Today, we continue to study the tradition of the First Infallible Successor to Prophet of Islam, Imam Ali (Peace be upon him).

One of the evident aspects of Imam Ali’s judicial policy was his prudence and innovation in judgment.

Imam Ali (AS) was more familiar than anyone else with theology and Sharia of Islam, which are the main sources of fair judgment in this divine religion. Thus, he was superior to others in making judgments. The disciples of the Prophet of Islam, Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny) had repeatedly heard Prophet Mohammad saying that Imam Ali was superior to all of them in regard to judgment.

Imam Ali maintained purity and chastity which is a necessity in making healthy and fair judgments, granting him immunity from any wrongdoing in judgment. Imam Ali had also mastered judicial affairs.

Imam Ali interacted with the Prophet of Islam, more than anyone else, and maintained a highly profound understanding of Islamic teachings. The Infallible Imam noted that if he asked a question from Prophet Mohammad, the Prophet responded to him, and if he remained silent, the Prophet started to speak to the Infallible Imam about hadiths.

When Imam Ali attained caliphate, he took charge of judicial affairs, although his government was faced with problems, such as enemies, and the excessive demands of opportunists and hypocrites. He purged courts and in fact founded the first Islamic courts. His judgments have been registered as major judgments throughout the course of history. Throughout his rule, an efficient judicial system was established based on the then conditions. Imam Ali judged disputes among people based on the enlightening Quranic guidelines. The judgments of Imam Ali led to disclosure of the truth, compelling everyone to praise the Infallible Imam’s judgments. He applied creative approaches in making judgments and made use of his knowledge in the best possible manner, administering justice in accordance with wisdom and logic.

One of Imam Ali’s traits was his resoluteness in implementation of judicial rulings. He attached significant importance to the judicial system and materialization of people’s rights, while also focusing on training judges.

Thus, he continuously monitored judges’ performance via his especial inspectors and officials.

One of his innovative measures was to separate witnesses from each other in courts for the first time, while separately getting testimonies from each of the witnesses. Previously, witnesses attended court hearings and gave testimonies, collectively, which always led to compatibility of their remarks. Let’s pay attention to one of Imam Ali’s cases of judgment.

One day, a youth approached the Infallible Imam and sought Imam’s assistance to find his father. The youth said that his father had gone on a journey with a number of his friends. However, his father’s friends had returned while there was no trace of his father. Imam Ali summoned the friends of the man, who had vanished, inspecting them. They all alleged that the youth’s father had disappeared, and was nowhere to be found. Their response did not persuade Imam Ali. So, he instructed their imprisonment in separate chambers. A few days later, Imam Ali interrogated one of them. He interrogated a second defendant another day in the same manner. When all witnesses gave their testimonies, Imam Ali detected highly contradictory allegations. Therefore, he once again summoned witnesses and informed them about the contradictory nature of their allegations. In this manner, they were forced to admit to the murder of their friend, and the truth was revealed.

Undoubtedly, Imam Ali’s judgments are registered as valid judicial documents in the divine religion of Islam. Based on the principles of judgment in Islam; practical and prudent tools and approaches can be applied to reveal the truth; such as Imam Ali’s judgments, which were rooted in prudent and scientific criteria. Meanwhile, other important points are also evident in Imam Ali’s judgments.

One of the principles, which should be taken into consideration in judgments, is the principle of equality of individuals before the law, which was completely fulfilled in Imam Ali’s judgments. In an advice to a judge, Imam Ali underscored: “Treat Muslims equally, so that your associates would not set their hopes on your bias toward them; and your enemies      would not be disappointed about your judgment.” 

One of the other features of Imam Ali’s judgment was convening open court hearings, so that there would be a public supervision on the quality of administration of justice, and people would become aware of the fate of criminals and learn lessons from it. Therefore, Imam Ali held hearings in Kufa Mosque. Obviously, if holding an open court hearing would lead to promotion of corruption in the community, the court hearing should be held behind closed doors.

Another important point in Imam Ali’s just tradition was that he granted the parties to the lawsuit the opportunity to defend themselves, and the defendant was granted the right to defend his case. He also believed in maintenance of human dignity in dealing with defendants and criminals. Imam Ali was strongly against any physical and mental persecution of defendants, and also fairly treated inmates, providing food and clothing for them, and behaving kindly toward them.

The fact of the matter is that Imam Ali unfolded a new chapter in judgment, and his judgments were fair and based on wisdom and prudence.

MR/EA