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It is mentioned that the court of Qadi Shuraih bin Abdullah was once in progress when a lady approached and said in a loud voice, “I seek protection in Allah Almighty and in the Qadi.” The Qadi asked her, “Who has committed an unjustly act against you?” She replied that it was the uncle of the leader of the Muslims whose name was Moosa bin Esa.

 

She also explained further, “On the side of the Euphrates, I have a date orchard which I received from my father as part of my inheritance. I then separated this from the orchard of my brothers and built a wall in between these orchards. I had also employed a worker from Persia to oversee this orchard. Ameer Moosa bin Esa had however purchased all the orchards of my brothers and also tried to bribe me with a large amount of money so that he could also purchase my orchard as well. However, I have refused to sell my orchard. The previous night, five hundred of his workers arrived and they managed to destroy the wall which I had built and now there is no way in which I can be able to distinguish which orchard from which.”

 

When the Qadi heard this complaint, he asked the clerk for a scroll and then placed his official seal on it. He also ordered the clerk to go and call Ameer Moosa bin Esa. The clerk then approached Ameer Moosa bin Esa and informed him that the Qadi had issued a summon against him and that he was to present himself immediately in court.

 

However, instead of doing this and obeying the instruction of the Qadi, Ameer Moosa bin Esa called the police chief and instructed him to go to the Qadi and inform him that he had never seen something as strange as this where the Qadi had listened to the words of a female and merely based on this accusation, he has ordered him to come to court.

 

At the same time, the police chief was also fully aware of the power of the Qadi and his immense status in the community. He was also extremely fearful and he asked that he be excused from this responsibility. However, Ameer Moosa bin Esa scolded him and ordered him to go and approach the Qadi.

 

Since the police chief was already aware of the Qadi, before going to the Qadi, he told his servant to prepare his bed in jail because that is certainly where he would be spending his night. After giving this instruction to his servant, he then presented himself in front of the Qadi. He presented the view of Ameer Moosa bin Esa. When the Qadi heard this, he ordered his guards to arrest the police chief and have him sent to jail. The police chief shouted, “I swear by Allah Almighty that I was fully aware that this will happen to me. This is the reason that I had sent all the necessary items to jail knowing that I will be spending the night in jail.”

 

When Ameer Moosa bin Esa heard what had happened, he sent his representative to inquire from the Qadi as to what crime had been committed by the police chief when he had simply presented his view of the whole situation. When this person arrived in the court, Qadi Shuraik ordered that this person be also jailed. Subsequently, the guards in the court had him locked in jail.

 

After the Asr Salaah, Ameer Moosa bin Esa then called the rich and famous of the city and other influential people. He then mentioned that they should approach the Qadi and after presenting his Salaam, they need to inform him that he was no ordinary citizen. After all, he was the uncle of the Ameerul Mu’mineen.

 

When these people approached the Qadi, he had just completed his Salaah and was sitting in the Masjid. When this delegation approached him and started to speak on behalf of Ameer Moosa bin Esa, the Qadi then turned to the people in the Masjid and asked whether there were any young people in the congregation.

 

A few young people then came forward. The Qadi then ordered that each one of these people should be taken by the hand and placed in jail. When the members of this delegation asked him for what crime they were going to jail, he made it clear that because they had taken the part of an oppressor, therefore, they were entitled to be in jail. This will also be a lesson to other people as well in the future.

 

When night approached, Ameer Moosa bin Esa approached the guard in the jail and freed all of these people.

 

The next day, when Qadi Shuraik arrived at court, the guard from the jail informed him what had happened the night before. When the Qadi heard this, he gave away his official stamp and sold his house. He ordered that his belonging be packed because he was going to Baghdad Shareef and that he was not prepared to live in Kufah any longer. Qadi Shuraik mentioned that he had not asked for this position but that the Ameerul Mo’mineen had forced this position upon him. He had also been promised all types of security by the leader. Qadi Shuraik then started to leave and used the bridge that went out of the city towards Baghdad Shareef.

 

However, when Moosa bin Esa came to know about this, he approached the Qadi with a delegation of his own and stated, “O Abu Abdullah! For the sake of the Allah Almighty please stop. Please be reminded that you had also jailed my brother without any reason”.

 

The Qadi replied that he was forced to do this because his brother interfered in something which he was not supposed to interfere in.

 

He said, “I will not stop going to Baghdad until all of these people are once against sent to jail.”

 

Ameer Moosa bin Esa then ordered that all of these people be sent back to jail. When all of these people had gone to jail, Ameer Moosa bin Esa then ordered his servant to take hold of the reins of the Qadi’s horse and go to the court.  When they arrived there, the female who had made the initial complaint was also present.  This matter was then solved and the decision was given in favour of the lady.