Umar Ibn Hanzalah reported that he asked Imam As-Sadiq (a.):“What about two of our companions who have a dispute regarding debts or an inheritance and then go to the rulers and the judges for the judgement? Is this allowed?” He said: “Whoever allows them to judge with regards to justice or falsehood, he has allowed the transgressor (Taghut) to judge and whichever judgment he makes for him, he takes it unlawfully, even if it is his proven right, for he took it by the judgment of the transgressor (Taghut), although God has commanded him to be disbelieving in relation to the transgressor (Taghut).” God says: “They want the transgressor to judge, although they have been commanded to be disbelieving in him.” (4:60) I said: “What shall we both do then?” He said: “Both of you should look after the one amongst you, who has told our saying (Hadith) and looked after that what is permissible and forbidden and knows our judgments. Then let them both agree with him in the light of the judgement, for I have made him a judge (Hakim) over you . So if he judges with our judgment and it is not accepted from him, then one took the judgment of God lightly and deviated from us, and the one who deviated from us deviated from God and that one is at the limit of association to God (Shirk).” I said: “And if each person selects one of our companions, so that they both agree to look for their judgment and they disagree in the judgment and each of them disagrees in your saying (Hadith)?” He said: “Then the judgment of the one who is most just, most understanding, and most sincere and pious with regard to the saying (Hadith) and you disregard the judgment with which the other judged.” I said: “What if there are two righteous and godly people of our companions and none of them is more preferable than the other?” He said: “One looks at which of their reports from us is the one whose judgement your companions agreed on and from that which is derived from our judgement and one abandons the rare report which is not widespread among your companions, for unanimity leaves no doubt. There are three kinds of matters: A matter whose right course is clear to be followed, a matter whose wrong course is clear to be avoided, and a matter which is problematic, so that the knowledge about it can be brought back to God and His Messenger.”The messenger (s.) said: “The permitted is clear and the forbidden is clear and the ambiguous things are in between. So he that refrained from the ambiguous things, he brought himself in safety from the forbidden, and he that followed the ambiguous, he engaged in the forbidden and threw himself into ruin without realizing it.”I said: “And if both reports from you are widespread and if both reports from you are told by people whom one trusts?” He said: “One looks at which judgement of the two is in agreement with Scripture (Qur’an) and custom (Sunnah) and deviates from generality (Ammah), after which one follows it and deviates from that which deviates from the judgement of the book and custom and is consistent with generality (Ammah).I said: “May my life be sacrificed to you, which of the two reports do you think should be accepted when the two understanding (Faqih) men know their judgement from the Scripture (Qur’an) and the custom (Sunnah) and we find that one of the two reports is compatible with the generality (Ammah) and the other deviates from them?” He said: ” Then the one who differs from the generality (Ammah) is right.” I said: “May my life be sacrificed to you, but if both reports are in agreement with them? He said: “One looks at what is most common among them and their judges (Hukkam) and rulers and ignores it and takes the other.” I said: “But if both reports are in agreement with their judges?” He said: “If so, then stop until you meet your Imam (a.), for it is better to stop in the case of doubt than to throw yourselves into ruin.”[Al-Kafi of Al-Kulaini, volume 1 page 67 – 68 Hadith 10]

محمد بن يحيى، عن محمد بن الحسين، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن داود بن الحصين، عن عمر بن حنظلة قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن رجلين من أصحابنا بينهما منازعة في دين أو ميراث فتحاكما إلى السلطان وإلى القضاة أيحل ذلك؟ قال: من تحاكم إليهم في حق أو باطل فإنما تحاكم إلى الطاغوت، وما يحكم له فإنما يأخذ سحتا، وإن كان حقا ثابتا له، لأنه أخذه بحكم الطاغوت، وقد أمر الله أن يكفر به قال الله تعالى: يريدون أن يتحاكموا إلى الطاغوت وقد أمروا أن يكفروا به قلت: فكيف يصنعان؟ قال: ينظران إلى من كان منكم ممن قد روى حديثنا ونظر في حلالنا وحرامنا وعرف أحكامنا فليرضوا به حكما فإني قد جعلته عليكم حاكما فإذا حكم بحكمنا فلم يقبله منه فإنما استخف بحكم الله وعلينا رد والراد علينا الراد على الله وهو على حد الشرك بالله. قلت: فإن كان كل رجل اختار رجلا من أصحابنا فرضيا أن يكونا الناظرين في حقهما، واختلفا فيما حكما وكلاهما اختلفا في حديثكم؟ قال: الحكم ما حكم به أعدلهما وأفقههما وأصدقهما في الحديث وأورعهما ولا يلتفت إلى ما يحكم به الآخر، قال: قلت: فإنهما عدلان مرضيان عند أصحابنا لا يفضل واحد منهما على الآخر؟ قال: فقال: ينظر إلى ما كان من روايتهم عنا في ذلك الذي حكما به المجمع عليه من أصحابك فيؤخذ به من حكمنا ويترك الشاذ الذي ليس بمشهور عند أصحابك فإن المجمع عليه لا ريب فيه، وإنما الأمور ثلاثة: أمر بين رشده فيتبع، وأمر بين غيه فيجتنب، وأمر مشكل يرد علمه إلى الله وإلى رسوله، قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: حلال بين وحرام بين وشبهات بين ذلك، فمن ترك الشبهات نجا من المحرمات ومن أخذ بالشبهات ارتكب المحرمات وهلك من حيث لا يعلم. قلت: فإن كان الخبران عنكما مشهورين قد رواهما الثقات عنكم؟ قال: ينظر فما وافق حكمه حكم الكتاب والسنة وخالف العامة فيؤخذ به ويترك ما خالف حكمه حكم الكتاب والسنة ووافق العامة، قلت: جعلت فداك أرأيت إن كان الفقيهان عرفا حكمه من الكتاب والسنة ووجدنا أحد الخبرين موافقا للعامة والآخر مخالفا لهم بأي الخبرين يؤخذ؟ قال: ما خالف العامة ففيه الرشاد. فقلت: جعلت فداك فإن وافقهما الخبران جميعا. قال: ينظر إلى ما هم إليه أميل، حكامهم وقضاتهم فيترك ويؤخذ بالآخر. قلت: فإن وافق حكامهم الخبرين جميعا؟ قال: إذا كان ذلك فارجه حتى تلقى إمامك فإن الوقوف عند الشبهات خير من الاقتحام في الهلكات