الولاية

AUTHORITY

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3. The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Allah Almighty has said, ‘If one of My creation who knows Me disobeys Me, I will cause one of My creation who does not know Me to reign over him.’
[al-FaqIh, v. 4, p. 404, no. 5871]

4. Imam Ali (AS), censuring his companions said, ‘Verily by He who owns my soul, this group will take control of you, not because they are worthier of the right
[to rule] than you, but because of their hastening to wrong its rightful owner
[i.e. of the leadership] and your slowness at upholding my right.’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Sermon 97]

5. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘He who takes control of any of the affairs of people, and is just, opens his door to people, eradicates evil, and examines the affairs of people, it becomes the right of Allah to save him from fear on the Day of Judgment and make him enter Heaven.’
[BiÎAr al-AnwAr, v. 75, p. 340, no. 18]

6. The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Whoever takes up rule of any of the affairs of the Muslims and deceives them then he is in Hell.’
[al-TarghIb wa al-TarhIb, v. 3, p. 176, no. 40]

7. Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘A ferocious and brutal predator is better than an oppressive and unjust ruler.’
[Ghurar al Hikam, no. 5626]

8. Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The worst of rulers is he whom even the innocent fear.’
[Ibid. no. 5687]

9. Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He whose rule is oppressive, his government will fall apart.’
[Ibid. no. 8365]

10. Imam Ali (AS), in his lettter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘Surely the virtuous are known by the reputation that Allah circulates for them through the tongues of His creatures. Threfore, the best collection with you should be the collection of good deeds. 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.’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Letter 53]

11. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘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.’
[Ibid. Letter 53]

12. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘Beware of 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 Satan to obliterate the good deeds of the virtuous.’
[Ibid. Letter 53]

13. Imam Ali (AS) said to ÝUmar b. al-KhaÔÔÁb, ‘There are three things which if you observe and act in accordance with, they will suffice you in everything else, and if you abandon them, nothing else will benefit you other than them.’ ÝUmar asked, ‘What are they AbU al-Íasan?’ He (AS) said, ‘The observance of penalties for the close and the distant, ruling according to the Book of Allah, be it with acceptance or discontentment, and to divide fairly between the black and the red.’ ÝUmar said, ‘By my life, you have summarised and explained
[everything].’
[al-TahdhIb, v. 6, p. 227, no. 547]

14. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘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, wilfully 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 have authority over them, and your responsible Commander (Imam) has authority over you, while Allah has authority over he who has appointed you.’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Letter 53]

15. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘The way most coveted by you should be that which is the most equitable for the truth, 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 while the disagreement among the chiefs can be disregarded when compared to 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, more importunate in asking favours, least thankful when given, least accepting of excuses when refused, and weakest in endurance at the time of discomforts in life than the chiefs. It is the common people of the community who are the pillars of religion, the power of the Muslims and the defence against the enemies. Your leanings should therefore be towards them and your inclination with them.’
[Ibid. Letter 53]

16. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘There are three things that are obligatory for a governor, both towards the elite and the general public: rewarding the good-doer with goodness so that he increases in his desire to perform it, forgiving the sins of the wrongful so that he can repent and return from his rebellion, and encompassing all people with goodness and fairness.’
[TuÎaf al-ÝUqUl, p. 319]

17. The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Whoever employs a worker from a group wherein someone else is more content with Allah than him
[the person he chose], then he has betrayed Allah.’
[BiÎAr al-AnwAr, v. 23, p. 75, no. 24]

18. The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘By Allah, we do not appoint for this work someone who has asked for it, nor someone who is avidly eager for it.’
[SaÎIÎ Muslim, v. 3, p. 1456, no. 14]

19. The Prophet (SAWA) said to ÝAbd al-RaÎmÁn b. Samura, ‘O ÝAbd al-RaÎmÁn b. Samura, do not ask for authority, for if you were to be given it by asking for it, then you will be entrusted with it to your own self
[and held accountable], and if you are given it without having asked for it, then you will be helped with it.’
[Sunan AbI DAwUd, no. 2929]

20. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘Thereafter, look into the affairs of your executives. Give them appointment after tests and do not appoint them according to partiality or favouritism, because these two things constitute the sources of injustice and unfairness. Select from among them those who are people of experience and modesty, hailing from virtuous houses, having preceded in
[embracing] Islam.’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Letter 53]

21. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘Then you should check their activities and have people report on them, who should be truthful and faithful, because your watching their actions secretly will urge them to preserve trust with and 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, they should be regarded as 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.’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Letter 53]

22. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘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 are unaware of 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 falsehood.’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Letter 53]

23. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘Whoever takes up any of the affairs of people and is just, opens his door, uncovers his veils, and fulfils the needs of people, it will become the right of Allah to save him from fear on the Day of Judgment and make him enter Heaven.’
[TanbIh al-KhawATir,v. 2, p. 165]

24. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘And fix a time for the plaintiffs wherein you make yourself free for them, and sit for them in common audience and feel humble therein for the sake of Allah Who created you.
[On that occasion] you should keep away your army and your assistants such as the guards and the police so that anyone who would like to speak may speak to you without fear, because I have heard the Messenger of Allah (SAWA) 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 narrowness and haughtiness from yourself…’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Letter 53]

25. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to MÁlik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, ‘
[Fear] Allah and keep Allah in view with respect to 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 for which He has made you responsible. Fix for them a share from the public treasury… 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 fulfil their rights so as to render account to Allah.’
[Ibid. Letter 53]

26. Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The friends of Allah are those who look at the inward aspect of the world while the other people look at its outer aspect; they busy themselves with its remoter benefits while the other people busy themselves in the immediate benefits. They kill those things which they fear would have killed them, and they abandon here in this world what they believe would abandon them. They take the amassing of wealth by others as a small matter and regard it as a loss. They are enemies of those things which others love while they love things which others hate. Through them the Qur’an has been learnt and they have been given knowledge through the Qur’an. With them the Qur’an is staying while they stand by the Qur’an. They do not see any object of hope above what they hope in and no object of fear above what they fear.’
[Nahj al-BalAgha, Saying 432]

27. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, ‘O AbU BaÒÐr, blessed be the followers
[shÐÝa] of our Awaited Saviour
[QÁ’im] who wait for his appearance during his occultation, and obey him when he reappears. They are the friends of Allah who indeed have no fear nor will they grieve.’
[NUr al-Thaqalayn, v. 2, p. 309, no. 94]