The Qadi, the Muhtasib and the Madhalim judge may be given a general appointment to pronounce judgement on all problems throughout the State, or alternatively they can be given an appointment to a particular location and to give judgement on particular types of cases.

The evidence is the actions of the Messenger (pbuh) , since he appointed ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (ra) as a judge for Yemen as reported by Ahmad with an authentic chain from Ali (ra) who said.

. إيلَى الْيَمَ ي ن، قَالَ: فَ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّيه، تَ بْ عَثُيني إيلَى قَ وْمٍ )ب عََثَيني رَسُولُ اللَّيه اللَّهُمَّ ثَ بِّتْ « : أَسَنَّ يمنِّي وَأَنَا حَ ي ديثٌ لاَ أُبْ ي صرُ الْقَضَاءَ، قَالَ: فَ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى صَدْيري وَقَالَ لِسَانَهُ وَاهْدِ قَ لْبَهُ، يَا عَلِيُّ، إِذَا جَلَسَ إِلَيْكَ الْخَصْمَانِ فَلاَ تَ قْضِ بَ يْ نَ هُمَا حَتَّى تَسْمَعَ مِنْ قَالَ: فَمَا ،» الآخَرِ كَمَا سَمِعْتَ مِنَ الأَوَّلِ، فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَ عَلْتَ ذَلِكَ تَ بَ يَّنَ لَكَ الْقَضَاء اخْتَ لَفَ عَلَيَّ قَضَاءٌ ب عَْدُ، أَوْ مَا أَشْكَلَ عَلَيَّ قَضَاءٌ ب عَْدُ ( .

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent me to Yemen, and I said: You have sent me to people of experience, and I am young! And I don’t know how to judge. He struck me on the chest and said:'O Allah, guide his heart and make his tongue steadfast. He said: When the two litigants sit in front of you, do not decide till you hear what the other has to say. If you do that, judgement will become clear to you. Ali said: after that I never doubted in passing judgment between two people.”.

He appointed Mu’adh as a judge over a part of Yemen, Abu Umar b. ‘Abd Al-Barr mentioned in Al-Isti’ab.

بَ يْنَ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ وَبَ يْنَ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ )وقال ابن إسحق: آخَى رَسُولُ اللهِ قَاضِياً إِلَى الْجَنَدِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، شَهِدَ العَقَبَةَ وَبَدْراً وَالْمَشَاهِدَ كُلَّهَا، وَبَ عَثَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ مِنَ اليَمَنِ، ي عَُلِّمُ النَّاسَ القُرْآنَ وَشَ رائِعَ الإِسْلاَمِ، وَيَ قْضِي بَ يْ نَ هُمْ. وَجَعَلَ إِلَيْهِ قَ بْضَ الصَّدَقَاتِ مِنَ الْعُمَّالِ ...( .

“Ibn Ishaq said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) made a brotherhood between Mu’adh Bin Jabal and Ja’far b. Abi Talib; they witnessed Al-Aqaba and Badr and all of the events, and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent him to Al-Janad in Yemen to teach the people Quran and the Shari’ah of Islam, and to judge between them, and to collect the Sadaqah from the workers…” He (pbuh) appointed Amr b. Al-‘As to give judgement in one particular case. Ibn Qudamah mentioned in Al-mughni saying.

. فَ قَالَ: )وَعَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْ ي ن عَايمرٍ قَالَ: جَاءَ خَصْمَا ي ن يََْ تَ ي صمَا ي ن إيلَى رَسُويل اللهي قُ لْتُ: عَلاَمَ أَقْ ي ضي؟ قَالَ: .» وَإينْ كَانَ « : قُ لْتُ: أَنْتَ أَوْلَى بيذَليكَ. قَالَ » اقْضِ بَ يْ نَ هُمَا « )» اقْضِ فَإِنْ أَصَبْتَ فَ لَكَ عَشَرَةُ أُجُورٍ، وإِنْ أَخْطَأْتَ فَ لَكَ أَجْرٌ وَاحِدٌ «.

“From ‘Uqbah b. Amir who said: Two litigants brought their dispute to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), and so he said – Judge between them. I said: You have supremacy over me to do that. He said: Even if. I said: On what should I judge? He said: Judge, and if you are right, you will have ten rewards and if you make a mistake, you will get one reward”. Ibn Qudamah said, and Ahmad reported the same narration with a chain whose men were all authentic to ‘Uqbah b. Amir from the Prophet (phuh) , except that he said. . فَإِنِ اجْتَ هَدْتَ فَأَصَبْتَ الْقَضَاءَ فَ لَكَ عَشَرَةُ أُجُورٍ، وَإِنِ اجْتَ هَدْتَ فَأَخْطَأْتَ « » فَ لَكَ أَجْرٌ وَاحِدٌ .

“And if you do Ijtihad and you are right, you will have ten rewards, and if you do Ijtihad and you have erred, you will get one reward”.