207. al-Kāfi – narrating from Muhājir, on the authority of a man from the Thaqif tribe: “Ali ibn Abi Tālib (a.s.) appointed me as tax collector in the region of Bānqiyā and a village in Kufa and told me in the presence of the people, ‘See into the (land) taxes and make attempts in (collecting) them. Do not neglect even a single dirham, and whenever you want to go there come to me (first).’”
[He said,] “I went to him and he told me: ‘Indeed, what you heard from me was a kind of plan and tactic. Never beat a Muslim, a Jew or a Christian for a dirham of tax; or sell an animal used by people for [levying] taxes, because we are ordered to take from them the extras [to their income].”¹

208. al-Sunan al-Kubrā – narrating from `Abd al-Malik ibn `Umayr: “A man from the Thaqif tribe told me that Ali ibn Abi Tālib (a.s.) assigned me [to collect taxes] over the vast region of Shāpur² and said: “Never whip anyone for collecting a dirham of tax or sell their sustenance, their winter or summer clothes, or their animals that they use. And do not appoint a person to collect a dirham.”

The man said: “I told him: “O Commander of the Faithful! In that case I would return to you empty-handed as I left you empty-handed!’”
He said, “Even if you return as you left. Woe onto you! We are ordered to take from them the extras.”³

207. الكافي عن مهاجر عَن رَجُل مِن ثَقيف: اِستَعمَلَني عَلِيُّ بنُ أبي طالِب علیه السلام عَلى بانِقيا¹ وسَواد مِن سَوادِ الكوفَةِ، فَقالَ لي ـ وَالنّاسُ حُضورٌ ـ: اُنظُر خَراجَكَ فَجُدَّ فيهِ، ولا تَترُك مِنهُ دِرهَماً، فَإِذا أرَدتَ أن تَتَوَجَّهَ إلى عَمَلِكَ فَمُرَّ بي.
قالَ: فَأَتَيتُهُ، فَقالَ لي: إنَّ الَّذي سَمِعتَ مِنّي خُدعَةٌ، إيّاكَ أن تَضرِبَ مُسلِماً أو يَهودِيّاً أو نَصرانِيّاً في دِرهَمِ خَراجٍ، أو تَبيعَ دَابَّةَ عَمَل في دِرهَمٍ، فَإِنَّما اُمِرنا أن نَأخُذَ مِنهُمْ العَفوَ.²

208. السنن الكبرى عن عبد الملك بن عمير: أخبَرَني رَجُلٌ مِن ثَقيفٍ قالَ: اِستَعمَلَني عَلِيُّ بنُ أبي طالِبٍ(رضي الله عنه) عَلى بُزُرجَسابورَ،³ فَقالَ: لا تَضرِبَنَّ رَجُلاً سَوطاً في جِبايَةِ دِرهَمٍ، ولا تَبيعَنَّ لَهُم رِزقاً، ولا كِسوَةَ شِتاء ولا صَيف، ولا دَابَّةً يَعتَمِلونَ عَلَيها، ولا تُقِم رَجُلاً قائِماً في طَلَبِ دِرهَم.
قالَ: قُلتُ: يا أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ، إذاً أرجِعُ إلَيكَ كَما ذَهَبتُ مِن عِندِكَ! قالَ: وإن رَجَعتَ كَما ذَهَبتَ، وَيحَكَ إنَّما اُمِرنا أن نَأخُذَ مِنهُم العَفوَ ـ يَعني الفَضلَ ـ.⁴