Ibn Abi-Layla was the judge of the Umayyad and Abbasidd ruling parties and he delivered legal opinions before Abu Hanifah, who went to meet Imam al-Sadiq (as) while Said ibn Abil-Khadib came alongside him. The Imam (as) said to him: “Who is that one with you?”
“Ibn Abi-Layla, the judge of the Muslims,” he replied.
Then the Imam (as) posed the following question: “Do you take the wealth of one and give it to another? Do you facilitate the separation of a man and his wife and do not fear anyone?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“What do you usually base your judgments on?” the Imam (as) asked.
He replied: “With what came from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessing and peace be to him, and with what came from Abu Bakr and Umar.”
The Imam (as) said: “Have you heard what came from the Holy Prophet, Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him, when he said: I have assigned Ali for your judgment after me?”
“Yes!”
“Then, how come you base your judgments on things other than Ali, while you were informed of this?”
The face of ibn Abi-Layla turned yellow and he knew that he had left the truth in his sentences and in whatever he delivered as legal opinions. The Imam (as) addressed him, saying: “Be aware of yourself, I will not talk with you anymore.”
THE LIFE OF IMAM JAF’AR AL-SADIQ (AS) – BAQIR SHARIF AL-QURASHI