374. Imām Ali (a.s.) – to Rifā`a: “Do not make judgment when you are angry, nor when you are drowsy.”1
375. Imām Ali (a.s.) – in his letter to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr: “If you judge among people, you should be humble, treat them leniently, have a cheerful face before them and have equal looks at them so that the chief will not expect your injustice in their favor and the weak will not despair of your justice for them.”2
376. Imām Ali (a.s.): “The one who practices justice should treat people equally in pointing and looking at them and in seating.”3
377. Imām Ali (a.s.): “It behooves a judge to avoid paying attention to only one of the litigants. He must share his glances at them equally and not to let one party show injustice to the other.”4
378. Imām al-Sādiq (a.s.): “A man came to stay with the Commander of the Faithful [as a guest] for a few days and he brought up a lawsuit that he had not earlier informed him about. The Commander of the Faithful asked him if he were one of the litigants and he said that he was. Then he said: “Keep away from us. Verily the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) has prohibited that one litigant be a guest [to the judge] unless the other one also be with him.”5
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Dismissing Judges who Violate the Rules of Judgment
379. `Awāli al-Li'āli: “The Commander of the Faithful appointed Abu al-Aswad al-Du'li as a judge, then he dismissed him. He [Abu al-Aswad] asked him: “Why did you dismiss me, whereas I did not commit any crime nor betrayed?”
Ali (a.s.) replied: “I noticed that your voice was louder than that of the litigant.”6
1.. Da`ā'im al-Islām, vol. ۲, p. ۵۳۷, h. ۱۹۰۹, Dastur Ma`ālim al-Hikam, p. ۶۳.
2.. Tuhaf al-`Ughul, p. ۱۷۷, Bihār al-Anwār, vol. ۳۳, p. ۵۸۶, h. ۷۳۳.
3.. al-Kāfi, vol. ۷, p. ۴۱۳, h. ۳, Tahdhib al-Ahkām, vol. ۶, p. ۲۲۶, h. ۵۴۳, Nasb al-Rāya, vol. ۴, p. ۷۳.
4.. Da`ā'im al-Islām, vol. ۲, p. ۵۳۳, h. ۱۸۹۵.
5.. al-Kāfi, vol. ۷, p. ۴۱۳, h. ۴, Tahdhib al-Ahkām, vol. ۶, p. ۲۲۶, h. ۵۴۴, Man lā yahdarahu al-Faqih, vol. ۳, p. ۱۲, h. ۳۲۳۶.
6.. ‘Awāli al-Li'āli, vol. ۲, p. ۳۴۳, h. ۵.