The complainer had brought his complaint to the powerful judge of the time, Umar bin Khattab.
The involved parties were to be present and the complaint to be presented.
The complaint was against Amir al-Mu'mineen (pbuh). Umar called unto both people, and seated himself at the chair of judge.
As per Islamic rules, both involved parties must sit by each other, so that equality may be maintained.The khalifa called the complainer, to stand before the judge.
Then he called Imam Ali (pbuh) to stand by this person:
"O Ab-al Hasan, stand by him."
As Imam Ali (pbuh) heard this comment, signs of distress appeared on his face.
The Khalifa asked:
"O Ali, aren't you willing to stand by him?"
Imam (pbuh):
"No, my distress is not for standing by him. My distress comes from the fact that you didn't comply with demands of justice, and equality. You called me with respect, calling me Ab-al Hasan. But you called on this person with his regular name. That is the cause of my distress."
The voice of human justice, p 49.
The explanation of Nahj-al Balagha
of Ibn Abi Hadeed, print of Beirut, v 4, p 18
The plaintiff registered his complaint against Ali ibn e Abi Talib (‘a) in the court of the ruling Caliph Umar ibn e Khattab. As per rules, both parties had to be present for the proceedings to take place. Umar sat in the caliph’s chair and called both parties inside. According to Islamic routine, both parties sat next to each other, so that there be no sign of discriminatory behavior on the part of the court.
Umar called the plaintiff by name and told him to stand before the judge. After that he looked at Imam Ali (‘a) and said, ‘Abul Hassan, please stand beside the plaintiff’.
Ali (‘a) looked upset and annoyed when addressed thus. Noticing the obvious change in Ali’s (‘a) countenance, Umar remarked, ‘Ali, do you find standing beside the plaintiff annoying?’
‘No! The cause of my displeasure was the fact that you did not comply with the Islamic code of behaviour in court. You called me with great respect by my Kuniya, ( title of respect), whereas you addressed the plaintiff curtly, by name. This is unfair and discriminatory, thus, annoying,’ replied Ali (‘a).
