Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw)
said:
"The foremost judge amongst you is Ali."
After the death of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), the Justice of
Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) was very popular. Even the first three Caliphs
resorted to him in numerous cases.
During the days of second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, a woman was
arrested and presented before him.
People said, "O Khalifa! This woman has committed adultery.
She has delivered a child after only a period of six months pregnancy".
Umar ibn al-Khattab ordered the woman to be stoned to death.
As people were taking her towards the location for punishment, she
kept on pleading that she was innocent but no one would listen to her.
Finally someone informed Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) about the
situation and he (as) came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and asked, "Why have you
ordered this woman to be stoned to death?"
Umar ibn al-Khattab replied, "For adultery! She has given
birth to a child after a period of six month's pregnancy and we all know the
pregnancy period is of nine months".
Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) said,
"This is not true! It is
possible for a woman to give birth after six months pregnancy. This child
belongs to her husband".
When asked for Quranic evidence, Imam Ali, Abu Turab (as) said,
Allah (SWT) says at one place: "And the mothers should suckle their children for two years" (2:233) and in another place Allah (SWT) says: "And the bearing of him and the weaning of him is thirty months" (46:15)
If the period of weaning which is two years (24 months) is subtracted from thirty months (which is overall period of bearing & weaning), there remains only six months. This proves that pregnancy period can be of six months.
So Umar ibn al-Khattab set the woman free and said,
"If Ali
had not been there, Umar would have perished."
