Adjudication Disciplines

4. Through the same chain of narrators as that of the previous Hadith, the following is narrated: “A man once became a guest of ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali عليه السلام, and stayed with him for several days. He then presented a case before him (the Imam) for adjudication, which he had not mentioned to him (the Imam) before. He (the Imam) asked, ‘Are you the plaintiff?’ The man replied, ‘Yes, I am the plaintiff.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must move in another place for lodging; the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has prohibited entertaining a plaintiff as a guest without the presence of the defendant.’”