمَرَ فَقَالَ لَهَا عُمَرُ مَا أَرَاكِ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ ضَمِنْتِ فَقَالَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ اجْعَلْ عَلِيّاً ع بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ اقْضِ بَيْنَهُمَا فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع هَذِهِ الْ

Hadith.3248 - In the narration of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi: Two men entrusted a woman with a deposit and said to her, "Do not give it to either of us until we both come together to collect it." Then they left and were absent for a while. One of them came to her and said: "Give me my deposit, for my companion has

صَاحِبَةُ الِابْنَةِ الِابْنُ ابْنِي وَ قَالَتْ صَاحِبَةُ الِابْنِ الِابْنُ ابْنِي فَتَحَاكَمَا[3] إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَأَمَرَ أَنْ يُوزَنَ لَبَنُهُمَا وَ قَالَ أَيَّتُهُمَا كَانَتْ أَثْقَلَ لَبَناً فَالابْنُ لَهَا.

During the time of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), a man had two female slaves, and both gave birth on the same night-one to a son and the other to a daughter. The mother of the daughter took her child and placed her in the cradle that contained the son, and she took the son for herself. The mother of the daughter claimed

قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع‌[4] ضَرَبَ رَجُلٌ رَجُلًا فِي هَامَتِهِ عَلَى عَهْدِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَادَّعَى الْمَضْرُوبُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُبْصِرُ بِعَيْنَيْهِ شَيْئاً وَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَشَمُّ رَائِحَةً-

Hadith.3250 - Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) said: A man struck another man on the head during the time of Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as). The injured man claimed that he could no longer see with his eyes, could not smell any fragrance, and had lost his speech, becoming mute. Comma

فَرُفِعَ ذَلِكَ إِلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ كَيْفَ يَقْضِي فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ اذْهَبْ بِهَا إِلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَأَتَوْا عَلِيّاً وَ قَصُّوا عَلَيْهِ الْقِصَّةَ فَقَالَ لِامْرَأَةِ الرَّجُلِ أَ لَكِ بَيِّنَةٌ قَالَتْ نَعَمْ هَؤُلَاءِ جِيرَانِي‌[2] يَشْهَدْنَ عَلَيْهَا بِمَا أَقُولُ فَأَخْرَجَ عَلِيٌّ ع السَّيْفَ مِنْ غِمْدِهِ وَ طَرَحَهُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِكُلِّ وَ

A woman was brought before Umar ibn al-Khattab, and witnesses testified against her that she had committed adultery. Her story was that she was an orphan raised in the house of a man who had a wife. The man would frequently be away from home. The orphan grew up to be beautiful, and the man's wife feared that her husban

وُجِدَ عَلَى عَهْدِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مَذْبُوحٌ فِي خَرِبَةٍ وَ هُنَاكَ رَجُلٌ بِيَدِهِ سِكِّينٌ مُلَطَّخٌ بِالدَّمِ فَأُخِذَ لِيُؤْتَى بِهِ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَأَقَرَّ أَنَّهُ قَتَلَهُ فَاسْتَقْبَلَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَلُّوا عَنْ هَذَا فَأَنَا قَاتِلُ صَاحِبِكُمْ فَأُخِذَ أَيْضاً وَ أُتِيَ بِهِ مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا قَصُّوا عَلَي

تُوُفِّيَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى عَهْدِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع وَ خَلَّفَ ابْناً وَ عَبْداً فَادَّعَى كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا أَنَّهُ الِابْنُ وَ أَنَّ الْآخَرَ عَبْدٌ لَهُ فَأَتَيَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَتَحَاكَمَا إِلَيْهِ فَأَمَرَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع أَنْ يُثْقَبَ فِي حَائِطِ الْمَسْجِدِ ثَقْبَيْنِ ثُمَّ أَمَرَ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا أَنْ يُدْخِلَ رَأْسَهُ فِي ثَقْبٍ فَفَعَلَا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا قَنْبَرُ جَرِّدِ ا

يَا ابْنَ عَمِّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ إِنِّي مَظْلُومَةٌ وَ هَذِهِ حُجَّتِي فَقَالَ هَاتِي حُجَّتَكِ فَدَفَعَتْ إِلَيْهِ كِتَاباً فَقَرَأَهُ فَقَالَ هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ تُعْلِمُكُمْ بِيَوْمَ تَزَوَّجَهَا وَ يَوْمَ وَاقَعَهَا وَ كَيْفَ كَانَ جِمَاعُهُ لَهَا[2] رُدُّوا الْمَرْأَةَ فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنَ الْغَدِ دَعَا عَلِيٌّ ع بِصِبْيَانٍ يَلْعَبُونَ أَتْرَابٍ‌[3] وَ فِيهِمُ ابْنُهَا فَقَالَ لَهُمُ الْعَبُوا فَلَعِبُوا حَتَّى إِ

A woman was brought before Umar ibn al-Khattab. She had married an old man who died while lying on top of her after consummating the marriage. Later, she gave birth to a child. The old man's sons accused her of adultery and testified against her. Umar ordered that she be stoned. As they were leading her away, they pass

دَخَلَ عَلِيٌّ ع الْمَسْجِدَ فَاسْتَقْبَلَهُ شَابٌّ وَ هُوَ يَبْكِي وَ حَوْلَهُ قَوْمٌ يُسْكِتُونَهُ- فَقَالَ ع مَا أَبْكَاكَ فَقَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنَّ شُرَيْحاً قَضَى عَلَيَّ بِقَضِيَّةٍ مَا أَدْرِي مَا هِيَ إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ النَّفَرَ خَرَجُوا بِأَبِي مَعَهُمْ فِي سَفَرِهِمْ فَرَجَعُوا وَ لَمْ يَرْجِعْ أَبِي فَسَأَلْتُهُمْ عَنْهُ فَقَالُوا مَاتَ فَسَأَلْتُهُمْ عَنْ مَالِهِ فَقَالُوا مَا تَرَكَ مَالًا ف

قَضَى عَلِيٌّ ع فِي امْرَأَةٍ أَتَتْهُ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ زَوْجِي وَقَعَ عَلَى جَارِيَتِي بِغَيْرِ إِذْنِي فَقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَالَ مَا وَقَعْتُ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهَا فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع إِنْ كُنْتِ صَادِقَةً رَجَمْنَاهُ وَ إِنْ كُنْتِ كَاذِبَةً ضَرَبْنَاكِ حَدّاً وَ أُقِيمَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَقَامَ عَلِيٌّ ع يُصَلِّي فَفَكَّرَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ فِي نَفْسِهَا فَلَمْ تَرَ لَهَا فِي رَجْمِ زَوْجِهَا فَرَجاً وَ

Hadith.3256 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) judged in the case of a woman who came to him and said: "My husband has had relations with my bondwoman without my permission." Imam (as) said to the man: "What do you say?" The man replied: "I did not approach her except with her permission." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said:

قَضَى عَلِيٌّ ع فِي رَجُلٍ جَاءَ بِهِ رَجُلَانِ فَقَالا إِنَّ هَذَا سَرَقَ دِرْعاً فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يُنَاشِدُهُ لَمَّا نَظَرَ فِي الْبَيِّنَةِ[2] وَ جَعَلَ يَقُولُ وَ اللَّهِ لَوْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مَا قَطَعَ يَدِي أَبَداً قَالَ وَ لِمَ قَالَ كَانَ يُخْبِرُهُ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنِّي بَرِي‌ءٌ فَيُبَرِّئُنِي بِبَرَاءَتِي فَلَمَّا رَأَى عَلِيٌّ ع مُنَاشَدَتَهُ إِيَّاهُ دَعَا الشَّاهِدَيْنِ وَ قَالَ لَهُمَا

"This man has stolen a coat of armor." The accused pleaded with Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) to examine the evidence carefully and said: "By Allah (swt), if the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace be upon him and his family) were here, he would never cut off my hand." Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) asked: "Why?" The man replie