In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful This is the decree that the servant of God, Ali Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, ordered Malik Ibn Harith Ashtar to adhere to when he made him governor of Egypt, so that he could collect tribute, fight the enemies, manage the welfare of the subjects and the population of the cities - They are ordered to fear Allah, to consider His obedience as a priority and to follow the duties and traditions that He has ordered in His Book, that following them brings happiness and rejecting and ruining them leads to misfortune. And whoever stands up for him, he will give him honor and glory. Apart from this, they are commanded to crush their self at the time of carnal desires and stop it at the time of its urges, because the self is only going to lead to evils. O master! Know that I am sending you to those areas where many righteous and unjust governments have passed before you and people will see your conduct from the same point of view. From the point of view you have been looking at the way of your next rulers and they will say the same about you as you say about these rulers. Therefore, more than any store, you should have a store of good deeds. You should control your desires and be stingy with your self by spending only on those activities that are not lawful for you, because being stingy with the self is paying its due. Whether he likes it himself or not. Place mercy, kindness, enjoyment and love in your heart for your subjects. Don't be a beast that tears them apart. That you consider them a prey to swallow. Because there are two types of people among subjects. One is your religious brothers and the other is God's creation like you. They will also make mistakes. Because you are the ruler over them and your imam is the ruler over you, and Allah is over him who (Imam) has made you a leader, and He has asked you to deal with the affairs of those people, and through them He has tried you, and watch out! Do not come down to compete with Allah. Because you are helpless in the face of His wrath, and you cannot be without His forgiveness and mercy. Do not act hastily in anger. When there is room to avoid it, never say that I have been made a ruler. Therefore, you should not submit to my command. Because this is the cause of causing corruption in the heart, weakening the religion and bringing tolerance closer. Thinking that He has power over you that you do not have over yourself. This thing will suppress your arrogance and rebelliousness, and will stop your rebellion and reverse your lost wisdom.. Beware! Never clash with Allah in His majesty and do not try to match His majesty and strength, for Allah humbles every tyrant. Shows and bows the head of every worshiper. To do justice to the rights of Allah and the rights of people in the case of your own person and in the case of your special loved ones and subjects. Because if you do not do this, you will be considered oppressors. And repent. And there is nothing that takes away Allah's favors and hastens His punishments than to remain in oppression, for Allah hears the cry of the oppressed and waits for an opportunity for the oppressors.. Above all methods, you should prefer the method that is the best in terms of truth, inclusive in terms of justice, and in accordance with the will of as many subjects as possible, because the displeasure of the people makes the consent of the private ineffective. And the displeasure of the private can be ignored with the consent of the people. , the one who avoids help in times of trouble, the one who frowns on justice, the one who pulls his claws back at the time of demand and questions, the one who is less grateful for forgiveness, the one who hardly listens to excuses when deprived, and the one who shows impatience with the trials of the times, and the strong support of religion is the strength of Muslims and the equipment of defense against the enemy. Should be. And among your subjects, the most distant from you and the most disliked by you should be the one who is more interested in people's faults. Because people have faults. It is most important for a ruler to cover them. Therefore, do not throw away the faults that are hidden from your eyes, because your task is not to erase the faults that are visible to you and those that are hidden. Their decision is in the hands of Allah, so where Hide your faults so that Allah may also cover your faults which you want to keep hidden from your subjects. Untie every knot of hatred from people and cut every rope of enmity.. Do not associate a miser in your counsel, so that he will prevent you from doing good to others, and will cause you the risk of poverty and bankruptcy. And do not take advice from a coward in campaigns, because he will weaken your courage. And do not consult a greedy person, because he will decorate the gathering of wealth through oppression in your eyes. He who is a partner in all of these will be the worst and worst for you. He who has been the minister of evildoers before you and his partner in their sins should not be among your special people because they are the helpers of sinners and companions of wrongdoers. If you have helped the oppressor in his oppression and have not helped a sinner in his sin, their burden will be light on you and they will prove to be your best helpers and they will not keep ties with others besides you. There are very few who will help you, no matter how much they match your desires. To associate yourself with the pious and the righteous. Then make them accustomed to not praising you without any achievements of yours. Because too much admiration creates pride. And brings you closer to the destination of transgression, and in your eyes both the righteous and the wicked are not equal, because by doing this, the good are attracted to the good. It is to do evil and to encourage bad people to do evil. Put everyone on the same level that the ruler should have full trust in his subjects only when he treats them well and does not burden them and does not force them to do such unpleasant things. Deserving are those whom you have treated well, and the most deserving of distrust are those with whom you have not behaved well - And look! Do not destroy the good way that the elders of this Ummah have been following and which has created unity and oneness and reformed the subjects and do not invent such ways that will cause some harm to the first ways. He used to consult and communicate with scholars and scholars. And you should know that there are many classes among the subjects whose interests and well-being are related to each other and they cannot be independent of each other. One of them is the soldiers who work in the way of Allah. The second class is the one who performs the work of general and special writings. The sixth trade is the profession and the seventh is the class of the poor and the poor, which is the lowest, and Allah has determined the right of everyone and limited it in His book or the Sunnah of the Prophet, and this complete constitution is preserved with us.. (First class) Military forces are the fortress of God's protection, the adornment of rulers, the strength of religion and the way to peace. The rule and order of the subjects can be maintained by them and the support of the life of the army is the tribute that Allah has determined for him, with which they gain strength in fighting against the enemies and correct their condition and fulfill their needs. Profits are collected and trust and satisfaction are obtained by them in ordinary and extraordinary matters. And all of them are dependent on the merchants and artisans who provide for their needs, set up markets and by their efforts provide for their needs and make them comfortable than providing for themselves. situations have been created and every class has a right on the ruler to provide for them so much that can correct their condition and the ruler cannot be deprived of all these necessary rights of God, but in this case that he tries his best and asks for help from Allah and keeps himself firm on the truth and whether it is easy or difficult, in any case he should bear it. Be patient, and be prominent in tolerance. You do not get angry easily. You are satisfied with excuses. Increase because these people are the capital of elders and the source of good deeds. Then take care of their conditions in the same way that parents take care of their children. With the thought that you have met their big needs, do not turn a blind eye to their small needs. Because even this small kind of kindness is beneficial in its place. And those big needs are important in their place. And among the military leaders, you should be considered to have a high status here who takes an equal share in the support of the soldiers. May it be, so that they may fight the enemy with complete unconcernedness without worry. Because your kind treatment of the military chiefs will turn their hearts towards you.. The biggest eye-opener for the rulers is that justice and fairness are maintained in the cities and the love of the subjects is shown and their love is shown only when there is no harmony in their hearts and their goodwill is proven in this case that they surround their rulers for protection. Keep your hopes high, praise them with good words and keep mentioning their achievements, because the mention of their good deeds brings spring to life and raises the courage of the humble. Take a minor task as a big one and consider a major task as a minor one because of its inferiority. When you encounter difficulties that cannot be resolved and matters that become suspicious, then turn to Allah and His Messenger in them, because God has said to those whom He wants to guide, "O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger and those who are in command among you, and if you disagree about something, turn to Allah and His Messenger. The purpose of turning to Allah is to follow the firm verses of His Book." And the intention of turning to the Messenger is to follow his agreed sayings in which there is no disagreement.. Then, to decide the affairs of these people, choose a person who is the best among your subjects in your opinion, who is not troubled by the complications of events, nor angered by the behavior of those who quarrel, does not fly on any of his wrong points of view, does not feel a burden on his nature in recognizing the truth and adopts it, does not bend his soul to personal greed and does not do it without thorough investigation. He is satisfied with understanding a matter in a cursory way. He stops when there is doubt, and gives the most importance to arguments and evidence. He is satisfied with the forgiveness of the parties. Although such people are rare. Then you should keep reviewing their decisions again and again. Open your heart and give them enough to make every excuse of the youth inaudible and they will have no need for people. Keep them in such a respectable position with you that your courtiers cannot think of harming them so that they will be safe from people's conspiracy because of your favors. ) This religion has remained captive in the clutches of evildoers in which selfish desires were used and it was made a means of worldly pursuit.. Then take care of your officials, give them positions after a good trial, never give them positions just on the basis of concessions and favoritism. Therefore, these things are the source of injustice and dishonesty, and choose such people who are experienced and honorable from families who are good. bow down and pay more attention to the consequences and results. Then keep the standard of their salaries high, because this will help them to keep their souls right, and they will be free from the wealth that will be in their hands as a trust, even after they violate your order or break into your trust. Then your argument will be established against them. It will cause them to be trustworthy and to be gentle with their subjects. To protect themselves from treacherous helpers. If one of them raises his hand to treachery and the reports of the spies reach you unanimously, consider it sufficient for martyrdom, punish him physically and take back what he has gained by taking advantage of his position, and make him stand on the floor of humiliation, and with the disgrace of treachery. To enlighten and to put the yoke of Ning Verswai around his neck. In the matter of taxation, keep in mind those who pay taxes, because the conditions of others can be improved only with the help of taxes and jaggars. Can't stay. Now, if they complain about the increase in tribute or a sudden calamity or the loss of irrigation sources in canals and rainy areas, or the destruction of the land due to floods or lack of irrigation, then reduce the tribute as much as you expect to improve their conditions and do not feel ashamed of lightening their burden, because protecting them from flooding is such a treasure that adorns the population of your country and your pen and government. They will give you the appearance of adornment and along with that you will also be able to get endless joy from them due to their tribute and justice and because of your good behavior you will be able to rely on their strength (in times of darkness) and because of the righteous behavior that has made them a leader in the light of mercy and kindness, you will be able to trust and trust them. If you need to trust them, they will take them for good. Because the country is settled, whatever burden you put on it, it will bear it, and the destruction of the land comes from the fact that the hands of the cultivators are narrowed and their narrowness is due to the fact that the authorities are bent on the accumulation of wealth and wealth and they are afraid of the end of their power and do not want to benefit from lessons.. Then, to keep an eye on the importance of your official offices, to entrust your affairs to those who are the best in them, and to entrust your orders, which contain secret measures and (the kingdom's) secrets, to those who possess the most good morals. I am concerned, neglecting to present the letters of your officials before you and send them appropriate answers, and do not allow any flaw in the agreement they make in your favor, and do not break any plot against you and do not be ignorant of the position, because the one who does not recognize his right position will be even more ignorant of the position of others. They make introductions in the eyes of the rulers by means of craftsmanship and beauty services. Although they do not have the slightest sense of goodwill and trustworthiness. But you judge them by these services. They were under the good rulers before you. If you have already done it, pay special attention to those who are more famous among the people because of their good name and trustworthiness. Because doing so will prove that you are a sincere servant of Allah and a well-wisher of your Imam. You should appoint one officer for each department of the writing department, who is not incapable of the big work of this department, and who is not exhausted by excessive work.. Then you are instructed to think of merchants and artisans and to treat them well, and you are to instruct others regarding them, whether they are traders staying in one place or selling by peddling or earning from physical labor (labor or handicrafts), because these people are the source of profit and the means of providing needs. They import from abandoned places and from places where people cannot reach or dare to go there. These people are peaceful and peace-loving and do not worry about riots or riots. These people are in front of you or everywhere in other cities.. Those who are very narrow-minded and miserly, who keep wealth for profit and set high prices. This thing is harmful to the people, and causes disrepute to the government. Therefore, forbidding hoarding, because the Messenger of Allah, may God bless him and grant him peace, has forbidden it, and buying and selling should be facilitated with correct scales and reasonable prices, so that neither the seller suffers nor the buyer suffers a loss. If someone is guilty of the crime of hoarding, he should be punished appropriately. Then fearing Allah with particularity about the backward and downtrodden class who have no support. They are the class of the poor, the needy, the needy, the poor and the disabled. Protecting the right of the poor for which he has made you responsible. Giving them a share of the grain of every city that is obtained from the lands of Islamic booty, because those who are far away have as much share in it as those who are near, and you have been made responsible for taking care of the rights of all of them. have fulfilled many important tasks. So do not turn your attention away from them, nor turn away from them arrogantly, and be especially aware of those who cannot be reached by you, whom you will be disgusted to see, and people will reject them with contempt. Adopting such that you will be able to present evidence before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, because among the subjects, they are more in need of justice than others, and they are all like that.. Yes, God lightens its burdens for those who ask for the future. They bear it upon themselves and trust in the truth of what God has promised them.. And you should set aside a part of your time for the needy, in which you should leave everything and be reserved for them, and do not hold a common court for them, and act humbly and humbly to Allah, your Creator, and remove the soldiers, guards, and policemen so that those who speak may speak freely. The truth is not given to the powerful openly, and if their opinions are distorted or they cannot speak clearly, then you must bear it and do not allow narrow-mindedness and arrogance to pass against them. Because of this, Allah will spread His mercy on you, and will certainly reward you for obeying His commandments.. Then there are some things that you should do yourself. One of them is to answer the letters of the authorities that are not within the scope of your followers, and when the needs of a people are presented to you and your staff members ask for them, then you should answer them yourself. Finish the day's work on the same day, because every day is reserved for its own work, and devote the best part of your time to the worship of Allah.. Among the special activities with which you sincerely fulfill your religious duty to Allah should be the fulfillment of those duties that are specific to His nature. Teaching the people to pray is not so long that you tire them out, nor is it so short that the prayer is wasted, because among the worshipers there are also those who are sick and those who are in need. Therefore, when the Messenger of Allah, may God bless him and grant him peace, sent me to Yemen, I asked you how I should lead them in prayer, so that the prayer of the weakest and weakest among them can be offered, and you have mercy on the condition of the believers. Should be. After that, it should be kept in mind that choosing to hide from the subjects for a long time, because the rulers staying hidden from the subjects is a kind of narrow-mindedness and the reason for being unaware of the affairs, and this concealment also prevents them from being informed about the matters that they are not aware of, due to which the small and the small things become big in the eyes of the big things, good becomes evil and evil becomes good. And the ruler is also a human being. He who remains ignorant of the matters that people hide from him, and there is no sign on the forehead of the truth to distinguish between the truth and falsehood. And then you can be two types of people. And if you have to get a negative answer from such people, then when people are disappointed with your gift, they will stop asking you very soon, and then most of the people's needs will be such, which do not burden your pocket.. After that, it should be known that there are some characteristics of the authorities and high-minded people in which there is selfishness and ill-treatment. You should eliminate the cause of these conditions and eliminate this dirty material and see! Therefore, if it is a cause of harm, so that he puts his burden on another, in this case, his pleasant pleasures will be for him and not for you, but his disgraceful stain will remain at your feet in this world and the hereafter.. And on whomever the right is imposed, this right should be enforced. Be it your own or a stranger, and you should be patient about it and be hopeful of reward.. And if the subjects ever have a bad opinion about you that you have wronged them, then present your excuse clearly, and change their thoughts by clarifying the excuse.. If the enemy invites you to a peace in which there is the pleasure of Allah, then never reject it. Because peace and comfort for your army in peace is a relief from worries for you and a means of peace for the cities. But after the peace, it is necessary to be alert and very careful with the enemy, because it often happens that the enemy gets close to take advantage of your negligence, so observe caution, and do not act with good faith about it. And if you make an agreement with your enemy, or give him shelter under your foot, then keep the covenant, keep the promise and make your life superior to protect your words and decisions. Because there is nothing among the duties of fulfilling the covenant that the world agrees on the importance of, despite its different views and different opinions, and even polytheists except Muslims have adhered to agreements among themselves.. As a result of the breaking of the covenant, they anticipated the destruction, therefore, do not commit treachery in your covenant and promise, and do not break your covenant in your words and resolutions, and do not attack your enemy suddenly, because no one can dare Allah except the ignorant and wretched, and Allah has declared the observance of covenants as a message of peace, which He has made common among His servants by His mercy, and has made a refuge under whose feet they take refuge in protection and near Him. They increase rapidly in order to reach the destination, so there should be no forgery, deception and deceit in it, and do not enter into an agreement that may require interpretations, and after the agreement is firm and settled, do not try to take advantage of it by extracting other meanings of any vague word, and feeling any difficulty in this covenant with God should not be a reason for you to try to cancel it unjustly. Because such Enduring difficulties from which there is hope of deliverance and a good end. It is better than committing a sin which you fear a bad end and fear that Allah will answer you for it and in this way you will be destroyed in both this world and the hereafter.. Look! Protect your feet from unjust bloodshed, because the divine punishment is nearer and severe in terms of retribution, and the reason for the loss of blessings and the end of life is nothing more than unjust bloodshed. And on the Day of Judgment, the first thing that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will judge is the blood that the servants of God have shed for each other. On the contrary, you will have no excuse before Allah for the crime of murder and intentional murder, nor before me, because it requires retribution, and if you are guilty of it by mistake, and your whip or sword or hand exceeds the limit in punishing, because sometimes a punch or even a smaller blow causes death or does, in such a case, the blood of the victim will flow spontaneously in the intoxication of power. Do not neglect to deliver to the heirs. And look, avoid selfishness, and don't put down what you think is good, and don't like people's exaggeration, because this is the most reliable opportunity for the devil, so that he can overturn the good deeds of good people.. And never show kindness by doing good to the subjects, and do not treat the youth with kindness and do not think too much of it, and do not break the promise after making a promise to them. Because showing favor makes the goodness bad and thinking too much about one's own good destroys the light of the truth. And look! Don't rush into something before the time. And don't show weakness when the opportunity comes, and don't slack off when you don't understand the right situation. It means to put everything in its place, and do everything on its occasion.. And look! Do not reserve for yourself the things in which all people have equal rights, and do not neglect the important rights that are visible in front of the eyes, because this responsibility for others is yours. And in the near future, the veil will be removed from all matters and the oppressed will be asked from you. The point is, don't be hasty and delay in punishing until your anger subsides and you control yourself, and you can never fully develop this in your soul unless you keep these concepts as much as possible while remembering your return to Allah.. And it is necessary for you to remember the things of the past, whether it is the way of a just government, or a good practice, or a hadith of the Prophet, or an obligation recorded in the Book of Allah, then follow those things that you have seen us doing and continue to follow the instructions that I have recorded in this testament. And through them I have established my evidence on you. So that your soul is your own. Don't have any excuse if you move towards desires. And I ask Allah, the Most High, through His wide mercy and great power to fulfill every need, that He grant me and you the Tawfiq in which He is pleased, that we may be leaders by establishing an open excuse before Allah and His servants, and at the same time maintain a good name among the servants and good effects in the country and abundance in His blessings and increasing honor, and this is mine and your end in happiness and martyrdom. Yes, surely we have to turn to him. Peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him..