1. Hazrat Ali (RA),
cousin and Son-in-Law of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was fourth Caliph
of Islam (656 AD - 661 AD). Hazrat Ali (RA) was born to Hazrat Abu Talib and
Hazrat Fatima binte Asad in Holy Kaa'ba and was the youngest to accept Islam.
He stood by side of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) in testing times and came out as a
loyal companion. Hazrat Ali (RA) stands tall in Islamic History due to his
wisdom and knowledge. Upon taking over the responsibility as fourth Caliph of
Islam after Hazrat Usman (RA) appointed Malik Ashtar as Governor of Egypt. A
letter was sent to newly appointed governor giving guidelines for all spheres
of rulership. The letter has been translated by Rasheed Turabi in English and
is being pasted below. It surely is an ideal set of codes for any ruler in the
world.
2. Note
by the Translator. Hazrat Ali, the Great Khalif of Islam, and the first in the
line of the Imamat, apart from his abiding contribution to spiritual thought,
is known to the Arabic world as a great jurist and man of letters. According to
the historian Masudi (Murooj-uz-Zahab Masudi Vol. II, p. 33. Egypt), Hazarat
Ali is credited with not less than 480 treaties, lectures and epistles on a
variety of subjects dealing with philosophy, religion, law and politics, as
collected by Zaid Ibn Wahab in the Imam's own life time. So highly valued are
these contributions both for their contents and their intrinsic literary worth
that some of his masterpieces have formed throughout the course of Islamic
history subjects of study in centers of Muslim learning. Indeed, his reputation
seems to have traveled into Europe at the time of the Renaissance; for we find
that Edward Powcock (1604-1691) a professor at the University of Oxford,
published the first English translation of his "Sayings" and
delivered in 1639 a series of lectures on his "Rhetoric". I have
given below a translation from Arabic into English of Hazrat Ali's famous
letter of instructions addressed as Khalif to the then Governor of Egypt, Malik
Ashtar. This letter according to Fehrist-i-Tusi (p.33) was first copied in the
time of Hazarat Ali himself by Asbagh bin Nabata and later on reproduced or
referred to in their writings by various Arab and Egyptian scholars, chief of
them being Nasr ibn Mazahim (148 A.H.), Jahiz Basari (255 A.H.) Syed Razi (404
A.H.) Ibn-i-Abil Hidaid and Allama Mustafa Bek Najib, the great living scholar
of Egypt. The last named regards this letter "as a basic guide in Islamic
administration."
3. The Richest Treasure. Be it known to
you, O, Malik, that I am sending you as Governor to a country which in the past
has experienced both just and unjust rule. Men will scrutinize your actions
with a searching eye, even as you used to scrutinize the actions of those
before you, and speak of you even as you did speak of them. The fact is that
the public speak well of only those who do good. It is they who furnish the
proof of your actions. Hence the richest treasure that you may covet would be the
treasure of good deeds. Keep your desires under control and deny yourself that
which you have been prohibited from, for, by such abstinence alone, you will be
able to distinguish between what is good to them and what is not. Develop in
your heart the feeling of love for your people and let it be the source of
kindliness and blessing to them. Do not behave with them like a barbarian, and
do not appropriate to yourself that which belongs to them. Remember that the
citizens of the state are of two categories. They are either your brethren in
religion or your brethren in kind. They are subject to infirmities and liable
to commit mistakes. Some indeed do commit mistakes. But forgive them even as
you would like God to forgive you. Bear in mind that you are placed over them,
even as I am placed over you. And then there is God even above him who has
given you the position of a Governor in order that you may look after those
under you and to be sufficient unto them. And you will be judged by what you do
for them. Do not set yourself against God, for neither do you possess the
strength to shield yourself against His displeasure, nor can you place yourself
outside the pale of His mercy and forgiveness. Do not feel sorry over any act
of forgiveness, nor rejoice over any punishment that you may mete out to
anyone. Do not rouse yourself to anger, for no good will come out of it. Do not
say: "I am your overlord and dictator, and that you should, therefore, bow
to my commands", as that will corrupt your heart, weaken your faith in
religion and create disorder in the state. Should you be elated by power, ever
feel in your mind the slightest symptoms of pride and arrogance, then look at
the power and majesty of the Divine governance of the Universe over which you
have absolutely no control. It will restore the sense of balance to your
wayward intelligence and give you the sense of calmness and affability. Beware!
Never put yourself against the majesty and grandeur of God and never imitate
His omnipotence; for God has brought low every rebel of God and every tyrant of
man. Let your mind respect through your actions the rights of God and the
rights of man, and likewise, persuade your companions and relations to do
likewise. For, otherwise, you will be doing injustice to yourself and injustice
to humanity. Thus both man and God will turn unto your enemies. There is no
hearing anywhere for one who makes an enemy of God himself. He will be regarded
as one at war with God until he feels contrition and seeks forgiveness. Nothing
deprives man of divine blessings or excites divine wrath against him more
easily than cruelty. Hence it is, that God listens to the voice of the
oppressed and waylays the oppressor.
4. The Common Man. Maintain
justice in administration and impose it on your own self and seek the consent
of the people, for, the discontent of the masses sterilizes the contentment of
the privileged few and the discontent of the few looses itself in the
contentment of the many. Remember the privileged few will not rally round you
in moments of difficulty: they will try to side-track justice, they will ask
for more than what they deserve and will show no gratitude for favors done to
them. They will feel restive in the face of trials and will offer no regret for
their shortcomings. It is the common man who is the strength of the State and
Religion. It is he who fights the enemy. So live in close contact with the
masses and be mindful of their welfare. Keep at a distance him who peers into
the weaknesses of others. After all, the masses are not free from weaknesses.
It is the duty of the ruler to shield them. Do not bring to light that which is
hidden, but try to remove those weaknesses which have been brought to light.
God is watchful of everything that is hidden from you, and He alone will deal
with it. To the best of your ability cover the weaknesses of the public and God
will cover the weaknesses in you which you are anxious to keep away from their
eye. Unloose the tangle of mutual hatred between the public and the
administration and remove all those causes which may give rise to strained
relations between them. Protect yourself from every such act as may not be
quite correct for you. Do not make haste in seeking confirmation of
tale-telling, for, the tale-teller is a deceitful person appearing in the garb
of a friend.
5. The Counselors. Never take counsel
of a miser, for he will vitiate your magnanimity and frighten you of poverty.
Do not take counsel of a coward also, for, he will cheat you of your resolves.
Do not take counsel of the greedy too: for he will instill greed in you and
turn you into a tyrant. Miserliness, cowardice and greed deprive man of his
trust in God. The worst of counselors is he who has served as a counselor to
unjust rulers and shared their crimes. So, never let men who have been
companions of tyrants or shared their crimes be your counselors. You can get
better men than these, men gifted with intelligence and foresight, but
unpolluted by sin, men who have never aided a tyrant in his tyranny or a
criminal in his crime. Such men will never be a burden on you. On the other
hand, they will be a source of help and strength to you at all times. They will
be friends to you and strangers to your enemies. Choose such men alone for
companionship both in privacy and in the public. Even among these, show
preference to them who have a habitual regard for truth however trying to you
at times their truth may prove to be, and who offer you no encouragement in the
display of tendencies which God does not like his friends to develop. Keep
close to you the upright, and the God fearing, and make clear to them that they
are never to flatter you and never to give you credit for any good that you may
not have done: for, the tolerance of flattery and unhealthy praise stimulates
pride in man makes him arrogant. Do not treat the good and the bad alike. That
will deter the good from doing good, and encourage the bad in their bad
pursuits. Recompense every one according one's deserts. Remember that mutual
trust and good will between the ruler and the ruled are bred only through
benevolence, justice and service. So, cultivate good-will amongst the people;
for their good-will alone will save you from troubles. Your benevolence to them
will be repaid by their trust in you, and your ill-treatment by their ill-will.
Do not disregard the noble traditions set by our forbearers which have promoted
harmony and progress among the people; and do not initiate anything which might
minimize their usefulness. The men who had established these noble traditions
have had their reward; but responsibility will be yours if they are disturbed.
Try always to learn something from the experience of the learned and the wise,
and frequently consult them in state matters so that you might maintain the
peace and good-will which your predecessors had established in the land.
6. The Different Classes of People.
Remember that the people are composed of different
classes. The progress of one is dependent on the progress of every other; and
none can afford to be independent of the other. We have the Army formed of the
soldiers of God, we have our civil officers and their establishments, our
judiciary, our revenue collectors and our public relation officers. The general
public itself consists of Muslims and Zimmis and among them of merchants and
craftsmen, the unemployed and the indigent. God has prescribed for them their
several rights, duties and obligations. They are all defined and preserved in
the Book of God and in the traditions of his Prophet. The army, by the grace of
God, is like a fortress to the people and lends dignity to the state. It
upholds the prestige of the Faith and maintains the peace of the country.
Without it the state cannot stand. In its turn, it cannot stand without the
support of the state. Our soldiers have proved strong before the enemy because
of the privilege God has given them to fight for Him; but they have their
material needs to fulfil and have therefore to depend upon the income provided
for them from the state revenue. The military and civil population who pay
revenue, both need the co-operation of others -the judiciary, civil officers
and their establishment. The Qazi administers civil and criminal law; the civil
officers collect revenue and attend to civil administration with the assistance
of their establishment. And then there are the tradesmen and the merchants who
add to the revenue of the state. It is they who run the markets and are in a
better position than others to discharge social obligations. And then there is
the class of the poor and the needy, whose maintenance is an obligation on the
other classes. God has given appropriate opportunity of service to one and all;
and then there are the rights of all these classes over the administration
which the administrator has to meet with an eye on the good of the entire
population, a duty which he cannot fulfill properly unless he takes personal
interest in its execution and seeks help from God. Indeed it is obligatory on
him to impose this duty on himself and to bear with patience the inconveniences
and difficulties incidental to his task.
7. The Army. Be particularly mindful of the welfare of those in the army
who in your opinion, are staunchly faithful to their God and Prophet and loyal
to their chief, and who in the hour of passion can restrain themselves and
listen coolly to sensible remonstrance, and who can succor the weak and smite
the strong, whom violent provocation will not throw into violent temper and who
will not falter at any stage. Keep yourself in close contact with the families
of established reputation and integrity with a glorious past, and draw to
yourself men brave and upright in character, generous and benevolent in
disposition; for such are the salt of society. Care for them with the
tenderness with which you care for your children, and do not talk before them
of any good that you might have done to them, nor disregard any expression of
affection which they show in return; for, such conduct inspires loyalty,
devotion and goodwill. Attend to every little of their wants not resting
content with what general help that you might have given to them, for
sometimes, timely attention to a little want of theirs brings them immense
relief. Surely these people will not forget you in your own hour of need. It
behooves you to select for your Commander-in-chief one who imposes on himself
as a duty, the task of rendering help to his men, and who can excel in kindness
every other officer who has to attend to the needs of the men under him, and
look after their families when they are away from their homes; so much so, that
the entire army should feel united in their joys and in their sorrows. The
unity of purpose will give them added strength against the enemy. Continue to
maintain a kindly attitude towards them so that they might feel attached to you.
The fact is that the real happiness of the administrators and their most
pleasant comfort lies in establishing justice in the state and maintaining
affectionate relations with the people. Their sincerity of feeling is expressed
in the love and regard they show to you, on which alone depends the safety of
the administrators.
Your advices to the army will be of no avail,
unless and until you show affection to both men and officers, in order that
they might not regard the Government as an oppressive burden or contribute to
its downfall. Continue to satisfy their needs and praise them over and over
again for what services they have rendered. Such an attitude, God willing will
inspire the brave to braver actions and induce the timid to deeds of bravery. Try
to enter into the feelings of others and do not foist the mistake of one over
another and do not grudge dispensing appropriate rewards. See to it you do not
show favors to one who has done nothing but merely counts on his family
position; and do not withhold proper rewards from one who has done great deeds
simply because he holds a low position in life.
8. The Real Guidance. Turn to God and to
His prophet for guidance whenever you feel uncertain as to what you have to do.
There is the commandment of God delivered to those people who He wishes to
guide aright: "O people of the Faith! Obey God and obey His prophet and
those from among you who hold authority over you. And refer to God and His
prophet whenever there is difference of opinion among you. To turn to God is in
reality to consult the Book of God; and to turn to the prophet is t follow his
universally accepted traditions.
9. Chief Judge. Select for your chief judge one from the people who is by
far the best among them -one who is not obsessed with domestic worries, one who
cannot be intimidated, one who does not err to often, one who does not turn
back from a right path once he finds it, one who is not self-centered or
avaricious, one who will not decide before knowing full facts, one who will
weigh wit care every attendant doubt and pronounce a clear verdict after taking
everything into full consideration, one who will not grow restive over the
arguments of advocates and who will examine with patience every new disclosure
of fact and who will be strictly impartial in his decision, one who flattery
cannot mislead or one who does not exult over his position. But it is not easy
to find such men. Once you have selected the right man for the office, pay him
handsomely enough, to let him live in comfort and in keeping with his position,
enough to keep him above temptations. Give him a position in your court so high
none can even dream of coveting it and so high that neither back-biting nor
intrigue can touch him.
10. Subordinate
Judiciary. Beware! The utmost carefulness is
to be exercised in his selection: for it is this high office which adventurous
self-seekers aspire to secure and exploit in their selfish interests. After the
selection of your chief judge, give careful consideration to the selection of
other officers. Confirm them in their appointments after approved
apprenticeship and probation. Never select men for responsible posts either out
of any regard for personal connections or under any influence, for, that might
lead to injustice and corruption. Of these select for higher posts men of
experience, men firm in faith and belonging to good families. Such men will not
fall an easy prey to temptations and will discharge their duties with an eye on
the abiding good of others. Increase their salaries to give them a contented
life. A contented living is a help to self-purification. They will not feel the
urge to tax the earnings of their subordinates for their own upkeep. They will
then have no excuse either to go against your instructions or misappropriate state
funds. Keep to watch over them without their knowledge, loyal and upright men.
Perchance they may develop true honesty and true concern for the public
welfare. But whenever any of them is accused of dishonesty and the guilt is
confirmed by the report of your secret service, then regard this as a
sufficient to convict him. Let the punishment be corporal and let that be dealt
in the public at an appointed place of degradation.
11. Revenue
Administration. Great care is to be exercised
in revenue administration, to ensure the prosperity of those who pay the
revenue to the state; for it is on their prosperity depends the prosperity of
others, particularly the prosperity of the masses. Indeed, the state exists on
its revenue. You should regard the proper upkeep of the land in cultivation as
of greater importance than the collection of revenue, for revenue cannot be
derived except by making the land productive. He who demands revenue without
helping the cultivator to improve his land, inflicts unmerited hardship on the
cultivator and ruins the State. The rule of such a person does not last long.
If the cultivators ask for reduction of their land cess for having suffered
from epidemics or drought or excess of rains or the barrenness of the soil or
floods damaging to their barrenness of the soil or foods damaging to their
crops, then, reduce the cess accordingly, so that their condition might
improve. Do not mind the loss of revenue on that account for that will return
to you one day manifold in the hour of greater prosperity of the land and
enable you to improve the condition of your towns and to raise the prestige of
your state. You will be the object of universal praise. The people will believe
in your sense of justice. The confidence which they will place in you in
consequence will prove your strength, as they will be found ready to share your
burdens. You may settle down on the land any number of people, but discontent
will overtake them if the land is not improved. The cause of the cultivator's
ruin is the rulers who are bent feverishly on accumulating wealth at all costs,
out of the fear that their rule might not last long. Such are the people who do
not learn from examples or precedents.
12. Clerical
Establishment. Keep an eye on your
establishment and your scribes; and select the best among them for your
confidential correspondence such among these as possess high character and
deserve your full confidence, men who may not exploit their privileged position
to go against you and who may not grow neglectful of their duties and who in
the drafting of treaties may not succumb to external temptation and harm your
interests, or fail to render you proper assistance and to save you from
trouble, and who in carrying out their duties can realize their serious
responsibilities, for he who does not realize his own responsibilities can
hardly appraise the reprehensibilities of others. Do not select men for such
work merely on the strength of your first impressions of your affection or good
faith; for as a matter of fact; the pretensions of a good many who are really
devoid of honesty and good breeding may cheat even the intelligence of rulers.
Selection should be made after due probation which should be the test of
righteousness. In making direct appointments from people, see to it that those
selected possess influence with the people and who enjoy the reputation of
being honest; for such selection is agreeable to God and the ruler. For every
department of administration, let there be a head, whom no trying task might
cause worry and no pressure of work annoy. And remember that every weakness of
any one among your establishment and scribe which you may overlook will be
written down against you in your scroll of deeds.
13. Trade and Industry. Adopt useful schemes
placed before those engaged in trade and industry and help them with wise
counsels. Some of them live in towns, and some move from place to place with
their wares and tools and earn their living by manual labor. Trade and Industry
are sources of profit to the State. While the general public is not inclined to
bear the strain, those engaged in these professions take the trouble to collect
commodities from far and near, from land and from across the sea, and from
mountains and forests and naturally derive benefits. It is this class of peace
loving people from whom no disturbance need be feared. They love peace and
order; indeed they are incapable of creating disorder. Visit every part of the
country and establish personal contact with this class, and inquire into their
condition. But bear in mind that a good many of them are intensely greedy and
are inured to bad dealings. They hoard grain and try to sell it at a high
price; and this is most harmful to the public. It is a blot on the name of the
ruler not to fight this evil. Prevent them from hoarding; for the Prophet of
God -Peace be upon him - had prohibited it. And see to it that trade is carried
on with the utmost ease, that the scales are evenly held and that prices are so
fixed that neither the seller nor the buyer is put to a loss. And if inspite of
your warning, should anyone go against your commands and commit the crime of
hoarding, then deal him appropriately with severe punishment.
14. The Poor. Beware! Fear God when dealing with the problem of the poor
who have non to patronize, who are forlorn, indigent and helpless and are
greatly torn in mind -victims of the vicissitudes of Time. Among them there are
some who do not question their lot in life not withstanding their misery, do
not go about abegging. For God's sake, safeguard their rights; for on you rests
the responsibility of protection. Assign for their uplift a portion of the
state exchequer (Baitul-mal), wherever they may be, whether close at hand or
far away from you. The rights of the two should be equal in your eye. Do not
let any preoccupation slip them from your mind; for no excuse whatsoever for
the disregard of their rights will be acceptable to God. Do not treat their
interests as of less importance than your own, and never keep them outside the
purview of your important considerations, and mark the persons who look down
upon them and of whose conditions they keep you in ignorance. Select from among
your officers such men as are meek and God fearing who can keep you properly
informed of the condition of the poor. Make such provision for these poor
people as shall not oblige you to offer an excuse before God on the day of
judgment; for, it is this section of the people more than any other which
deserves benevolent treatment. Seek your reward from God by giving to each of
them what is due to him and enjoin on yourself as a sacred duty the task of
meting the needs of such aged among them as have no independent means of
livelihood and are averse to seek alms. And it is the discharge of this duty
that usually proves very trying for ruler, but is very welcome to societies
which are gifted with foresight. It is only such societies or nations who truly
carry out with equanimity their covenant with God to discharge their duty to
the poor.
15. Open Conferences. Meet the oppressed and the lowly periodically in an open
conference and, conscious of the divine presence there, have a heart-to-heart
talk with them, and let none from your armed guard or civil officers or members
of the police or the Intelligence Department be by your side, so that the
representatives of the poor might state their grievances fearlessly and without
reserve. For I have the Prophet of God saying that no nation or society will
occupy a high position in which the strong do not discharge their duty to the
weak. Bear with composure any strong language which they may use, and do not
get annoyed if they cannot state their case lucidly, even so, God will open you
his door of blessings and rewards. Whatever you can give to them, give it
ungrudgingly, and whatever you cannot afford to give, make that clear to them
in utmost sincerity. There are certain things which call for prompt action.
Accept the recommendations made by your officers for the redress of the
grievances of the clerical staff. See to it that petitions or applications that
are submitted for your consideration, are brought to your notice the very day
they are submitted, however much your officers might try to intercede them.
Dispose off the day's work that very day, for the coming day will bring with it
its own tasks.
16. Communion
with God. And do not forget to set apart the
best of your time for communion with God, although every moment of yours is for
Him only, provided it is spend sincerely in the service of your people. The
special time that you give to prayer in the strict religious sense is to be
devoted to the performances of the prescribed daily prayers. Keep yourself
engaged in these prayers both in the day and in the night, and to gain perfect
communion, do not as far as possible, let your prayers grow tiresome. And when
you lead in congregational prayer, do not let your prayer be so lengthy as to
cause discomfort to the congregation or raise in them the feeling of dislike
for it or liquidate its effect: for in the congregation there may be invalids
and also those who have to attend pressing affairs of their own. When I had
asked of the Prophet of God on receiving an order to proceed to Yaman, how I
should lead the people there in prayer, he said -perform your prayers even as
the weakest among you would do; and set an example of consideration to the
faithful.
17. Aloofness
not desirable. Alongside of the observance of
all that I have said above bear one thing in mind. Never for any length of time
keep yourself aloof from the people, for to do so is to keep oneself ignorant
of their affairs. It develops in the ruler a wrong perspective and renders him
unable to distinguish between what is important and what is not, between right
and wrong, and between truth and falsehood. The ruler is after all human; and
he cannot form a correct view of anything which is out of sight. There is no
distinctive sign attached to truth which may enable one to distinguish between
the different varieties of truth and falsehood. The fact is that you must be
one of two things. Either you are just or unjust. If you are just, then you
will not keep yourself away from the people, but will listen to them and meet
their requirements. On the other hand, it you are unjust, the people themselves
will keep way from you. What virtue is there in your keeping aloof? At all
events aloofness is not desirable especially when it is your duty to attend to
the needs of the people. Complaints of oppression by your officers or petitions
for justice should not prove irksome to you. Make this clear to yourself that
those immediately about and around you will like to exploit their position to
covet what belongs to others and commit acts of injustice. Suppress such a
tendency in them. Make a rule of your conduct never to give even a small piece
of land to any of your relations. That will prevent them from causing harm to
the interests of others and save you from courting the disapprobation of God
and Man. Deal justice squarely regardless of the fact whether one is a relation
or not. If any of your relations or companions violates the law, mete out the
punishment prescribed by law however painful it might be to you personally; for
it will be all to the good of the State. If at any time people suspect, that
you have been unjust to them in any respect disclose your mind to them and
remove their suspicions. In this way, your mind will get attuned to the sense
of justice and people will begin to love you. It will also fulfill your wish
that you should enjoy their confidence.
18. Peace
And Treaties. Bear in mind that you do not throw away the offer of peace
which your enemy may himself make. Accept it, for, that will please God. Peace
is a source of comfort to the army; it reduces your worries and promotes order
in the State. But Beware! Be on your guard when the peace is signed; for,
certain types of enemies propose terms of peace just to lull you into a sense
of security only to attack you again when you are off your guard. So you should
exercise the utmost vigilance on your part, and place no undue faith in their
protestations. But, if under the peace treaty you have accepted any
obligations, discharge those obligations scrupulously. It is a trust and must
be faithfully upheld and whenever you have promised anything, keep it with all
the strength that you command, for whatever differences of opinion might exist
on other matters, there is nothing so noble as the fulfillment of a promise.
This is recognized even among non-Muslims, for they know the dire consequences
which follow from the breaking of covenants. So never make excuses in
discharging your responsibilities and never break a promise, nor cheat your
enemy. For, breach of promise is an act against God, and none except the
positively wicked acts against God Indeed divine promises are a blessing spread
over all mankind. The promise of God is a refuge sought after even by the most
powerful on earth; for there is no risk of being cheated. So, do not make any
promise from which you may afterwards offer excuses to retract; nor do you go
back upon what you have confirmed to abide by; nor do you break it, however
galling it may at first prove to be. For, it is far better to wait in patience
for wholesome results to follow than to break it out of any apprehensions. Beware!
Abstain from shedding blood without a valid cause. There is nothing more
harmful than this which brings about one's ruin. The blood that is willfully
shed shortens the life of a state. On the day of judgment it is this crime for
which one will have to answer first. So, beware! Do not wish to build the
strength of your state on blood; for, it is this blood which ultimately weakens
the state and passes it on to other hands. Before me and my God no excuse for
willful killing can be entertained. Murder is a crime which is punishable by
death. If on any accord the corporal punishment dealt by the state for any
lesser crime results in the death of the guilty, let not the prestige of the
stage stand in any way of the deceased relations claiming blood money.
19. Last Instructions. Do not make haste to do a
thing before its time, nor put it off when the right moment arrives. Do not
insist on doing a wrong thing, nor show slackness in rectifying a wrong thing.
Perform everything in its proper time, and let everything occupy its proper
place. When the people as a whole agree upon a thing, do not impose your own
view on them and do not neglect to discharge the responsibility that rests on
you in consequence. For, the eyes of the people will be on you and you are
answerable for whatever you do to them. The slightest dereliction of duty will
bring its own retribution. Keep your anger under control and keep your hands
and tongue in check whenever you fall into anger, try to restrain yourself or
else you will simply increase your worries. It is imperative on you to study
carefully the principles which have inspired just and good rulers who have gone
before you. Give close thought to the example of our prophet (peace be upon
him), his traditions , and the commandments of the Book of God and whatever you
might have assimilated from my own way of dealing with things. Endeavor to the
best of your ability to carry out the instructions which I have given you here
and which you have solemnly undertaken to follow. By means of this order, I
enjoin on you not to succumb to the prompting of your own heart or to turn away
from the discharge of duties entrusted to you. I seek the refuge of the might
of the Almighty and of His limitless sphere of blessings, and invite you to
pray with me that He may give us together the grace willingly to surrender our
will to His will, and to enable us to acquit ourselves before Him and His
creation; so that mankind might cherish our memory and our work survive. I seek
of God the culmination of his blessings and pray that He may grant you and me
His grace and the honor of martyrdom in His cause. Verily, we have to return to
Him. I invoke His blessings on the Prophet of God and his pure progeny.
