#10724 10724 - From Ali, who said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent me to Yemen, and we came upon a people who had built a pit-trap for a lion. While they were in that state, pushing one another, a man fell in, so he grabbed onto another, who then grabbed onto another, until four of them had fallen into it. The lion wounded them, then a man stepped forward with a spear and killed it, and they all died from their wounds. The guardians of the first man rose against the guardians of the last and drew their weapons to kill him. Ali (pbuh) came to them at that moment and said: "Do you intend to fight while the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is still alive? I shall judge between you with a judgment; if you are satisfied with it, then that is the judgment, otherwise, you shall restrain one another until you come to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) so that he may be the one to judge between you. Whoever transgresses after that shall have no right. Collect for me from the tribes of those who dug the pit: a quarter of the blood money, a third of the blood money, half of the blood money, and the full blood money. For the first is a quarter, because he perished due to those above him; for the second is a third of the blood money; and for the third is half of the blood money." But they refused to accept it. So they came to the Prophet (pbuh) while he was standing at the Station of Abraham and recounted the story to him. He said: "I shall judge between you," and he sat with his legs drawn up. Then a man from the people said: "Indeed, Ali has already judged among us," and they recounted the story to him. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) approved his judgment.