Last week I wrote about the exemplary rules of Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (RA) and Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) and gave an abstract from the letter sent by Hazrat Ali (KW) to Hazrat Malik Al-Ashtar, who was governor designate of Egypt. The Prophet (PBUH) said that, while he was the treasury of knowledge, Ali (RA) was its key, meaning that he had been given knowledge by Allah Almighty but the people would benefit from it through Ali (RA), who was a veritable genius.

It is reported that transcripts of Ali’s letter were kept at the UN by Secretary General Kofi Annan and that Rajiv Ghandhi gave a copy to his ministers for guidance. A lengthier translation of this historic letter is given here for general information with the hope that our leaders may read it and take some hints on good governance.

“In the name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful.”

“These are the orders issued by Ali, son of Abu Talib, to Malik, son of Ashtar, when he appointed Malik as governor of Egypt to collect Zakat there, to combat the enemies of Islam and Egypt, to work for the welfare of its people and to look after its prosperity.

“I order you, Malik, always to keep fear of Allah in your mind, to give priority to His worship and to give preference to obeying His commands over every other thing in life, to carefully and faithfully follow the commandments and interdictions as are given by the Holy Book and the traditions of the Holy Prophet.

“I order you to use your head, heart, hands and tongue to help the creatures of Allah because Almighty Allah holds himself responsible to help those who sincerely try their best to help Him.

“I am sending you as governor to a country which has seen many regimes before this; some benign and others tyrannical. People will judge your regime as critically as you have studied the activities of other regimes and they will criticise you in the same way as you have censured or approved other rulers.

“You must know that a good and virtuous man is known and recognised by the good that is said about him and the praise which Allah has destined him to receive from others.

“You must create in your mind kindness, compassion and love for your subjects. Do not behave towards them as if you are a voracious beast and as if your success lies in devouring them.

“Amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you have; they are brothers to you, and those who have religions other than that of yours; they are human beings like you. Men of either category suffer from the same weaknesses. Let your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and to the same extent that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you.

“You must never forget that, while you are a ruler over them, the caliph is the ruler over you and Allah is the Supreme Lord over the caliph who has appointed you as governor.

“Do not feel ashamed to forgive and forget. Do not hurry into giving punishments as anger and desire for vengeance are not going to help you in your administration.

“Take care never to think of bringing yourself on par with Allah, never to think of matching your power with Him and contesting His glory and never to pretend that you possess might and power like Him, because the Mighty Lord will always humble pitiless tyrants and will degrade all pretenders of His power and might.

“As far as your own affairs or those of your relatives and friends are concerned, take care that you do not violate the duties laid down upon you by Allah and do not usurp the rights of mankind; be impartial and do justice to them. If you give up equity and justice, then you will certainly be a tyrant and an oppressor.

“You must always appreciate and adopt a policy which is neither too severe not too lenient. A policy which is based upon equity will be largely appreciated. Remember that displeasure of common men overbalances the approval of important persons. The displeasure of a few important people will be excused by the Lord if the people are happy with you.

“Be careful in forming contacts (whether with important people or commoners); keep those people away from you who are scandalmongers and who try to find fault with others and carry on propaganda against them because everywhere people have weaknesses and failings and it is the duty of the government to overlook (minor) shortcomings.

“Be fair, impartial and just in your dealings with all, individually and collectively, and be careful not to make your person, position and favours act as sources of malice. Do not let any such thing, or such person, who does not deserve your nearness and your favor, come near you. Never lower your dignity and prestige.

“Do not accept the advice of misers; they will try their best to keep you away from acts of kindness and from doing good to others. Similarly, do not allow cowards to act as your advisers because they will make you timid in enforcing your orders, will prevent you from handling important affairs boldly.

“Your worst ministers will be the men who had been minister to despotic rulers before you and who had been a party to atrocities committed by them. Such persons should not be taken into your confidence and should not be trusted because they have aided sinners and have assisted tyrants and cruel rulers. In their stead, find persons who are equally wise and learned but who have not developed sinful and criminal mentalities, who have neither helped the tyrants in their tyrannies not have they assisted them to carry on their sinful deeds.

“From amongst such honest and humane companions and ministers some would receive your fullest confidence and trust. They are those who can always speak out the bitter truth to you unreservedly and without fear of your status.

“Select honest, truthful and pious people as your companions.

“Try carefully to realise that a ruler can create goodwill in the minds of his subjects and can make them faithful and sincere to him only when he is kind and considerate to them, when he reduces their troubles, when he does not oppress them and when he never asks for things which are beyond their power. Let your attitude be such that they do not lose faith in you because good faith on their part will relieve you of many worries and anxieties. As far as your confidence and trust is concerned, let it rest with those people whom you have tested in difficulties and whom you have befriended.”
Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com

http://e.thenews.com.pk/8-26-2013/page6.asp

This is the second part of the historic letter on good governance written by Hazrat Ali (KW) to Malik Al-Ashtar, governor-designate to Egypt.

“Do not give up those practices and do not break those rules which good Muslims have evolved or introduced before you, which have created unity and amity among the various sections of society and which have benefitted the masses.

“The people over whom you rule are divided into classes and grades and the prosperity and welfare of each class, individually and collectively, are interdependent upon the wellbeing of the other classes. One class cannot exist peacefully, cannot live happily and cannot work without the support and good wishes of the other. Among them are the soldiers of the army of Allah, the secretaries of the state, the judges and magistrates who administer justice and the officers who maintain law and order and guard the peace and prosperity of the country.

“The Merciful Allah has fixed rights and duties of each one of them. They have been either mentioned in His Book or explained through the instruction of the Holy Prophet.

“As far as the soldiers are concerned, they are a fortress and stronghold to guard and defend the subjects, the state and the country. In fact, they are the real guardians of peace and through them good internal administration can be maintained.

“It is absolutely necessary that the poor and disabled should be looked after, helped and well provided for. Almighty Allah will not absolve any ruler from his obligations unless he sincerely tries his best todischarge his duties and invokes Allah to help him in his performance.

“As far as the army is concerned, its chief and commander should be a person who is most sincere and faithful to Allah, to the Holy Prophet and to your Imam, one who is most pious, who is famous for his forbearance, clemency and gentleness, who is neither short-tempered nor gets angry quickly, who sympathetically treats sincere excuses and accepts apologies, who is kind and compassionate to the weak but severe against the strong and the powerful, who has no vindictiveness.

“When you have found and selected such persons, treat them kindly and sympathetically. This kind of treatment will create reciprocal tendencies in them and they will trust you and will be faithful to you. Under the impression that you have paid enough attention to their major necessities and wants, do not close your eyes to their minor requirements and needs because small favours often bear better fruits, though careful attention to major necessities is very important.

“Among the military officers those should receive your highest respect and consideration who pay most attention to the needs of the soldiers under their command. Your constant attention towards the officers and soldiers will make them love you more and more.

“The thing which should most gladden the heart of a ruler is the fact that his state is being ruled on the principles of equity and justice and that his subjects love him. Your subjects will love you only when they have no grievance against you. Speak well of those who deserve your praise. You must know and realise the good deeds done by every single individual so that the credit of noble deeds done by one may not be given to another.

“Do not underestimate and underpay the good work done. Similarly, do not overpay a work simply because it has been done by a very important person. Let equity, justice and fair play be your motto.

“When you are faced with problems which you cannot solve, or with a difficult situation from which you cannot escape, or when uncertain and doubtful circumstances confuse and perplex you, then turn to Allah and the Holy Prophet because Allah has thus ordered those whom He wants to guide.

“As far as dispensing of justice is concerned, you must select people of excellent character and high calibre and with a meritorious record. They must possess abundant experience. They should not consider it below their dignity to correct the mistake made or to undo the wrong done by them. They should not be corrupt, covetous or greedy. They must attach greatest importance to reasoning, arguments and proofs. They should not develop vanity and conceit when compliments and praises are showered upon the.

“They should not be misled by flattery and cajolery. Give them such prestige and position in your state that none of your courtiers or officers can overlord them or bring harm to them. Let the judiciary be above every kind of executive pressure or influence, above fear or favour, intrigue or corruption.

“You must supervise the work of the officers of your state. They must be appointed after careful scrutiny of their capabilities and character. Take care to select experienced and honourable persons, members of respectable families who have served Islam during its early days because these are usually of noble character and good repute.

“You must also appoint trustworthy and honest men to keep watch over the activities of these officers. The knowledge that they are being watched secretly will keep them away from dishonesty, misrule, malpractices and from tyrannising the subjects. Protect your government from dishonest officers. If you find any of them dishonest and your confidential intelligence service submits acceptable proof of his dishonesty, then you must punish him.

“As far as the collection of land revenues and taxes are concerned, you must always keep in view the welfare of the taxpayers, which is of more importance than the taxes themselves because these taxes and the tax payers are the original source on which the welfare of your state and its subjects depends. The ruler who does not pay attention to the prosperity of his subjects and the fertility of the land, but concentrates only on the collection of revenues, lays waste the land and consequently ruins the state and brings destruction to the creatures of Allah. His rule cannot last long.

“If taxpayers complain of heavy taxation, of accidental calamity, of the vagaries of the monsoons, of scarcity and recession of the means of irrigation, of floods or destruction of their crops, and if their complaints are true, then reduce their taxes. This reduction should be such that it provides them opportunities to improve their conditions and eases their troubles.

“Taxpayers are the real wealth of a country and any investment on them, even in the form of reduction of taxes, will be returned to the state in the shape of the prosperity of its cities and improvement of the country at large. At the same time you will be in a position to command and secure their love, respect and praises along with the revenues. Your benign rule and humane treatment will so affect them that they will come to your help at the time of your difficulties. Later, if you find yourself in need of their support, help, confidence, wealth and manpower, then they will have no grudge against you”.

To be continued

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com

http://e.thenews.com.pk/9-2-2013/page6.asp

This is the third part of the famous letter on good governance written by Hazrat Ali (KW) to Malik Al-Ashtar, governor-designate to Egypt.

“If a country is prosperous and its people are well-to-do, then they will happily and willingly bear any burden. The poverty of the people is the actual cause of the devastation and ruination of a country, and the main cause of the poverty of the people is the desire of its ruler and officers to amass wealth and possessions, whether by fair means or foul. They want to make the most during the shortest time. They never learn any lesson from the history of nations and never pay attention to the commands of Allah.

“You will also have to be very careful about your secretaries. Entrust your work only to those who are the best among them. Especially confidential affairs, and those dealing with secrets and security of the state, should be entrusted only to men of noble character.

“You must always look at the record or reputation of the services of such men during previous regimes. Utmost importance should be attached to their good reputation.

“Remember that if there is any defect in your officers and you tolerate it, then you, and only you, are responsible for all those evils.

“Treat your businessmen and industrialists well and order your officers to follow the same policy. These businessmen are usually peace loving people, not given to mischievous disturbances and seditious fomentations. You must look after their interests and protect them.

“While treating traders and industrialists most sympathetically, you must keep an eye on their activities as well. They often hoard their goods to get more profit out of them by creating scarcity and by indulging in black marketing. Such a condition is extremely harmful to the public on the one hand and disgraceful to the ruler on the other. You must stop all such practices because the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has explicitly prohibited them. However, if, even with all facilities provided to them, they carry on hoarding and black marketing, then you must punish them.

“A word of caution about the poor. Fear Allah about their condition and your attitude towards them. They have no support, no resources and no opportunities. Some of them come out begging and some (who maintain self respect) do not beg, but their conditions speak of their distress, poverty, destitution and wants. For the sake of Allah, protect them and their rights. He has laid the responsibility of this upon your shoulders.

“Let me remind you once again that you are responsible regarding the rights of the poor and for looking after their welfare. Yours is such an important post that you cannot claim immunity from the responsibility of even minor errors of commission or omission with the excuse that you were engrossed in the major problems of the state, which you have solved diligently. Do not be arrogant and vain against them.

“You should be a source of comfort, love and respect to them. Appoint a respectable, honest and pious person, order him to find out everything about them and to submit the report to you. Then treat these poor people in such a way that on the Day of Judgement you can plead their case successfully before Allah because of all classes of your subjects, this class deserves more of your attention, sympathy and fair dealing.

“Remember that the fulfilment of this obligation and duty is considered as a tiresome burden by most rulers, but to those who desire to achieve Allah’s Blessings and to enter into His Realm, even this work seems light and congenial.

“Out of your hours of work, fix a time for those who want to approach you with their grievances. Treat them with kindness, courtesy and respect. I have often heard the Holy Prophet say: ‘A nation or regime, where the rights of the depressed, destitute and suppressed are not guarded, and where mighty and powerful persons are not forced to accede these rights, they cannot achieve salvation’.

“You must finish each day’s work on the same day because each day will bring its own special work for you. Reserve your best time for prayers to Allah, though every work of the state is the work of Allah, especially if you are sincere and honest and if your subjects are happy with your rule and are safe from your oppression.

“Among those duties that you are to perform diligently must be your daily prayers. These should be offered sincerely and persistently. Your observance of prayers should be sincere and faultless and should neither be so long as to tire out those who follow you in these prayers, nor so short as to be faulty and defective because amongst those who follow you during the prayers there may be some who are sick, while others may have to attend to important work. When the Holy Prophet sent me to Yemen I asked him how to lead the prayers. He advised me: “Offer prayers like a weak and old person and be kind to the Faithful” (so that the weak and old may follow your prayers easily and happily).

“You must take care not to cut yourself off from the public. Do not place a curtain of false prestige between you and those over whom you rule. The result of such an attitude is that you remain ignorant of the conditions of your subjects and of the actual causes of the events occurring in the state. Think for yourself; there are only two categories of rulers and you will belong to one of them.

“You may either be a pious, sincere and diligent ruler, doing the right thing at the right moment and following the principles of justice and equity while protecting the rights of others and doing your best to fulfil your obligations; or you may be a miser, refusing to be generous to anyone, in which case people will gradually come to know of this trait of your character and will gradually give up asking favours from you.

“You should never overlook the fact that there are usually certain privileged persons (relatives and friends) around a ruler. They may often try to take advantage of their status and may resort to selfishness, intrigues, fraud, corruption and oppression. If you find such people around you, then do away with them, immediately bring to an end the scandal and clear your surroundings of all such moral and spiritual filth.

“Be fair in dispensing justice. Punish him who deserves punishment, even though he may happen to be your near relative or a close friend, and even if such action may give you sorrow and grief. I assure you that this will bear good fruits.

“If, on account of your strict measures, people become suspicious of your becoming a tyrant and oppressor, then come out openly before them and explain the reasons for your actions.”

To be continued

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com