209. Tārikh Dimashq – narrating from `Abd al-Malik ibn `Umayr: “A man from Thaqif told me that Ali ibn Abi Tālib (a.s.) assigned me [to collect taxes] over the region of `Ukbarā (where no one who performed prayers lived) and told me in the presence of the people there: ‘Taxes must be fully taken from them. Take care not to show them leniency.’ Then he told me to go to him at noon time.”
I went to him and I did not see any doorman (at his place) to stop me. I saw him sitting down, and there was a bowl and a water jug. He asked for his bag and I said to myself that maybe he wanted to do me a favor, as I did not know what was in the bag. I found that the bag was sealed and he broke the seal and there was sawiq¹ in it. He took it out, put it in a bowl and poured some water on it. He then drank from it and also gave me some to drink.
I could not help asking him: ‘O Commander of the Faithful! Do you act like this in Iraq? The Iraqis have much better food than this.”
He said, “Know that by God, I do not seal it out of avarice; rather I buy as much as it meets my needs, for I fear that if it is not sealed, other things may be added to it. So I take care of it [by sealing it]² and I dislike using anything other than clean food. As for what I said in the presence of the people, I had no option but to say what I said to you. They are deceitful people; but now I order you how to deal with them, for if you act that way, you will be saved; otherwise – besides me – God will also reprove you. If I am informed that you have acted contrary to
what I have ordered you, I will dismiss you. Do not sell (take from) their daily foods and their summer and winter clothes; do not whip anyone for a dirham, nor disgrace them, as we are not ordered to do so; do not seize their draught horses, since we are ordered to take from them the extras.”
The man said: “I told him that I would return the same way that I went (with empty hands).”
Ali (a.s.) said: “Even if you do so.”
The man said: “I went on to collect taxes as he had ordered me and by God; when I returned I gave him what was with me to the last dirham.”³

209. تاريخ دمشق عن عبدالمَلِك بن عُمَير: حَدَّثَني رَجُلٌ مِن ثَقيفٍ أنَّ عَلِيّاً اِستَعمَلَهُ عَلى عُكبَرا¹ ـ قالَ: ولَم يَكُنِ السَّوادُ يَسكُنُهُ المُصَلّونَ ـ فَقالَ لي بَينَ أيديهِم: لَتَستَوفي خَراجَهُم، ولا يَجِدونَ فيكَ رُخصَةً، ولا يَجِدونَ فيكَ ضَعفاً. ثُمَّ قالَ لي: إذا كانَ عِندَ الظُّهرِ فَرُح إلَيَّ. فَرُحتُ إلَيهِ، فَلَم أجِد عَلَيهِ حاجِباً يَحجُبُني دونَهُ، وَجَدتُهُ جالِساً وعِندَهُ قَدَحٌ وكوزٌ فيهِ ماءٌ، فَدَعا مطيّبه،² فَقُلتُ في نَفسي: لَقَد أمَنَني حَتّى يُخرِجَ إلَيَّ جَوهَراً³ ـ إذ لا أدري ما فيها، فَإِذا عَلَيها خاتَمٌ، فَكَسَرَ الخاتَمَ فَإِذا فيها سَويقٌ، فَأَخرَجَ مِنهُ وصَبَّ في القَدَحِ، فَصَبَّ عَلَيهِ ماءً، فَشَرِبَ وسَقاني.
فَلَم أصبِر أن قُلتُ لَهُ: يا أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ، أ تَصنَعُ هذَا بِالعِراقِ؟!! طَعامُ العِراقِ أكثَرُ مِن ذلِكَ!!
قالَ: أما وَاللهِ ما أختِم عَلَيهِ بُخلاً عَلَيهِ، ولكِنّي أبتاعُ قَدرَ ما يَكفيني، فَأَخافُ إن نمى⁴ فَيَصنَعُ فيهِ مِن غَيرِهِ، فَإِنَّما حِفظي لِذلِكَ، وأكرَهُ أن اُدخِلَ بَطني إلّا طَيِّباً. وإنّي لَم أستَطِع أن أقولَ لَكَ إلّا الَّذي قُلتُ لَكَ بَينَ أيديهِم، إنَّهُم قَومٌ خُدَّعٌ، ولكِنّي آمُرُكَ الآنَ بِما تَأخُذُهُم بِهِ، فَإِن أنتَ فَعَلتَ وإلّا أخَذَكَ اللهُ بِهِ دوني، فَإن يَبلُغني
عَنكَ خِلافَ ما أمَرتُكَ عَزَلتُكَ! فَلا تَبيعَنَّ⁵ لَهُم رِزقاً يَأكُلونَهُ، ولا كِسوَةَ شِتاء ولا صَيفٍ، ولا تَضرِبَنَّ رَجُلاً مِنهُم سَوطاً في طَلَبِ دِرهَمٍ، ولا تُقَبِّحُهُ في طَلَبِ دِرهَمٍ؛ فَإِنّا لَم نُؤمَر بِذلِكَ، ولا تَبيعَنَّ لَهُم دابَّةً يَعمَلونَ عَلَيها، إنَّما اُمِرنا أن نَأخُذَ مِنهُمُ العَفوَ.
قالَ: قُلتُ: إذاً أجيؤُكَ كَما ذَهَبتُ! قالَ: وإن فَعَلتَ.
قالَ: فَذَهَبتُ فَتَتَبَّعتُ ما أمَرَني بِهِ، فَرَجَعتُ وَاللهِ ما بَقِيَ عَلَيَّ دِرهَمٌ واحدٌ إلّا وَفَيتُهُ.⁶