security. He never confronted people on the basis of suspicion and probability and never punished the accused or the suspects who were charged with actions against the security of the state.
5. Adherence to Law in Dealing with Criminals
Imām Ali’s (a.s.) system of government relied on law, and in all aspects it was the law and not the will of a person that ruled. He therefore, strongly emphasized adherence to the law and on law-centering in his doctrines. Thus, in his ruling system, torturing the accused and suspects was forbidden, and the criminals were never tortured or even offended. If anyone was proven guilty, they would be punished only according to the law. If the executor of the law deliberately or unintentionally violated the law in enforcing a verdict, he would be punished by way of retaliation (qisās). When Imām Ali (a.s.) found out that his servant Qanbar had given three extra lashes when whipping a criminal, he ordered that three lashes be given to him in return as a qisās [retaliation].1
6. Tolerance towards Political Dissidents
Imām (a.s.) also never treated political dissidents with harshness. Tolerance in the diplomacy of Imām Ali (a.s.) was an inviolable principle, and this tolerance was so great that the opponents would dare to conspire. Imām Ali (a.s.) believed that tolerance with opponents would cut down their vehemence and divert them from creating turmoil and disorder. Accordingly, Imām did not confront the Khārijites; he tolerated their invectives and did not even cut off their rights from the public treasury, until they committed murder and jeopardized the security of the society. His confrontation with the plotters against internal security was proportionate to the extent of their intrigue and their role in the plotting. Sometimes he would exile them, at other times he would incarcerate them, and finally when other alternatives did not work, he would resolve the problem by military intervention.