٩- عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ شَمُّونٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ مِسْمَعِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) كَانَ يَحْكُمُ فِي زِنْدِيقٍ إِذَا شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلانِ عَدْلانِ مَرْضِيَّانِ وَشَهِدَ لَهُ أَلْفٌ بِالْبَرَاءَةِ يُجِيزُ شَهَادَةَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ وَيُبْطِلُ شَهَادَةَ الألْفِ لأنَّهُ دِينٌ مَكْتُومٌ.
9. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan Shammun from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al- Rahman from Misma‘ ibn ‘ Abd al-Malik who has narrated the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah , has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali, Alayhi al-Salam, in the case of an atheist would issue a judgment. If two just and acceptable people testified against him and one thousand in his favor, he (the Imam) would accept the testimony of two people. He (the Imam) would reject the testimony of one thousand because it is a hidden religion.” (It is considered applicable when the testimonies are presented in different times.) 