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

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام 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 عليه السلام ruled that the first was considered the prey of the lion, and his family was required to pay one-third of the blood money (diyyah) to the family of the second. The family of the second was required to pay two-thirds of the diyyah to the family of the third. The family of the third was required to pay the full diyyah to the family of the fourth.