A person came to Hazrat Ali (A) and admitted before him that he had committed a theft. Hazrat Ali (A) asked him if he could read the Holy Quran. The man said that he could read Surah Baqarah of Holy Book of Allah.
Hazrat Ali (A) said to him: “I acquit you of the crime for the sake of that part of the Holy Quran.”
Hearing these words of Hazrat Ali (A), Asha’s bin Qais who happened to be present there said to him :
“Ya Ali’. Do you want to suspend the order passed by Allah for this crime ?”
Hazrat Ali (A) replied :“O’ye ignorant t You do not know that an Imam who is just can acquit the accused who admit their crime themselves, but if they do not and two witnesses who are just and of good moral character are produced against each of them, he cannot.
(Wafi, vol. 9, p. 78 through Abu Turab (Urdu), vol. 2, p. 118)