Story No. 246 – Another Judgement of Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) according to Noble Qur’an

A case was brought before Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Caliph. Two babies, a girl and a boy, were born on a single dark night to two wives of the same man. The father of the babies had passed away and both wives claimed to be the mother of the son.

Umar ibn al-Khattab asked, “Where is Abul Hasan, vanquisher of difficulties?”

Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) was called for and the case detailed to him. He called for two small vessels to be brought and had them weighed and then instructed that equal amount of milk from each mother be drawn into a vessel.

When they were weighed again, it was found that one was heavier than the other. Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) declared that the mother with the heavier milk was the mother of the boy and the lighter milk was that of the girl’s mother.

Umar ibn al-Khattab asked how he comes to this conclusion. Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) replied that Allah (SWT) has prescribed that, “For a male is the share of two females.”

Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) was the most just ruler after Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the history of Islam.

Once two women came with a dispute to Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as). The dispute was that each of those two women claimed that the child was their son. No one was ready to back off their claim, that she was not the mother of that child. So Imam Ali (as) said, ok, I will divide the child into two parts by cutting him in half. This way both of you can keep half of your child. Just when the child was about to be cut suddenly one of the women cried, No! Please let the other woman keep this child. And, hence Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) concluded that the woman who cried out at the last moment was the real mother. Since a real mother could not bear to see her son to be get killed, even if it meant her to stayed away from her own child.