Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: In Yemen, three men were brought before Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), who had intercourse with their slave woman during the same period of purity, and that slave woman gave birth to a child. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to two of them: "Would you both like to relinquish your claim in favor of your third companion?" Both of them replied: "No." Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the remaining two: "Would you both like to relinquish your claim in favor of your companion?" They also replied: "No." So Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "You are partners who differ among yourselves. I will draw lots among you. Whose name is drawn, I will attribute the child to him, and he will have to pay his two companions two-thirds of the value of the slave woman as compensation." Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When we presented ourselves before the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this matter to him, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My opinion in this matter is the same as what Ali has stated."
Hadith Referenceمسند الحميدي / 803
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده حسن
Hadith Takhrij«إسناده حسن وأخرجه الحاكم فى «مستدركه» برقم: 2846، 4684، 4685، 7129، والنسائي فى «المجتبیٰ» برقم: 3488 ، 3489 ، 3490 ، وأبو داود فى «سننه» برقم: 2269، 2270، وابن ماجه فى «سننه» برقم: 2348، والبيهقي فى«سننه الكبير» برقم: 21339، 21340، وأحمد فى «مسنده» ، برقم: 19637 برقم: 19650 برقم: 19652، والطبراني فى "الكبير" ، برقم: 4990»
Benefit: From this it is established that when a dispute arises, drawing lots (qur‘ah) is permissible. Furthermore, the virtue of Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu is also established.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 804
Narrated Zayd ibn Arqam: I was sitting with the Prophet ﷺ. A man came from the Yemen, and said: Three men from the people of the Yemen came to Ali, quarrelling about a child, asking him to give a decision. They had had sexual intercourse with a woman during a single state of purity. He said to two of them: Give this child to this man (the third person) with pleasure. But they (refused and) cried loudly. Again he said to two of them: Give the child to the man (the third person) willingly. But they (refused and) cried loudly. He then said: You are quarrelsome partners. I shall cast lots among you; he who receives the lot, will acquire the child, and he shall pay two-thirds of the blood-money to both his companions. He then cast lots among them, and gave the child to the one who received the lot. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed so much that his canine or molar teeth appeared.
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues: Writing letters in a certain form and then deducing from them whether a desired matter will occur or not is called "qur‘ah" (drawing lots). (Abjad al-‘Uloom)
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 2269