Judgment of Amir al-Muminin (Commander of the Faithful) Regarding a Mother and Son


During the caliphate of Umar, a young man came to him complaining about his mother and lamenting, “O God! Judge between me and my mother.” Umar asked him, “What has your mother done? Why are you complaining about her?” The young man replied, “My mother carried me in her womb for nine months and breastfed me for two full years. Now that I have grown up and can distinguish between right and wrong, she has rejected me and says, ‘You are not my son!’ Even though she is my mother… I am her son.”


Umar ordered the woman to be brought. Realizing the reason for the summons, she appeared in court along with her four brothers and forty witnesses.


Umar asked the young man to state his claim. The young man repeated his words and swore that this woman was his mother. Umar said to the woman, “What do you say in response?” The woman replied, “I call God as my witness and swear by the Prophet (peace be upon him) that I do not know this boy. With such a claim, he wants to disgrace me among my tribe and relatives. I am a woman from the Quraysh tribe, I have never been married, and I am still a virgin. How could he possibly be my son?” Umar asked, “Do you have witnesses?” The woman replied, “These are all my witnesses.” The forty people testified that the young man was lying and confirmed that the woman had never been married and was still a virgin.


Umar ordered the young man to be imprisoned until the witnesses could be investigated. If the witnesses were truthful, the young man would be punished as a slanderer. As the officers were taking him to prison, they encountered Imam Ali (peace be upon him). The young man cried out, “O Ali! Help me, for I have been wronged,” and he explained his situation. The Imam said, “Take him back to Umar.” When they returned, Umar said, “I had ordered him to be imprisoned. Why have you brought him back?” They replied, “Ali (peace be upon him) ordered us to bring him back, and we have often heard you say not to oppose the command of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).” At that moment, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) entered and ordered the young man’s mother to be summoned, and she was brought. Then, the Imam said to the young man, “State your claim.” The young man repeated his entire story. Ali (peace be upon him) turned to Umar and said, “Would you like me to judge between these two?” Umar said, “Glory be to God! How could I not want that? I have heard the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) say, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) is the most knowledgeable among you.’” The Imam said to the woman, “Do you have witnesses for your claim?” She replied, “Yes! I have forty witnesses, all present.” The witnesses came forward and testified as before. Ali (peace be upon him) said, “I judge according to the pleasure of God, the same judgment that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) taught me.” Then, he said to the woman, “Do you have a guardian or someone responsible for your affairs?” The woman replied, “Yes! These four are my brothers, and they have authority over me.” The Imam then said to the woman’s brothers, “Do you grant me authority over your affairs?” They said, “Yes! You have authority over us.” The Imam said, “By the testimony of Almighty God and all the people present in this assembly, I marry this woman to this young man with a dowry of four hundred dirhams in cash, which I will pay myself.” He then said to Qanbar, “Quickly bring four hundred dirhams.” Qanbar brought the money. The Imam poured all the money into the young man’s hands and said, “Take this money and pour it into your wife’s lap. Take her hand and leave, and do not return to us unless you show signs of marriage, meaning you return after having performed the ritual bath (ghusl).” The young man moved, poured the money into the woman’s lap, and said, “Get up! Let’s go.” At that moment, the woman cried out, “The Fire! The Fire! O cousin of the Prophet, do you want to marry me to my son?! By God, this young man is my son.

My brothers married me to a man whose father was a freed slave, and I bore this son from him. When the child grew up, they told me to deny his parentage, and I did as my brothers instructed. But now I confess that he is my son. My heart is filled with love and affection for him.” The mother took her son’s hand, and they left the court. Umar said, “If it were not for Ali, I would have been ruined.”