Qazi [Judge] of Yemen

Hazrat Ali (ra) states, “The Holy Prophet (sa) appointed me as a qazi [judge] and sent me to Yemen. I said to the Holy Prophet (sa), ‘You are sending me [to Yemen] but I am young and do not know anything about matters of arbitration.’ To this the Holy Prophet (sa) stated, ‘Allah will certainly guide your heart and bless your words. Whenever two people are sat before you who are involved in a dispute, do not issue your verdict until you listen to both of their accounts. This will make it easy for you to make your decision.’” Hazrat Ali (ra) states that after this, he never faced any difficulty in making a decision.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Aqdiyah, Bab Kaif al-Qada, Hadith 3582)