“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of several men who share a slave-girl who is then entrusted to one of them and he does sexual intercourse with her. He (the Imam) said, ‘His punishment is reduced proportionate to the amount of his share in the ownership of the slave-girl in the form of cash and he is punished proportionate to the amount that does not belong to him. The slave-girl is evaluated for the price that she is worth for. If such price is less than what is paid for her, then what is paid for her is her fair price; but if her price according to the evaluation is more than what is paid for her then this is her fair price and this man is held responsible for his act.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if another one of the shareholders wants to buy her?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is up to him but he cannot buy her before Istibra’ (quarantine) and no one of them can buy her without payment.’”