Leave aside those morsels that give you some suspicion.

Leave aside those morsels that give you some suspicion. O Ibn Hunayf! Fear Allah and remain contented with your own bread so that you get relief from the fire of the Hell!” Some reports of misdemeanor came about al-Ash`ath ibn Qays, who was the governor of Azerbaijan since the times of `Uthman.

After the Battle of the Camel, `Ali (a.s) wrote to him, “You are the treasurer of all the funds of Allah that are in your trust until you hand them over to me!” al-Ash`ath understood that he was about to be dismissed. He gathered whatever amounts he could and told some of his friends about `Ali’s letter and that he intended to go under the protection of Mu`awiyah. His friend said that it was not proper for him to leave behind his tribesmen and go to Syria.

On the advice of his friends, he gave up his intention of going there. `Ali (a.s) sent Hijr ibn `Adi to him, who somehow brought him to al-Kūfah. When his baggage was rummaged, they recovered 400,000 dirhams in cash. `Ali (a.s) gave him 30,000 dirhams as a compensation for his services and the rest was transferred to the bayt al-mal . Al-Mundhir ibn al-`Abdi, whom he appointed as the governor of Astkhar did some misappropriation.

`Ali (a.s) wrote to him, “I have been informed that you are losing your Hereafter to make this world! You are breaking your link with the Faith and doing favors with your relations! You do not deserve to be in a position of trust or to depend on you for protecting others from misappropriation. Therefore, as soon as you get this letter, come and report to me!” When al-Mundhir came, his accounts were audited. It was found that he was short of 20,000 dirhams.

But he denied having that money with him. `Ali (a.s) asked him to make the statement under oath, that he refused. He was sent to the jail. After some time he was released at the instance of Sa`sa`ah ibn Sawhan. Reports of cheating came about Ziyad ibn Sumayyah, who was on a deputation in place of Ibn `Abbas, at al-Basrah.

`Ali (a.s) wrote to him, “If I find that you have misappropriated the funds of Muslims and you have done malpractice in anything big or small, I shall give you such punishment that will make you empty handed, weak and discredited among people!” `Ali (a.s) wrote to the governor of Ardshir, Maslamah ibn Hubayrah, “The funds that were earned through the tips of the Muslims’ lances and the hoofs of their horses, for which they had shed their blood and sweat, you are distributing to the Bedouin of your tribe.