9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Mu‘awiyah ibn Wahab that Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) said:

Once a girl was brought before ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and testimony was presented against her for committing fornication. Her story was that she was an orphan with a man who very often remained absent from his family. The orphan girl matured and the woman feared her husband’s being attracted to the young girl. She called certain of her neighbor women to hold the girl and she with her finger destroyed the virginity of the young girl in the absence of her husband and accused her of committing fornication, presented testimony of her neighbor women, who had helped her, before ’Umar who did not know how to deal with the case. ’Umar then asked the people, ’Allow us to go before Ali ibn Abu Talib .’ They came to Ali , and told him (the Imam) the story. He (the Imam) asked the wife of the man if she had testimony and evidence. She said, ’I have witnesses. These are my neighbors who testify against her about what I have said’ and she brought them in. Ali , took the sword out of its sheath and placed it before him. He (the Imam) commanded to keep each one of them in a separate home. He (the Imam) called the woman of the man and questioned her in several ways but she remained firm on her accusation in her position. He (the Imam) then returned her to her room, called another one of the witnesses when he was sitting with his legs folded backward, and said, ‘Do you know that I am Ali ibn abu Talib and this is my sword. The woman of the man has said what she said and turned to the truth. I granted her amnesty but if you will not tell me the truth I will fill you up with the sword.’ She then turned to ’Umar and said, ‘O ’ Amir al-Mu’minin, will you grant me amnesty?’ Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali , said, ‘Tell the truth.’ She said, ‘No, by Allah, when she saw the beauty of the young girl, she feared that her husband may become attracted to her and that may destroy her relation with him. She then made her drink an intoxicating drink, called us to hold her down and she then destroyed her virginity with her finger.’ Ali , said Takbir (Allah is great beyond description). He (the Imam) then said, ‘I am the first one to separate the witnesses from each other besides Daniel, the Prophet.’ He then subjected the women to the penalty applicable to falsely accusers and made all of them to pay mahr (dower) of the girl, which was four hundred dirham. He (the Imam) commanded the woman to be divorced by her husband and gave the girl in marriage to him. Ali , paid the mahr (dower) for him. ‘Umar then asked, ‘O Abul Hassan, tell us about the story of Daniel . Ali , said that Daniel was an orphan, a boy without parents. Among the Israelites, there was an old woman who cared for him. One of the kings of the Israelites had two judges who had a virtuous friend. Their friend had a beautiful woman. He would meet the king and speak to him. The king needed a man to send for a task so he asked the judges to find for him someone for the task. They said that so and so is proper for this task. The man then said to the two judges, ‘I ask you to look after the welfare of my wife in my absence.’ They said, ‘Yes, we will do so.’ The man left and the two judges would go to the door of their friend at certain times and they fell in love with his woman. They tried to seduce her but she refused. They said to her, ‘By Allah, if you do not agree with us we will testify before the king against you for fornication, then you will be stoned to death.’ She said, ‘You can do what you want.’ They went to the king, informed him of their story, and testified before him against her for her committing fornication. The king was troubled a great deal with sadness. He also liked her. He then said to them, ‘Your words are acceptable but stone her to death after three days.’ He called people of the town where he lived to attend the stoning to death of so and so worshipper woman because of her committing fornication and that the two judges have testified against her, so great many people gathered. The king asked his vizier for help who said, ‘I have no way out of this.’ The vizier on the third day went out and it was the last day for her when he saw children playing naked and among them was Daniel whom he did not know. Daniel said to the children, ‘O children allow me to be the king. You, so and so pretend to be the worshipper woman and so and so with so and so be the two witnessing judges against her.’ He collected soil, made a sword out of a piece of reed, and told the children, ‘Take the hand of this and move him away to so and so place.’ He then called the other and said to him, ‘Speak the truth because if you did not speak the truth I will put you to death.’ The vizier standing listened and watched it all. He said, ‘I testify that she committed fornication.’ He asked, ‘When was it?’ He replied, ‘It was on so and so day.’ He then said, ‘Take him away to his place and bring the other one.’ They took him away and brought the other one. He asked, ‘What do you say and how you testify?’ He said, ‘I testify that she committed fornication.’ He then asked, ‘When was it?’ He then asked, ‘With whom did she commit fornication?’ He replied, ‘He was so and so son of so and so.’ He asked, ‘Where did it happen?’ He replied, ‘It happened in such and such place.’ Thus they contradicted each other’s testimony and Daniel said, ‘Takbir (Allah is great beyond description) they have testified falsely. O so and so announce among people that they have testified falsely against her so come to witness their death as their penalty.’ The vizier quickly went to the king and informed him of his experience. He called the two judges and they contradicted each other in their testimony just as the children had found. The king announced among people to witness their (the two judges’) penalty in the form of death.’”