Musnad Ahmad 1310
It was narrated from Hanash bin al-Mu`tamir that `Ali (رضي الله عنه) was in Yemen and they dug a trap for a lion. One man came and fell into it; he grabbed onto another, who grabbed onto another, who grabbed onto another, until there were four of them. The lion wounded them, and some of them died in the pit and some of them were taken out and then died. They disputed about that until they took up arms (against one another). `Ali (رضي الله عنه) came to them and said:
“Woe to you! Would you kill two hundred people for four men? Come and I will judge between you, if you accept it (all well and good), otherwise refer the matter to the Prophet (ﷺ).” He ruled that one quarter of the diyah should be given for the first one, one third of the diyah for the second one, half of the diyah for the third one and the complete diyah for the fourth one. Some of them accepted it and some of them did not like it. And he imposed the diyah on the tribes of the people who had crowded one another in that place. So they referred the matter to the Prophet (ﷺ). Bahz said: Hammad said: I think he said: He was reclining, then he sat up and said: “I shall judge between you.” Then he was told that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) had issued such and such a verdict, and he approved of it, `Affan said: `I shall judge between you.”
حَدَّثَنَا بَهْزٌ، وَعَفَّانُ الْمَعْنَى، قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا سِمَاكٌ، عَنْ حَنَشِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَمِرِ، أَنَّ عَلِيًّا، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَ بِالْيَمَنِ فَاحْتَفَرُوا زُبْيَةً لِلْأَسَدِ فَجَاءَ حَتَّى وَقَعَ فِيهَا رَجُلٌ وَتَعَلَّقَ بِآخَرَ وَتَعَلَّقَ الْآخَرُ بِآخَرَ وَتَعَلَّقَ الْآخَرُ بِآخَرَ حَتَّى صَارُوا أَرْبَعَةً فَجَرَحَهُمْ الْأَسَدُ فِيهَا فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ مَاتَ فِيهَا وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أُخْرِجَ فَمَاتَ قَالَ فَتَنَازَعُوا فِي ذَلِكَ حَتَّى أَخَذُوا السِّلَاحَ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُمْ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ وَيْلَكُمْ تَقْتُلُونَ مِائَتَيْ إِنْسَانٍ فِي شَأْنِ أَرْبَعَةِ أَنَاسِيَّ تَعَالَوْا أَقْضِ بَيْنَكُمْ بِقَضَاءٍ فَإِنْ رَضِيتُمْ بِهِ وَإِلَّا فَارْتَفِعُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ فَقَضَى لِلْأَوَّلِ رُبُعَ دِيَةٍ وَلِلثَّانِي ثُلُثَ دِيَةٍ وَلِلثَّالِثِ نِصْفَ دِيَةٍ وَلِلرَّابِعِ الدِّيَةَ كَامِلَةً قَالَ فَرَضِيَ بَعْضُهُمْ وَكَرِهَ بَعْضُهُمْ وَجَعَلَ الدِّيَةَ عَلَى قَبَائِلِ الَّذِينَ ازْدَحَمُوا قَالَ فَارْتَفَعُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ بَهْزٌ قَالَ حَمَّادٌ أَحْسَبُهُ قَالَ كَانَ مُتَّكِئًا فَاحْتَبَى قَالَ سَأَقْضِي بَيْنَكُمْ بِقَضَاءٍ قَالَ فَأُخْبِرَ أَنَّ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَضَى بِكَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ فَأَمْضَى قَضَاءَهُ قَالَ عَفَّانُ سَأَقْضِي بَيْنَكُمْ‏.‏