is only human—otherwise, who would accuse the Messenger of Allah ﷺ of such a thing?! The Prophet ﷺ then became angry for the sake of Allah, since he judged according to Allah’s command and His law. He said: “O Zubayr, water until it reaches the retaining wall, then release it to your neighbor.” (1) The Prophet ﷺ thus upheld al-Zubayr’s full right after the Anṣārī angered him. Yet this was only slight anger, which did not prevent him from properly understanding the case and applying the ruling of the Sacred Law to it.

His statement, “or while needing to urinate,” means that one should not judge while holding back urine. As for ḥāqib, it refers to one holding back stool. He should not judge between two people in this state, because it resembles the state of anger in preventing a proper understanding of the case and the application of the ruling of the Sacred Law to it.

His statement, “or while severely hungry,” means that it is prohibited for him to judge while suffering severe hunger, even if it is caused by fasting. Thus, if two people come to seek his judgment near the end of the day while he is intensely hungry, we say: Do not judge between them. If he sends them away, does this allow him to benefit by eating? It does not, for he will not eat until the sun sets. But he does benefit by avoiding an error in judgment. This differs from a person who wishes to pray while hungry: we do not tell him, “Do not pray until you break your fast and eat,” because the time for the prayer may pass; whereas the time for judging between two people does not pass.

His statement, “or thirsty,” likewise means that one should not judge while severely thirsty, because his mind is distracted, until he drinks and then judges between them.