absorbed in God. What is thought-provoking here is that Imām indicates that he knows that compelling people to comply with his way, would lead to hardships, or even more, being followed with rebukes, faultfinding, and stirring up the society, but his motto was ‘I am a truth-centered and I safeguard the truth and nothing else’.
Then, on the second day of his Caliphate, he asserted in his lofty status of social guidance, and in view of his great responsibility of leadership, saying:
ألا إنَّ كُلَّ قَطيعَةِ أقطَعَها عُثمانُ وكُلَّ مالٍ أعطاهُ مِن مالِ اللهِ فَهُوَ مَردودٌ في بَيتِ المالِ ، فَإِنَّ الحَقَّ القَديمَ لا يُبطِلُهُ شَيءٌ ، وَلَو وَجَدتُهُ وقَد تُزُوِّجَ بِهِ النِّساءُ وفُرِّقَ فِي البُلدانِ ، لَرَدَدتُهُ إلى حالِهِ ، فَإِنَّ فِى العَدلِ سَعَةً، ومَن ضاقَ عَنهُ العَدلُ فَالجَورُ عَنهُ أضيَقُ.Know that any land that `Uthmān had granted and any wealth from God’s property that he had given as gift will be refunded to the Public Treasury; as nothing can annul previous rights. If I find the assets I will restore them to their rightful place, even if they are given as dowries to women or distributed among cities; for “spaciousness is only in justice, and for whomsoever justice is constraining, oppression will be even more so.”¹
In a fervent, awakening and thought-provoking sermon, Imām spoke widely on the same day about the responsibilities of the authorities of a community in realizing social justice, stressing that he would not give a special privilege to anybody to use Public Treasury; and those who have taken public treasury, plots of land, water, well-bred horses, and beautiful maids through usurpation, should know that Imām Ali (a.s.) will confiscate them all and return them to the Treasury.
These words came down like a heavy thunderbolts, striking like a blacksmith’s hammer, on the heads of those who had plundered and pillaged (illegitimately) and were now extremely worried. Thus Imām Ali’s (a.s.) outcry, advocating justice, reverberated more than ever

very first statement after accepting the leadership of the community, he explicitly declared an unrelenting struggle against the errors and deviations of latest years, without the slightest fear of the political repercussions and social tensions that would ensue.

Policies of Imām Ali (a.s.) concerning Confrontation with Deviations

Imām Ali (a.s.) had a deep and precise awareness of what had befallen the people and knew how they had acclimatized to the deviations; he therefore became determined to embark on reforms. He knew both the depth of the calamity and the difficulty of removing it from every circle of the society. Thus, Imām Ali (a.s.) acted neither hastily nor unplanned. He divided the reforms he intended to make into two categories:
1. Fighting against administrative and economic corruption.
2. Fighting against cultural deviation.

The Policy of Administrative and Economic Reformation

Imām Ali (a.s.) began to encounter administrative and economic deviations and fight against corruption in these areas from the very beginning of his rule. He expelled incompetent, corrupt and ill-behaved administrators from their posts and reclaimed the plundered public treasury.
On the first day of his rule, Imām proclaimed his intended reform policy in the following thought provoking words:
وَ اعلَموا أنّى إن أجَبتُكُم رَكِبتُ بِكُم ما أعلَم ، ولَم اُصغِ إلى قَولِ القائِلِ وعَتبِ العاتِبِ. “You should know that if I responded to you, I would lead you as I know I should, and would not care about whatever one may say or reproach.”¹
Meaning, you should comply with me in a way that I know. Imām Ali (a.s.) is a truth-centered person, proficient in the sunnah and