This is what Allah’s servant Ali Amir al-Mu’minin (‘as) has ordered Malik Ibn al-Harith al-Ashtar in his instrument for him when he appointed him as the governor of Egypt for the collection of its revenues, fighting against its enemies, seeking the good of its people and making its cities prosperous.
He has ordered him to fear Allah, to prefer obedience to Him, and to follow what He has commanded in His Book out of His obligatory and elective commands, without following which one cannot achieve virtue, nor (can one) be evil save by opposing them and ignoring them, and to help Allah the Glorified, with his heart, hand and tongue, because Allah takes the responsibility for helping him who helps Him, and for protecting him who gives Him support. He is Strong and Mighty.
He also orders him to break his heart off from passions. Most surely, (man’s) self is wont to command (him to do) evil, except such as my Lord has had mercy on; surely, my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. He also orders him to refer to Allah’s Book in situations of seditious matters. It explains clearly everything, and it is a guidance and mercy and good news for those who believe. He orders him also to seek God’s satisfaction and avoid enraging Him and insisting on disobeying Him. It is surely there is no escape from God except at Him.
Then, know O Malik that I have sent you to an area where there have been governments before you, both just as well as oppressive. People will now watch your dealings as you used to watch the dealings of the rulers before you, and they (people) will criticize you as you criticized them (rulers). Surely, the virtuous are known by the reputation that Allah circulates for them through the tongues of His creatures. Therefore, the best collection with you should be the collection of good deeds through being moderate in what you collect and in the way of treating your people. So, control your passions and check your heart from doing what is not lawful for you, because checking the heart means detaining it just half way between what it likes and dislikes.
Habituate your heart to mercy for the subjects and to affection and kindness for them. Do not stand over them like greedy beasts who feel it is enough to devour them, since they are of two kinds, either your brother in religion or one like you in creation. They will commit slips and encounter mistakes. They may act wrongly, willfully, or by neglect. So, extend to them your forgiveness and pardon, in the same way as you would like Allah to extend His forgiveness and pardon to you, because you are over them and your responsible Commander (Imam) is over you while Allah is over him who has appointed you through what He has given to you of the knowledge of His Book and the practices of His Rasulullah (SAW).
Do not set yourself to fight Allah because you have no power before His power and you cannot do without His pardon and mercy. Do not repent of forgiving or be merciful in punishing. Do not act hastily during anger if you can find way out of it. Do not say, “I have been given authority, I should be obeyed when I order,” because it engenders confusion in the heart, weakens the religion, and takes one near ruin. Seek God’s guard against the lowest rank of despondency. If the authority in which you are placed produces pride or vanity in you then look at the greatness of the realm of Allah over you and His might the like of which might you do not even possess over yourself. This will curb your haughtiness, cure you of your high temper, and bring back to you your wisdom, which had gone away from you.
Beware of comparing yourself to Allah in His greatness or likening yourself to Him in His power, for Allah humiliates every claimant of power and disgraces everyone who is haughty.
Do justice for Allah and do justice towards the people, as against yourself, your near ones and those of your subjects for whom you have a liking, because if you do not do so you will be oppressive, and when a person oppresses the creatures of Allah then, instead of His creatures, Allah becomes his opponent, and when Allah is the opponent of a person, He tramples his plea; and he will remain in the position of being at war with Allah until he gives it up and repents. Nothing is more inductive of the reversal of Allah’s bounty or for the hastening of His retribution than continuance in oppression, because Allah hears the prayer of the oppressed and is on the lookout for the oppressors. For those who opt for such a way, they will be the hostage of ruin in this world and the world to come.
The way most coveted by you should be that which is the most equitable for the right, the most universal by way of justice, and the most comprehensive with regard to the agreement among those under you, because the disagreement among the common people sweeps away the arguments of the chiefs can be disregarded when compared with the agreement of the common people. No one among those under you is more burdensome to the ruler in the comfort of life, less helpful in distress, more disliking of equitable treatment, trickier in asking favors, less thankful at the time of giving, less appreciative of reasons at the time of refusal, and weaker in endurance at the time of the discomforts of life than the chiefs. It is the common people of the community who are the pillars of the religion, the power of the Muslims, and the defense against the enemies. Your leanings should therefore be towards them and your inclination with them. Seek the most beneficial and the most prosperous results. All power is God’s.
The one among the people under you who is furthest from you and the worst of them in your view should be he who is the most inquisitive of the shortcomings of the people, because people do have shortcomings and the ruler is the most appropriate person to cover them. Do not disclose whatever of it is hidden from you because your obligation is to correct what is manifest to you, while Allah will deal with whatever is hidden from you. Therefore, cover shortcomings so far as you can; Allah would cover those of your shortcomings, which you should like to remain under cover from your subjects. Unfasten every knot of hatred in the people and cut away from your-self the cause of every enmity. Accept the excuses and ward off the suspected matters by the doctrinal punishments. Feign ignorance from what is not clear to you. Do not hasten to second a backbiter, because a backbiter is a cheat although he looks like those who wish well.
Do not include among those you consult a miser who would keep you back from being generous and caution you against destitution, nor a coward who would make you feel too weak for your affairs, nor a greedy person who would make beautiful to you the collection of wealth by evil ways. This is because although miserliness, cowardice, and greed are different qualities, yet they are common in having an incorrect idea about Allah.
The worst minister for you is he who has been a minister for mischievous persons before you, who joined them in sins, and managed their affairs in the country. Therefore, he should not be your chief man that they participate in carrying the trusts of which you are bound. They had taken part in the authority of others and annihilated them or led them to violent ends. They are abettors of sinners, brothers of the oppressors, and the centers of every greed and injustice. You can find good substitutes for them who will be like them in their views and influence, who tested the entire affairs and had the ability of distinguishing the good from the bad. They will give you the least trouble and the best support. They will be most considerate towards you and the least inclined towards others. They have never assisted an oppressor in his oppression or a sinner in his sin. They had not had previous conducts that oppressed the Muslims and the Dhimmis. Therefore, make them your chief companions in privacy as well as in public.
Then, more preferable among them for you should be those who openly speak better truths before you, who are the fairest to the weak people, and who support you least in those of your actions, which Allah does not approve in His friends, even though they may be according to your wishes. They lead you to the right and make you see what benefits you. Associate yourself with the God-fearing, the truthful, the intelligent, and people of high ancestry; then educate them, so that they should not praise you or please you by reason of an action you did not perform, because excess of praise produces pride and drives you near haughtiness. Inclination to these matters causes God’s hatred.
The virtuous and the vicious should not be in equal position before you because this means dis-suasion of the virtuous from virtue and persuasion of the vicious to vice. Keep everyone in the position that is his. You will benefit your supporters and yourself by doing so.
You should know that the most conducive thing for the good impression of the ruler on his sub-jects is that he should extend good behavior towards them, lighten their hardships, and avoid putting them to unbearable troubles. You should therefore, in this way follow a course by which you will leave a good impression with your subjects, because such good ideas will relieve you of great worries. Certainly, the most appropriate for good impression of you is he to whom your behavior has not been good. The most appropriate for having bad impression of you is he to whom your behavior has been ill. If you realize this state for and against you, you will be more cognizant in doing good and having good impression with people in addition to what God will reward you in the world to come.
Do not discontinue the good lives in which the earlier people of this community had been acting, by virtue of which there was general unity and through which the subjects prospered. Do not in-novate any line of action, which injures these earlier ways because (in that case) the reward for those who had established those ways will continue, but the burden for discontinuing them will be on you. Keep on increasing your conversations with the scholars and discussions with the wise to stabilize the prosperity of the areas under you, and to continue with that in which the earlier people had remained steadfast. This will steady the right and refute the wrong. It is surely a sufficient evidence and example. The right lines of action are the course to obedience of God.
Know that the people consist of classes who prosper only with the help of one another, and they are not independent of one another. Among them are the army of Allah, then the secretarial workers of the common people and the chiefs, then the dispensers of justice, then those engaged in law and order, then the payers of head tax (Jizya) and land tax (kharaj) from the protected un-believers and the common Muslims, then there are the traders and the men of industry and then the lowest class of the needy and the destitute. Allah has fixed the share of every one of them and laid down His precepts about the limits of each in His Book and the Sunna of His Prophet by way of a settlement, which is preserved with us.
Now the army is, by the will of Allah, the fortress of the subjects, the ornament of the ruler, the strength of the religion and the means of peace. The subjects cannot exist without them while the army can be maintained only by the funds fixed by Allah in the revenues, through which they acquire the strength to fight the enemies, on which they depend for their prosperity, and with which they meet their needs. These two classes cannot exist without the third class namely the judges, the executives, and the secretaries who pass judgments about contracts, collect revenues, and are depended upon in special and general matters.
These classes cannot exist except with the traders and men of industry, who provide necessities for them, establish markets, and make it possible for others not to do all this with their own hands. Then is the lowest class of the needy and the destitute support of and help for whom is an obligation, and every one of them has (a share in) livelihood in the name of Allah. Every one of them has a right on the ruler according to what is needed for his prosperity. The ruler cannot ac-quit himself of the obligations laid on him by Allah in this matter except by striving and seeking help from Allah and by training himself to adhere to the right and by enduring on that account all that is light or hard.
Put in command of your forces the man who in your view is the best well-wisher of Allah, His Prophet, and your Imam. The chestiest of them in heart, the highest of them in endurance, and the most learnt of knowledge and policy is he who is slow in getting enraged, accepts excuses, is kind to the weak, and is strict with the strong; violence should not raise his temper and weakness should not keep him sitting.
Also associate with considerate people from high families, virtuous houses, and decent traditions, then people of courage, valor, generosity, and benevolence, because they are repositories of honor and springs of virtues. They guide to having good idea of Allah and believing in His act. Strive for their matters as the parents strive for their child. Do not regard anything that you do to strengthen them as big nor consider anything that you have agreed to do for them as little (so as to give it up), even though it may be small, because this will make them your well-wishers and create a good impression of you. Do not neglect to attend to their small matters, confining yourself to their important matters, because your small favors will also be of benefit to them while the important ones are such that they cannot ignore them.
That commander of the army should have such a position before you that he renders help to them equitably and spends from his money on them and on those of their families who remain behind so that all their worries converge on the one worry for fighting the enemy. You should make them know your preferring them to yourself, caring for their affairs, and promising of more endowments, and materialize so by your good deeds, evidences, and kindness. Your kindness to them will turn their hearts to you. The most pleasant thing for the rulers is the establishment of justice in their areas and the manifestation of the love of their subjects, but the subjects’ love manifests itself only when their hearts are clean. Their good wishes prove correct only when they surround their commanders (to protect them). Do not regard their positions to be a burden over them and do not keep watching for the end of their tenure. Do not give your army only their shares of the spoils.
Moreover, you should give each a share of the public treasure. Thus, you will guarantee their help, and they will be motivated for supporting God and His religion. Treat the distinctive courageous men exclusively by endowment and praise. Continue praising them and recounting the good deeds of those who have shown such deeds, because the mention of good actions shakes the brave and rouses the weak, if Allah so wills.
You should appoint the most trustful and the righteous of them as secret agents so that they will inform of the behaviors of each. Hence, they will realize that you have full acquaintance with their performance. Appreciate the performance of every one of them, do not attribute the performance of one to the other, and do not minimize the reward below the level of the performance. The high position of a man should not lead you to regard his small deeds as big, nor should the low position of a man make you regard his big deeds as small. A sudden flaw or an ill speech should not deform the picture of a man of previous good performance. Might is God’s; He gives it to whomever He wishes, and the good result is the God-fearing one’s.
If one of your soldiers or distinctive warriors is martyred, you should treat his family as same as a kind trusted custodian’s treatment, so that they will not show any sign of loneliness. This will bring about the hearts of your people to you and they will feel it is important to obey you and will make it easy for them to encounter misfortunes during your governorship.
The Rasulullah (SAW) practiced some actions with the polytheists. We have practices some with the wrong ones, who turned their faces towards our kiblah and recorded themselves in the record of our religion, after him. Addressing the people whom Allah the Sublime, wishes to guide, He said:
O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Prophet and those vested with authority from among you; and then if you quarrel about anything refer it to Allah and the Prophet if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day of Judgment. (4:59).
He also said:
…and if they had referred it to the Apostle and to those in authority among them, those among them who can search out the knowledge of it would have known it, and were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have certainly followed the Shaytan save a few. (4:83).
Referring to Allah means to act according to what is clear in His Book, and referring to the Prophet means to follow his unanimously agreed Sunna; traditions in regard to which there are no differences. We are the Prophet’s people who extract the decisive matters from the Book and distinguish the allegorical ones and know the repealing that Allah has repealed and canceled its burden.
Deal with your enemies in the same way that we had with our enemies. Keep on sending us letters in which you may inform us of every event so that we will send you a general commandment. Allah is the helper.
Look in the matters of judge among people in a good intention. The true judge is to give back the rights of the oppressed from the oppressors, supporting the weak against the strong, and instituting God’s doctrinal provisions according to their proper ways and courses. This will make right God’s servants and lands.
For the settlement of disputes among people select him who is the most distinguished of your subjects in your view, and the fittest in fields of knowledge, pudency, piety, and generosity. The cases (coming before him) should not vex him, he should not insist on any wrong point, and should not grudge accepting the truth when he perceives it; he should not lean towards greed and should not content himself with a cursory understanding (of a matter) without going thoroughly into it. He should be most ready to stop (to ponder) on doubtful points, most regardful of arguments, least disgusted at the quarrel of litigants, most patient at probing into matters and most fearless at the time of passing judgment. Praise should not make him vain; elation should not make him lean (to any side), and propagation should not attract him. Appoint such people as the judges. Yet, they are very few.
Then, very often check his decisions and allow him so much money (as remuneration) that he has no excuse worth hearing (for not being honest) and there remains no occasion for him to go to others for his needs. Give him that rank in your audience for which no one else among your chiefs aspires, so that he remains safe from the harm of those around you. You should revere him when you associate with him, favor him in sessions, agree to his judge, implement his rulings, support him, and choose the best of his matches as his supporters. They should be jurisprudents and people of piety and advise for the sake of God and His servants. He may argue with them in any doubtful question, refer to them in what he does not attend, and they should be witnesses on his settlement of disputations, God willing.
You should do the best for inspect the reporters of judge. They should not disagree nor dispute regarding the judgment of God and the traditions of the Rasulullah (SAW). Disagreement is waste of justice, inadvertence in the religion, and cause of divergence. God has shown what to do, what to spend, and ordered to refer to those with whom God has entrusted the knowledge of His Book and authorized for issuing rulings, in the unfamiliar questions.
Divergence of judges occurs when tyranny controls them and each depends on his own opinion without referring to those whose leadership is imposed by God. Neither the religion nor will its followers be righteous by such behaviors. Judges should issue verdicts according to what they know from the Prophet’s traditions and practices. If it is impossible for them to judge in a question, they should refer to the people of judging.
If people of judging are absent, they should discuss the question with the Muslims’ jurisprudents. They should not refer to other categories of people. Two judges should never issue different rulings regarding one question before they file it before the Leader. Hence, the Leader will judge in the question according to his knowledge that he received from God. The two judges then should agree on the Leader’s ruling whether it corresponds or differs their opinions. You should have a piercing eye in this matter because this religion has formerly been a prisoner in the hands of vicious persons when action was taken according to passion, and worldly wealth was sought. Write letters to the judges of your regions ordering them to provide before you any question of judgment about which they dispute. You should look in these rulings and authorize any ruling that you find accordant to God’s Book, the Prophet’s traditions, and the Imam’s indication, and or-der the judges to follow.
Regarding matters that you suspect, you should gather the jurisprudents before you and discuss the matter with them. Authorize what they agree upon unanimously. Each matter about which the subjects dispute should be referred to the imam. The imam should seek God’s aid and do his best for instituting the doctrinal provisions and imposing the subjects to follow his commandment. No power can be obtained unless through God.
Look into the affairs of your executives. Give them appointment after tests and do not appoint them according to partiality or favoritism, because these two things constitute sources of injustice, treachery, and injuring people. Matters cannot be amended through unfairness. Elect people of piety, knowledge, and policy for managing your affairs. Select among them those who are people of experience and modesty, hailing from virtuous houses, having been previously in Islam, because such persons possess high manners and untarnished honor. They are the least inclined towards greed and always have their eyes on the ends of matters.
Give them an abundant livelihood (by way of salary) because this gives them the strength to maintain themselves in order not to have an eye upon the funds in their custody, and it would be an argument against them if they disobeyed your orders or misappropriated your trust. You should also check their activities and have people who report on them who should be truthful and faithful, because your watching their actions secretly will urge them to preserve trust with and to be kind to the people. Be careful of assistants. If any one of them extends his hands towards misappropriation and the reports of your reporters reaching you confirm it, that should be regarded enough evidence. You should then inflict corporal punishment on him and recover what he has misappropriated. You should put him in a place of disgrace, blacklist him with (the charge of) misappropriation and make him wear the necklace of shame for his offence.
Look after the revenue (land tax) affairs in such a way that those engaged in it remain prosperous because in their prosperity lies the prosperity of all others. The others cannot prosper without them, because all people are dependent on revenue and its payers. You should also keep an eye on the cultivation of the land more than on the collection of revenue because revenue cannot be had without cultivation and whoever asks for revenue without cultivation, ruins the area and brings death to the people. His rule will not last only a moment.
Gather people of revenue all over the regions under your dominion, and order them to inform you of the manners of their regions including ways of prosperity and collection of the revenues. Then you should ask the experts about what they had informed. If they complain of the heaviness (of the revenue) or of diseases, or dearth of water, or excess of water or of a change in the condition of the land either due to flood or to drought or pestilence, you should remit the revenue to the extent that you hope will improve their position. If they seek help in prospering what they can do it with their fortunes, you should satisfy its provisions. The result of your satisfying the provisions is their prosperity. The remission granted by you for the removal of distress from them should not be grudged by you, because it is an investment which they will return to you in the shape of the prosperity of your country and the progress of your domain in addition to earning their praise, well intentions, and happiness for meeting out justice to them. The land tax cannot be gotten through fatigue and exhaustion, yet it is knots upon which you depend.
If a matter occurs, you can depend upon their strength because of the investment made by you in them through catering to their convenience and can have confidence in them because of the justice extended to them by being kind and fair to them and their realizing your excuses. Circum-stances may so turn that you may have asked for their assistance, when they will bear it happily, for prosperity is capable of bearing whatever you load on it. The ruin of the land is caused by the poverty of the cultivators, while the cultivators become poor when the officers concentrate on the collection (of money), having little hope for continuance (in their posts) and deriving no benefit from objects of warning. Thus, you should behave like him who desires to spare the praise of the subjects, the reward of God, and the satisfaction of the Imam. No power can be obtained except through God.
Then you should take care of your secretarial workers. You should recognize the manners of each of them regarding what each need. Classify them into different ranks. Put the best of them in charge of your affairs. Entrust those of your letters, which contain your policies and secrets, to him who possesses the best character, who is the fittest for consulting in the big matters among people of good opinions, advice, and intelligence, the best keeper of the secrets, and is not elated by honors lest, he dares speak against you in common audiences. He should also not be negligent in presenting the communications of your officers before you and issuing correct replies to them on your behalf and in matters of your receipts and payments.
He should not make any damaging agreement on your behalf and should not fail in repudiating an agreement against you. He should not be ignorant of the extent of his own position in matters because he who is ignorant of his own position is (even) more ignorant of the position of others. Appoint for the lower positions, including the records of the taxes and the army, the people that you strive in electing them because these positions are the most comprehensive in the benefits of your subjects and you. Your selection of these people should not be on the basis of your under-standing (of them), confidence, and your good impression, because people catch the ideas of the officers through affectation and personal service and there is nothing in it which is like well-wishing or trustfulness.
You should rather test them by what they did under the virtuous people before you. Take a decision in favor of one who has a good name among the common people and is the most renowned in nobility and trustworthiness, because this will be a proof of your regard for Allah and for him on whose behalf you have been appointed to this position (namely your Imam). Then order them to use their positions fairly and to be lenient. Establish one chief for every department of work. He should not be incapable of big matters, and a rush of work should not perplex him.
Then inspect their manners that you missed as well as the affairs of the needy and those whose messengers come to you frequently. You should also inspect the manner of their office and how they accept their leader and argument. Most of the secretaries are known of grumbling, loftiness, and self-esteem except him whom God protects. People have no way other than seeking their needs. Whenever there is a defect in your secretaries, which you overlook, then you will be held responsible for it, and any good behavior of them will be attributed to you in addition to the great reward that you will win from God.
Now take some advice about traders and industrialists. Give them good counsel whether they be settled (shop-keepers) or traders or physical laborers because they are sources of profit and the means of the provision of useful articles. They bring them from distant and far-flung areas throughout the land and sea, plains or mountains, from where people cannot come and to where they do not dare to go, like the countries of your enemies. They are the craftsmen, by whose hands God has made the professions operative.
Keep their sanctity, secure their paths, and give them back their rights, for they are peaceful and there is no fear of revolt from them.
Their most favorable affairs are the most secure and the most profitable. Look after their affairs before yourself or wherever they may be in your area. Know, along with this, that most of them are very narrow-minded, awfully avaricious. They hoard goods for profiteering and fix high prices for goods. This is a source of harm to the people and a blot on the officers in charge. Stop people from hoarding, because the Messenger of Allah (SAW) has prohibited it. The sale should be smooth, with correct weights and prices, not harmful to either party, the seller or the purchaser; whoever commits hoarding after you prohibit it, give him exemplary but not excessive punishment, because the Rasulullah (SAW) did so.
Fear Allah and keep Allah in view in respect of the lowest class, consisting of those who have few means: the poor, the destitute, the penniless and the disabled; because in this class are both the discontented and those who beg. Take care for the sake of Allah of His obligations towards them for which He has made you responsible. Fix for them a share from the public funds and a share from the crops of lands taken over as booty for Islam in every area, because in it the remote ones have the same shares as the near ones. All these people are those whose rights have been placed in your charge. Therefore, a luxurious life should not keep you away from them.
You cannot be excused for ignoring small matters because you were deciding big problems. Consequently, do not be unintelligent of them, nor turn your face from them out of vanity. Be modest for the sake of God and God will exalt you. Treat the weak ones modestly, and deal with them as if you are in need of them. Take care of the affairs of those of them who do not approach you because they are of unsightly appearance or those whom people regard as low. Appoint for them some trusted people who are God-fearing and humble. They should inform you of these people’s conditions. Then deal with them with a sense of responsibility to Allah on the day you will meet Him, because of all the subjects these people are the most deserving of equitable treatment, while for others also you should fulfill their rights so as to render account to Allah.
Take care of the orphans and the aged who have no means (for livelihood) nor are they ready for begging. Arrange salaries for them. They are the servants of God. Seek God’s favors through acting sincerely to those people and keeping them in their proper positions in provisions and rights. Deeds are regarded sincere when they are well intended. People, or some of them, will not be tranquil even if you settle their needs and fulfill their rights completely; therefore, they will ask you for their needs openly. This is heavy on the officers; in fact, every right is heavy.
Allah lightens it for those who seek the next world and so they endure (hardships) upon them-selves and trust on the truthfulness of Allah’s promise to them. Be one of those people and seek God’s help. Fix a time for complainants wherein you make yourself free for them, and sit for them in common audience and feel humble therein for the sake of Allah who raised you. (On that occasion) you should keep away your army and your assistants such as the guards and the police so that anyone who likes to speak may speak to you without fear, because I have heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say in more than one place, “The people among whom the right of the weak is not secured from the strong without fear will never achieve purity.” Tolerate their awkwardness and inability to speak. Keep away from your narrowness and haughtiness; Allah would, on this account, spread over you the skirts of His mercy and assign the reward of His obedience for you. Whatever you give, give it joyfully, but when you refuse, do it handsomely and with excuses.
Then there are certain matters, which you cannot avoid performing yourself. For example, replying to your officers when your secretaries are unable to do so, disposing of the complaints of the people when your assistants shirk them, and being acquaintance, of whatever reaches the secretarial workers. Do not neglect or postpone such tasks. Appoint for each affair one who discusses it with the officers in charge so that your heart and mind will be quite tranquil. Whenever you want to determine a matter, you should do it after you have discussed it completely, reviewed it, and sought the consult of those to whom it may concern, without shyness or inclining to an opinion the opposite of which will prevail.
Finish every day the work meant for it, because every day has its own work. Keep for yourself the better and greater portion of these periods for the worship of Allah, although all these items are for Allah provided the intention is pure and the subjects prosper thereby. The particular thing by which you should purify your religion for Allah should be the fulfillment of those obligations, which are especially for Him. Therefore, devote to Allah some of your physical activity during the night and the day. God has imposed the extra worship, nafila, exclusively on His Apostle. He said:
Say your special (tahajjud) prayer during some part of the night as an additional (obligatory) prayer for you alone so that perhaps your Lord will raise you to a highly praiseworthy position. (17:79).
In other words, this is a special matter that God has imposed exclusively on His Apostle as hon-or. For others, it is optional. God says:
And whoever does good spontaneously, then surely Allah is Grateful, Knowing. (2:158).
Spare what you have provided for the sake of God and His honor, and whatever (worship) you perform for seeking nearness to Allah should be complete, without defect or deficiency, whatso-ever physical exertion it may involve. When you lead the prayers for the people it should be neither (too long as to be) boring nor (too short as to be) wasteful, because among the people there are the sick as well as those who have needs of their own. When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) sent me to Yemen I enquired how I should offer prayers with them and he replied, “Say the prayers as the weakest of them would say and be considerate to the believers.”
Then, do not keep yourself secluded from the people for a long time, because the seclusion of those in authority from the subjects is a kind of narrow-sightedness and causes ignorance about their affairs. Seclusion from them also prevents them from the knowledge of those things, which they do not know and as a result they begin to regard big matters as small and small matters as big, good matters as bad and bad matters as good, while the truth becomes confused with false-hood. After all, a governor is a human being and cannot have knowledge of things which people keep hidden from him.
No writ is big on the face of truth to differentiate its various expressions from falsehood. Protect yourself against breaching people’s rights by using transparent seclusion. Then you can be one of two kinds of men. Either you may be generous in granting rights; and then why this hiding in spite of (your) discharging the obligations and good acts that you perform? Or you are a victim of stinginess; in that case people will soon give up asking you since they will lose hope of generous treatment from you. In spite of that there are many needs of the people towards you, which do not involve any hardship on you, such as the complaint against oppression or the request for justice in a matter. Let the matters that I have described for you be very useful for you. Surrender yourself only with what achieves guidance and prosperity for you, God willing.
Further, a governor has favorites and people of easy access to him. They misappropriate things, are high-handed and do not observe justice in matters. You should destroy the root of evil in the people by cutting away the causes of these defects. Do not make any land grants to your hangers on or supporters. They should not expect from you the possession of land, which may cause harm to adjoining people over the question of irrigation or common services whose burden, the grantees place on others. In this way, the benefit will be rather theirs than yours, and the blame will lie on you in this world and the next.
Cling to fairness in judgment when you are in charge. Allow rights to whomsoever it is due, whether near you or far from you. In this matter, you should be enduring and watchful even though it may involve your relations and favorites, and keep in view the reward of that which appears burdensome on you because its reward is handsome.
If the subjects suspect you of high-handedness, explain to them your position openly and remove their suspicion with your explanation, because this would mean exercise for your soul and consideration to the subjects while this explanation will secure your aim of keeping them firm in truth.
Do not reject peace to which your enemy may call you and wherein there is the pleasure of Allah, because peace brings rest to your army and relief from your worries and safety for your country. But after peace there is great apprehension from the enemy because often the enemy offers peace to benefit by your negligence. Therefore, be cautious and guard yourself against any fearful matter. In God is the trust in every matter.
If you conclude an agreement between yourself and your enemy or enter a pledge with him then fulfill your agreement and discharge your pledge faithfully. Place yourself as a shield against whatever you have pledged because among the obligations of Allah there is nothing on which people are more strongly united despite the difference of their ideas and variation of their views than respect for fulfilling pledges. Besides Muslims, even unbelievers have abided by agreements because they realized the dangers, which would come in the wake of violation (thereof). Therefore, do not breach your pledge. Do not break your promise. Do not deceive your enemy, because no one can offend Allah save the ignorant. Allah made His agreement and pledge the sign of security, which He has spread over His creatures through His mercy and an asylum in which they stay in His protection and seek the benefit of nearness to Him. Therefore, there should be no deceit, cunning, or duplicity in it.
If an agreement of Allah involves you in hardship do not seek its repudiation, because the bearing of hardships through which you expect relief and a handsome result is better than a violation whose consequence you fear, and that you fear that you will be called upon by Allah to account for it and you will not be able to seek forgiveness for it in this world or the next.
You should avoid shedding blood without justification, because nothing is more inviting of Di-vine retribution, greater in (evil) consequence, and more effective in the decline of prosperity and cutting short of life than the shedding of blood without justification. On the Day of Judgment Allah, the Glorified, will commence giving His judgment among the people with the cases of bloodshed committed by them. Therefore, do not strengthen your authority by shedding prohibited blood because this will destroy and shift the authority. Beware of encountering God’s wrath. God has appointed a custodian for the killed, and given him wide authority. He says:
And whoever is slain unjustly, We have indeed given to his heir authority, so let him not exceed the just limits in slaying; surely, he is aided. (17:33).
You cannot offer any excuse before Allah or before me for willful killing because there must be the question or revenge in it. If you are involved in it by error and you exceed in the use of your whip or sword, or are hard in inflicting punishment, as sometimes even a blow by the fist or a smaller stroke causes death, then the haughtiness of your authority should not prevent you from paying the blood price to the successors of the killed person.
You should avoid self-admiration, having reliance in what appears good in yourself, and love of exaggerated praise, because this is one of the most reliable opportunities for Shaytan to obliterate the good deeds of the virtuous.
Avoid showing (the existence of) obligation on your subjects for having done good to them, praising your own actions, making promises and then breaking them, or speaking badly to them, because showing (the existence of) obligation destroys good and self-praise takes away the light of truth. Allah the Glorified says:
Most hateful is it unto Allah that you say what you yourselves do it not. (61:3).
Avoid haste in matters before their time, slowness in their proper time, insistence on them when the propriety of action is not known or weakens when it becomes clear. Assign every matter its proper place and do every job at the appropriate time.
Do not appropriate to yourself that in which the people have an equal share, nor be regardless of matters, which have come to light with the excuse that you are accountable for others. Shortly, it will be taken from you and given to others, and the curtains of all matters will be raised from your view and you will be required to render redress to the oppressed. Have control over your sense of prestige, any outburst of anger, the might of your arm, and the sharpness of your tongue. Guard against all this by avoiding haste and by delaying severe action. Raise your sight to the heavens when anything of this controls you so that your anger subsides and you gain your self-control. You cannot withhold yourself from this unless you bear in mind that you have to return to Allah.
If God wills for you guidance and prosperity, you should know that I have collected for you in this commandment variety of matters that I expect they will guide you. You should recall how matters went with us, including a just government, a great tradition, a precedent of our Rasulullah (SAW), or the obligatory commands contained in the Book of Allah. Your leadership should depend upon these matters. Then you should follow them as you have seen us acting upon them and should exert yourself in following that I have enjoined upon you in this document in which I have exhausted my pleas on you, so that if your heart advances towards its passions you may have no plea in its support. Except Allah the Praised, nothing protects against evil and leads to welfare. Within the commandments of the Rasulullah (SAW) that he had aid to me was his assertion of performing the prayers, paying the poor-rate and treating the bondservants kindly. I will finish my commandment with these matters.
I ask Allah through the extent of His mercy and the greatness of His power of giving a good inclination that He may prompt me and you to advance a clear plea before Him and His creatures in a manner that may attract His pleasure along with handsome praise among the people, good effect in the country, an increase in prosperity and a heightening of honor; and that He may allow me and you to die a death of virtue and martyrdom. Surely, we have to return to Him. Peace be on the Messenger of Allah (May Allah show His blessings and plentiful salutation on him and his pure and chaste descendants) and that is an end to the matter.