Three persons were brought to Ali (Allah be pleased with him) when he was in the Yemen. They and sexual intercourse with a woman during a single state of purity. He asked two of them: Do you acknowledge this child for this (man)? They replied: No. He then put this (question) to all of them. Whenever he asked two of them, they replied in the negative. He, therefore, cast a lot among them, and attributed the child to the one who received the lot. He imposed two-third of the blood-money (i.e. the price of the mother) on him. This was then mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ and he laughed so much that his molar teeth appeared.
أُتِيَ عَلِيٌّ ؓ بِثَلاَثَةٍ وَهُوَ بِالْيَمَنِ وَقَعُوا عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ فِي طُهْرٍ وَاحِدٍ فَسَأَلَ اثْنَيْنِ أَتُقِرَّانِ لِهَذَا بِالْوَلَدِ قَالاَ لاَ حَتَّى سَأَلَهُمْ جَمِيعًا فَجَعَلَ كُلَّمَا سَأَلَ اثْنَيْنِ قَالاَ لاَ فَأَقْرَعَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَأَلْحَقَ الْوَلَدَ بِالَّذِي صَارَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْعَةُ وَجَعَلَ عَلَيْهِ ثُلُثَىِ الدِّيَةِ قَالَ فَذُكِرَ ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَضَحِكَ حَتَّى بَدَتْ نَوَاجِذُهُ