Once a man came to the Holy Prophet (SA) with the complaint that the cow of another man, who had also accompanied him, had killed his donkey. The Holy Prophet (SA) sent both of them to Hazrat Abu Bakr. (RA)
Hazrat Abu Bakr(RA) asked them as to why they had not gone to the Holy Prophet (SA). They replied that the Holy Prophet (SA) had himself sent them to him and that th case was in the first instance was duly taken to the Prophet of Allah (SA).
Having heard the initial reportHazrat Abu Bakr (RA) said :
“If an animal kills another animal there is no penalty on the animal or his owner.”
Saying thiso Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) told the parties to go to the Holy Prophet (SA) again and inform him of his decision. In compliance of the orders of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)
both the men went back to the Holy Prophet (SA) and informed him of Hazrat Abu Bakr’s (RA) decision in their case.
The Holy Prophet (A) then sent them to Hazrat Omar (RA). He also gave the same decision as was previously given by Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA ). When they appraised the Holy Prophet (SA) of the decision by Hazrat Omar, (RA) the Holy Prophet (SA) finall) sent them to Hazrat Ali (A) for a decision.
When the two men went to Hazrat Ali (A), he put a few questions to them.
The first question was: “Were both the animals united at the time of occurrence of the incident ?
“No”, said both of them.
Hazrat Ali (A) then put a second question to them: “Were both of them tied” ?
“No”, replied they.
Then Hazrat Ali (A) put a third question to them: “Was the cow tied and the donkey untied” ? “No”, replied the twb men again.
The fourth and the last question of Hazrat Ali (A) was: “Was the donkey tied and the cow untied” ?
“Yes”, came the reply from both the parties.
“Then”, Hazrat Ali (A) said, “the owner of the cow has to pay the penalty to the owner of the donkey whom the cow has killed.”
When the report of the decision by Hazrat Ali (A) in the above case reached, the Holy Prophet (SA), he exclaimed : “Lo!
Ali has given the same decision as Allah Himself would have given in this case.” (Matalibus Soul: p. 85; Irshad Mufid, Manaqib, vol. 2, p. 177; Nasikhut Tawarikh: vol. 2, p.731).