Chapter on the Ruling Regarding a Man Who Kills Two or More Men, and a Group That Gathers to Kill a Man

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع عَشَرَةٌ قَتَلُوا رَجُلًا قَالَ إِنْ شَاءَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ قَتَلُوهُمْ جَمِيعاً وَ غَرِمُوا تِسْعَ دِيَاتٍ وَ إِنْ شَاءُوا أَنْ يَتَخَيَّرُوا رَجُلًا فَيَقْتُلُوهُ قَتَلُوهُ وَ أَدَّى التِّسْعَةُ الْبَاقُونَ إِلَى أَهْلِ الْمَقْتُولِ الْأَخِيرِ عُشْرَ الدِّيَةِ كُلُّ رَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْوَالِيَ يَلِي أَدَبَهُمْ وَ حَبْسَهُمْ.

I asked Abu Jafar (as) about ten men who killed a man. Imam (as) said: "If the heirs of the murdered person wish, they may kill all of them and pay nine blood monies (diyyat). But if they prefer to choose one of them to execute, they may do so, and the remaining nine must each pay one-tenth of the blood money to the he

قَضَى عَلِيٌّ ع فِي رَجُلَيْنِ أَمْسَكَ أَحَدُهُمَا وَ قَتَلَ الْآخَرُ فَقَالَ يُقْتَلُ الْقَاتِلُ وَ يُحْبَسُ الْآخَرُ- حَتَّى يَمُوتَ غَمّاً كَمَا حَبَسَهُ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى مَاتَ غَمّاً.

"Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) ruled in the case of two men where one of them restrained the victim while the other killed him. Imam (as) said: 'The killer shall be executed, and the one who restrained the victim shall be imprisoned until he dies in grief, just as he caused the victim to be held until he died in grief.'"

وَ قَالَ: فِي عَشَرَةٍ اشْتَرَكُوا فِي قَتْلِ رَجُلٍ قَالَ يَتَخَيَّرُ أَهْلُ الْمَقْتُولِ فَأَيُّهُمْ شَاءُوا قَتَلُوهُ وَ يَرْجِعُ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ عَلَى الْبَاقِينَ بِتِسْعَةِ أَعْشَارِ الدِّيَةِ[1].

Hadith.5232 - And Imam (as) said regarding ten people who collectively participated in killing a man: "The heirs of the murdered person may choose whichever one of them they wish to execute, and the heirs of the executed person can then seek compensation from the remaining nine for nine-tenths of the blood money (diyya

وَ قَضَى أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فِي سِتَّةِ نَفَرٍ كَانُوا فِي الْمَاءِ فَغَرِقَ مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ فَشَهِدَ مِنْهُمْ ثَلَاثَةٌ عَلَى اثْنَيْنِ أَنَّهُمَا غَرَّقَاهُ وَ شَهِدَ اثْنَانِ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةٍ أَنَّهُمْ غَرَّقُوهُ فَأَلْزَمَهُمُ الدِّيَةَ جَمِيعاً أَلْزَمَ الِاثْنَيْنِ ثَلَاثَةَ أَسْهُمٍ بِشَهَادَةِ الثَّلَاثَةِ عَلَيْهِمَا وَ أَلْزَمَ الثَّلَاثَةَ سَهْمَيْنِ بِشَهَادَةِ الِاثْنَيْنِ عَلَيْهِمْ‌[2].

Hadith.5233 - The Commander of the Faithful (as) ruled in the case of six people who were in the water, and one of them drowned. Three of them testified that two others had drowned him, while the two testified that the three had drowned him. Imam (as) obligated all of them to pay the blood money (diyyah). Imam (as) mad

وَ قَضَى عَلِيٌّ ع‌[3] فِي أَرْبَعَةِ نَفَرٍ اطَّلَعُوا فِي زُبْيَةِ الْأَسَدِ فَخَرَّ أَحَدُهُمْ فَاسْتَمْسَكَ بِالثَّانِي وَ اسْتَمْسَكَ الثَّانِي بِالثَّالِثِ وَ اسْتَمْسَكَ الثَّالِثُ بِالرَّابِعِ حَتَّى أَسْقَطَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضاً عَلَى الْأَسَدِ فَقَضَى بِالْأَوَّلِ أَنَّهُ فَرِيسَةُ الْأَسَدِ وَ غَرَّمَ أَهْلَهُ ثُلُثَ الدِّيَةِ لِأَهْلِ الثَّانِي وَ غَرَّمَ أَهْلَ الثَّانِي لِأَهْلِ الثَّالِثِ ثُلُثَيِ الدِّي

Hadith.5234 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) ruled in the case of four people who were looking into a lion's pit. One of them fell in and grabbed onto the second, the second grabbed onto the third, and the third grabbed onto the fourth until they all pulled each other down onto the lion. Imam (as) ruled that the first was

كُنْتُ شَاهِداً عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ الْحَرَامِ يُنَادِي بِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الدَّوَانِيقِيِّ رَجُلٌ وَ هُوَ يَطُوفُ وَ يَقُولُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنَّ هَذَيْنِ الرَّجُلَيْنِ طَرَقَا أَخِي لَيْلًا فَأَخْرَجَاهُ مِنْ مَنْزِلِهِ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ إِلَيَّ وَ وَ اللَّهِ مَا أَدْرِي مَا صَنَعَا بِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُمَا مَا صَنَعْتُمَا بِهِ فَقَالا يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كَلَّمْنَاهُ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ فَقَالَ ل

I was present at the Sacred House (Al-Bayt Al-Haram) when a man was calling out to Abu Jafar Al-Dawaniqi while he was performing ṭawaf (circumambulation) and said: "O' Commander of the Faithful! These two men came to my brother at night, took him out of his house, and he never returned to me. By Allah (swt), I do not k

كَانَ قَوْمٌ يَشْرَبُونَ فَيَسْكَرُونَ فَتَبَاعَجُوا[1] بِسَكَاكِينَ كَانَتْ مَعَهُمْ فَرُفِعُوا إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَسَجَنَهُمْ فَمَاتَ مِنْهُمْ رَجُلَانِ وَ بَقِيَ رَجُلَانِ فَقَالَ أَهْلُ الْمَقْتُولَيْنِ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَقِدْهُمَا بِصَاحِبَيْنَا فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع لِلْقَوْمِ مَا تَرَوْنَ فَقَالُوا نَرَى أَنْ تُقِيدَهُمَا فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ ع لَعَلَّ ذَيْنِكَ اللَّذَيْنِ مَاتَا قَتَلَ كُلُّ وَا

Hadith.5236 - Al-Sakuni narrated from Abu Abdullah (as) that a group of people were drinking and became intoxicated. They began to attack each other with knives they had with them. They were brought before the Commander of the Faithful (as), and Imam (as) imprisoned them. Two of them died, and two remained alive. The f

وَ رُفِعَ إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌[2] ثَلَاثَةُ نَفَرٍ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَمْسَكَ رَجُلًا وَ أَقْبَلَ الْآخَرُ فَقَتَلَهُ وَ الْآخَرُ يَرَاهُمْ فَقَضَى ع فِي صَاحِبِ الرُّؤْيَةِ أَنْ تُسْمَلَ عَيْنَاهُ‌[3] وَ قَضَى فِي الَّذِي أَمْسَكَ أَنْ يُسْجَنَ حَتَّى يَمُوتَ كَمَا أَمْسَكَهُ وَ قَضَى فِي الَّذِي قَتَلَ أَنْ يُقْتَلَ.

Hadith.5237 - It was reported to the Commander of the Faithful (as) about three men: one of them restrained a man, another approached and killed him, and the third stood by watching them. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) ruled that the one who merely watched should have his eyes gouged out. Imam (as) ruled that the one who

وَ قَضَى ع فِي رَجُلٍ أَمَرَ عَبْدَهُ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ رَجُلًا فَقَالَ وَ هَلْ عَبْدُ الرَّجُلِ إِلَّا كَسَيْفِهِ وَ سَوْطِهِ يُقْتَلُ السَّيِّدُ بِهِ وَ يُسْتَوْدَعُ الْعَبْدُ السِّجْنَ حَتَّى يَمُوتَ‌[4].

Hadith.5238 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) ruled in the case of a man who commanded his servant to kill another man. Imam (as) said: "Is not a man's servant like his sword and his whip? The master shall be executed for the crime, and the servant shall be imprisoned until he dies."