Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾan reciter informed us: Makram related to us: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Muḥammad related to us: Muḥammad ibn Shujāʿ related to us: Bukayr al-Qaṣīr related to me: Abū Zayd Ḥammād ibn Dalīl related to us: Abū Yūsuf said: The Commander of the Faithful sat to hear grievances. I was the intermediary between him and those submitting grievances, taking their petitions and delivering them to him. An elderly man from the Sawād came to me with a petition claiming a specified orchard. He asserted that it belonged to him, was in the Commander of the Faithful’s possession, and had been seized from him. I asked, “In whose possession is it?” He said, “The Commander of the Faithful’s.” I asked, “Who cultivates it?” He said, “It is in the Commander of the Faithful’s possession; he seized it from me.” I tried every way to divert him from a claim against the Commander of the Faithful to one against someone else, but he refused to abandon his assertion that the Commander of the Faithful was the defendant. I entered with the petitions. The Commander of the Faithful sat on a chair, with Yaḥyā ibn Khālid seated beside him. As I took out the petitions, the old man’s petition came out near me, and I did not consider it lawful to postpone it. I said, “Commander of the Faithful, an elderly man from the Sawād is here claiming such-and-such orchard. I tried hard to get him to bring his claim against a subject, but he refused, saying, ‘My claim is against the Commander of the Faithful.’” He said, “I know this orchard. My father gave it to me, and it is my property.” I asked, “May the man attend?” He said yes, and I brought him in. I asked his claim. He said, “I claim such-and-such orchard,” specifying its boundaries, “against this Commander of the Faithful,” pointing at him. I asked, “Who manages it, and in whose possession is it?” He said, “This Commander of the Faithful’s.” I asked the Commander of the Faithful, “What do you say to this man’s claim?” He replied, “He has no such entitlement against me, and this orchard is not his.” I asked the man, “Do you have evidence?” He said, “His oath.” I said, “Commander of the Faithful, you must swear.” He replied, “Administer the oath.” I did, and he swore. The elder sprang up to leave, and as he turned away I heard him say, “His backside—like a draught of barley meal. [A coarse remark; its intended force is unclear.]” The Commander of the Faithful’s face darkened after swearing, and he lowered his head in thought. I thought, “I am ruined, and so is the man.” Yaḥyā ibn Khālid said, “Yaʿqūb, have you seen anyone like the Commander of the Faithful in justice and fair treatment of a subject? He gave justice against himself to the point of doing what you saw.” The Commander of the Faithful relaxed and rejoiced, saying, “Glory be to God! There must be fairness.” Yaḥyā ibn Khālid said, “Had this come from al-Fārūq, it would have been admirable,” or words to that effect. Abū Zayd said: Abū Yūsuf told us, “Whenever I remember that gathering, intense distress enters me, and I fear God for having abandoned justice there.” We asked, “What more could there be than what you did?” He asked, “Did you not understand its fault?” We said, “No, we saw only justice and upholding the right.” He said, “How so? I did not put him and his opponent on equal terms in the gathering by saying, ‘Commander of the Faithful, you are on a chair, and he is on the floor,’ and having a chair brought for him to sit on.”
Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾan reciter informed us: Makram related to us: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Muḥammad related to us: Muḥammad ibn Shujāʿ related to us: Bukayr al-Qaṣīr related to me: Abū Zayd Ḥammād ibn Dalīl related to us: Abū Yūsuf said: The Commander of the Faithful sat to hear grievances. I was the intermediary between him and those submitting grievances, taking their petitions and delivering them to him. An elderly man from the Sawād came to me with a petition claiming a specified orchard. He asserted that it belonged to him, was in the Commander of the Faithful’s possession, and had been seized from him. I asked, “In whose possession is it?” He said, “The Commander of the Faithful’s.” I asked, “Who cultivates it?” He said, “It is in the Commander of the Faithful’s possession; he seized it from me.” I tried every way to divert him from a claim against the Commander of the Faithful to one against someone else, but he refused to abandon his assertion that the Commander of the Faithful was the defendant. I entered with the petitions. The Commander of the Faithful sat on a chair, with Yaḥyā ibn Khālid seated before him. As I took out the petitions, the old man’s petition came out near me, and I did not consider it lawful to postpone it. I said, “Commander of the Faithful, an elderly man from the Sawād is here claiming such-and-such orchard. I tried hard to get him to bring his claim against a subject, but he refused, saying, ‘My claim is against the Commander of the Faithful.’” He said, “I know this orchard. My father gave it to me, and it is my property.” I asked, “May the man attend?” He said yes, and I brought him in. I asked his claim. He said, “I claim such-and-such orchard,” specifying its boundaries, “against this Commander of the Faithful,” pointing at him. I asked, “Who manages it, and in whose possession is it?” He said, “This Commander of the Faithful’s.” I asked the Commander of the Faithful, “What do you say to this man’s claim?” He replied, “He has no such entitlement against me, and this orchard is not his.” I asked the man, “Do you have evidence?” He said, “His oath.” I said, “Commander of the Faithful, you must swear.” He replied, “Administer the oath.” I did, and he swore. The elder sprang up to leave, and as he turned away I heard him say, “His backside—like a draught of barley meal. [A coarse remark; its intended force is unclear.]” The Commander of the Faithful’s face darkened after swearing, and he lowered his head in thought. I thought, “I am ruined, and so is the man.” Yaḥyā ibn Khālid said, “Yaʿqūb, have you seen anyone like the Commander of the Faithful in justice and fair treatment of a subject? He gave justice against himself to the point of doing what you saw.” The Commander of the Faithful relaxed and rejoiced, saying, “Glory be to God! There must be fairness.” Yaḥyā ibn Khālid said, “Had this come from al-Fārūq, it would have been admirable,” or words to that effect. Abū Zayd said: Abū Yūsuf told us, “Whenever I remember that gathering, intense distress enters me, and I fear God for having abandoned justice there.” We asked, “What more could there be than what you did?” He asked, “Did you not understand its fault?” We said, “No, we saw only justice and upholding the right.” He said, “How so? I did not put him and his opponent on equal terms in the gathering by saying, ‘Commander of the Faithful, you are on a chair, and he is on the floor,’ and having a chair brought for him to sit on.”