3. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il from Mansur from Yunus from Musa ibn Bakr from al-Hakam ibn abu ‘Aqil who has narrated the following:

“I once said to abu ‘ Abd Allah , that my opponent brings a great deal of false testimony against me and I dislike to fight back. I do not know if it is the right thing that I do. He (the Imam) said to me, ’Have you not noticed that ’ Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali, Alayhi al-Salam, would say, “Do not leave yourselves and assets hostage to the false testimonies.” If it is not an offense in religion and a sin against his Lord, then there is nothing wrong for a man to defend himself. It is like preventing unlawful sexual relations and unlawful bloodshed by one’s testimony which is good, so also is the case with defending one’s assets.’”