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The Ruler and Society 5 - Al-Shia The Scientific and Cultural Website of Shia belief The Ruler and Society 5 2021-06-21 538 Views The Ruler , The Society , Leadership , Islam vs Society In this part of the article titled “The Ruler and society”, we shall discuss some other commands and prohibitions given by Imam Ali (a.s) to Malik Ashtar, as a governor of Egypt.

Commands and Prohibitions in Malik al-Ashtar’s Best Interest Set aside for those who have requests (hajat) from you a portion (of your time) in which you yourself are free to (attend) to them. Hold an open audience for them and therein be humble before God who created you.

Keep the soldiers and aides who are your bodyguards and police away from them so that their spokesman may address you without stammering (in fear), for I heard the Messenger of God (may God bless him and his household) say not (only) on one occasion: “No community shall be sanctified within which the rightfully due of the weak may not be taken from the strong without stammering (by the weak)”.

Furthermore, suffer them to be coarse and faltering of speech and become not annoyed and angry with them. For that God will outspread the wings of His mercy over you and make binding for you the reward of having obeyed Him. Bestow what you bestow in a pleasant manner and refrain (from granting requests when you must) gracefully and while asking pardon. Then there are certain of your affairs which you must take in hand personally.

Among them is giving an ear to your administrators when your secretaries have been unable to find the correct solution, and among them is attending to the requests of men when presented to you because the breasts of your aides have been straitened by them (1). Each day perform the work of that day, for to each belongs what is proper to it.

Set aside for yourself in what is between you and God the most excellent of these hours and the fullest of these portions, even though all of them belong to God if in them your intention is correct and because of them the subjects remain secure. In making your religion sincerely God’s perform especially His obligations (fara’id) (2), which pertain only to Him.

So give to God of your body in your night and your day, and complete in a perfect manner, neither defectively nor efficiently, what brings you near to God, no matter what may befall your body (as a result) (3).