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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Imam Ali (a.s.)'s Book of Government Chapter Three: Administrative Policies 3.1 Honesty in Policy Al-Imam Ali (a.s.): “Alas! If it were not for piety, I would have been the shrewdest Arab.”[^1] Al-Imam Ali (a.s.): “O People! If perjury were not repulsive, I would be the shrewdest person. Let it be known that there is an offence in any [type of] perjury and in any offence there is disbelief.

Let it be known that perjury, offence and disbelief are in fire [of Hell].”[^2] Al-Imam Ali (a.s.): “I swear by Allah that Mu’awiya is not cleverer than me, but he practices deception [perjury] and commits debauchery; and if it were not for the hideousness of deception, I would have been the shrewdest of all people, but any kind of deception is sinful, and any sin is disobedience of Allah, and for any deceiver there would be a banner raised on the Resurrection Day by which he will be recognized.

By Allah, I can not be made forgetful by artifice, nor I can be overpowered by hardship.”[^3] Al-Imam Ali (a.s.) – in his instructions to Malik al-Ashtar: “If you bind an agreement between yourself and your enemy or clothe him in protective covenant (dhimma), guard your agreement in good faith and tend your covenant with fidelity.

Make of yourself a shield before what you have granted, for men do not unite more firmly in any of the obligations (imposed upon them) by Allah than in attaching importance to fidelity in agreement, despite the division among their sects and the diversity of their opinions. The idolaters had already adhered to that (honoring agreement) among themselves before Muslims, by reason of evil consequences of treachery that they had seen.

So never betray your protective covenant, never break your agreement and never deceive your enemy.[^4] 3.2 Truth-Oriented Al-Imam Ali (a.s.): “Certainly the best man before Allah is he who loves most to act according to right, even though it causes him hardship and grief, rather than according to wrong, even though it gives him benefit and increase.”[^5] Al-Imam Ali (a.s.): “Fulfillment of someone’s rights should not prevent you from establishing rights against him.”[^6] Al-Irshad: When Amir al-Mu’minin set out for Basra, he stopped at a village called ‘Rabadha’[^7] where the remainder of the Hajj pilgrims gathered around him in his tent to listen to his speech.

Ibn ‘Abbas said, “I went to Ali (a.s.) and saw him stitching his shoes.