سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ قَتَلَ فَحُمِلَ إِلَى الْوَالِي وَ جَاءَهُ قَوْمٌ فَشَهِدُوا عَلَيْهِ الشُّهُودُ أَنَّهُ قَتَلَهُ عَمْداً فَدَفَعَ الْوَالِي الْقَاتِلَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَاءِ الْمَقْتُولِ لِيُقَادَ بِهِ فَلَمْ يَرْتِمُوا حَتَّى أَتَاهُمْ رَجُلٌ فَأَقَرَّ عِنْدَ الْوَالِي أَنَّهُ قَتَلَ صَاحِبَهُمْ عَمْداً وَ أَنَّ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِ الشُّهُودُ بَرِيءٌ مِنْ قَتْلِ صَاحِبِكُمْ فُلَانٍ فَلَا تَقْتُلُوهُ بِهِ وَ خُذُونِي بِدَمِهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) إِنْ أَرَادَ أَوْلِيَاءُ الْمَقْتُولِ أَنْ يَقْتُلُوا الَّذِي أَقَرَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَلْيَقْتُلُوهُ وَ لَا سَبِيلَ لَهُمْ عَلَى الْآخَرِ ثُمَّ لَا سَبِيلَ لِوَرَثَةِ الَّذِي أَقَرَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ عَلَى وَرَثَةِ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ وَ إِنْ أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَقْتُلُوا الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ فَلْيَقْتُلُوهُ وَ لَا سَبِيلَ لَهُمْ عَلَى الَّذِي أَقَرَّ ثُمَّ لْيُؤَدِّ الدِّيَةَ الَّذِي أَقَرَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ إِلَى أَوْلِيَاءِ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ نِصْفَ الدِّيَةِ قُلْتُ أَ رَأَيْتَ إِنْ أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَقْتُلُوهُمَا جَمِيعاً قَالَ ذَاكَ لَهُمْ وَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يَدْفَعُوا إِلَى أَوْلِيَاءِ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ نِصْفَ الدِّيَةِ خَاصَّةً دُونَ صَاحِبِهِ ثُمَّ يَقْتُلُونَهُمَا قُلْتُ إِنْ أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَأْخُذُوا الدِّيَةَ قَالَ فَقَالَ الدِّيَةُ بَيْنَهُمَا نِصْفَانِ لِأَنَّ أَحَدَهُمَا أَقَرَّ وَ الْآخَرَ شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ قُلْتُ كَيْفَ جُعِلَتْ لِأَوْلِيَاءِ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ عَلَى الَّذِي أَقَرَّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ نِصْفُ الدِّيَةِ حِينَ قُتِلَ وَ لَمْ تُجْعَلْ لِأَوْلِيَاءِ الَّذِي أَقَرَّ عَلَى أَوْلِيَاءِ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ وَ لَمْ يُقْتَلْ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِأَنَّ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ لَيْسَ مِثْلَ الَّذِي أَقَرَّ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ لَمْ يُقِرَّ وَ لَمْ يُبْرِئْ صَاحِبَهُ وَ الْآخَرُ أَقَرَّ وَ أَبْرَأَ صَاحِبَهُ فَلَزِمَ الَّذِي أَقَرَّ وَ أَبْرَأَ صَاحِبَهُ مَا لَمْ يَلْزَمِ الَّذِي شُهِدَ عَلَيْهِ وَ لَمْ يُقِرَّ وَ لَمْ يُبْرِئْ صَاحِبَهُ .
Translation
Muhammad Bin Yahya from Ahmad Bin Muhammad and Ali Bin Ibrahim from his father, both together from Ibn Mahboub, from Hisham Bin Salim, from Zurara, (The narrator) says, ‘I asked Abu Ja’far<sup>asws</sup> about a man who killed, so they carried him to the governor, and a group came so the witnesses testified against him that they killed him deliberately. So the governor handed over the killer to the guardians of the killed one in order for them to retaliate (revenge) against him. So, they had not begun with him when a man came over and confessed in the presence of the governor that he had killed their companion deliberately, and that this man against whom the witnesses had testified is free from the killing of so and so companion of yours, therefore he should not be killed for it, and seize me (instead) for his blood’. He (the narrator) said, ‘So Abu Ja’far<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘If the guardians of the killed one intend to kill the one who confessed against himself, so let them kill him, and there would be no way for them against the other one. Then there is no way for the inheritors of the one who confessed against himself against the inheritors of the one testified against. And if they intend to kill the one who has been testified against, so let them kill him, and there would be no way for them against the one who confessed. Then the one who confessed against himself should pay the wergild to the guardians of the one testified against, of half the wergild’. I said, ‘What is your<sup>asws</sup> view if they intend to they should kill both of them together?’ He<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘That is for them, and upon them would be that they should hand over half the wergild to the guardians of the one testified against in particular, besides his companion. Then they can kill both of them’. I said, ‘What is your<sup>asws</sup> view if they intend to take the wergild?’ So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘The wergild is in two halves in between them both, because one of the two confessed, and the other one has been testified against’. I said, ‘How come you<sup>asws</sup> made half the wergild to be for the guardians of the one who was testified against, over the one who confessed against himself that he had killed, and did not make it for the guardians of the one who confessed against himself over the one who was testified against, and he did not kill?’ So he<sup>asws</sup> said: ‘Because the one who was testified against is not similar to the one who confessed. The one who was testified against did not confess and did not free his companions, and the one other confessed and freed his companion. Therefore, it necessitates that the one who confessed and freed his companion that does not necessitate the one who was testified against, and did not confess and did not free his companion’.
Compiled by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni
Source
License: Free for educational and research use (Thaqalayn Data API)
Provided for research and educational purposes. Original source: Thaqalayn Project. Open License.