210. Imām Ali (a.s.) – in his letter to one of his administrators whom he had sent for (collecting) taxes: “I order him to be wary of God in his secret matters and hidden actions where there is no witness except He and no one watches save He.
I also order him that whatever he does in obedience to God openly should not be different from what he does secretly. He whose hidden position is not different from his open position and whose action is not different from his words has discharged his obligation and his worship is pure.
I also order him that he should not harass them, should not be harsh with them and should not turn away from them because of superiority of official position over them, for they are brethren in faith and help in the recovery of rights.
Certainly you have a fixed share and a known right in these alms, and there are other sharers who are poor, weak and starving. We shall fully discharge your rights. So you should fully discharge their rights. If you do not do so, you will have the largest number of enemies on the Day of Judgment. How wretched is the man whose enemies in view of Allah are the needy, the destitute, the beggars, the turned away, and the indebted and (penniless) travelers.
He who treats the trust lightly, indulges in treachery and does not keep himself and his faith untarnished by it has certainly deserved humiliation in this world, and his humiliation and disgrace in the Hereafter will be greater. Surely the greatest treachery is treachery against the Muslim community and the ugliest deceit is deceit towards the Muslim leaders. Wassalām!”¹

210. الإمام عليّ علیه السلام ـ مِن عَهدِهِ إلى بَعضِ عُمّالِهِ وقَد بَعَثَهُ عَلَى الصَّدَقَةِ ـ: أمَرَهُ بِتَقوَى اللهِ في سَرائِرِ أمرِهِ، وخَفِيّاتِ عَمَلِهِ، حَيثُ لا شَهيدَ غَيرُهُ، ولا وَكيلَ دونَهُ. وأمَرَهُ ألّا يَعمَلَ بِشَيء مِن طاعَةِ اللهِ فيما ظَهَرَ، فَيُخالِفَ إلى غَيرِهِ فِيما أسَرَّ، ومَن لَم يَختَلِف سِرُّهُ وعَلانِيَتُهُ وفِعلُهُ ومَقالَتُهُ، فَقَد أدَّى الأَمانَةَ، وأخلَصَ العِبادَةَ.
وأمَرَهُ أن لا يَجبَهَهُم، ولا يَعضَهَهُم،¹ ولا يَرغَبَ عَنهُم، تَفَضُّلاً بِالإِمارَةِ عَلَيهِم؛ فَإِنَّهُمُ الإِخوانُ فِي الدّينِ، وَالأَعوانُ عَلَى استِخراجِ الحُقوقِ.
وإنَّ لَكَ في هذِهِ الصَّدَقَةِ نَصيباً مَفروضاً، وحَقّاً مَعلوماً، وشُرَكاءَ أهلَ مَسكنَةٍ، وضُعَفاءَ ذَوي فاقَةٍ، وإنّا مُوَفّوكَ حَقَّكَ، فَوَفِّهِم حُقوقَهُم، وإلّا تَفعَل فَإِنَّكَ مِن أكثَرِ النّاسِ خُصوماً يَومَ القِيامَةِ، وبُؤسى لِمَن خَصمُهُ عِندَ اللهِ الفُقَراءُ والمَساكِينُ وَالسّائِلونَ وَالمَدفوعونَ وَالغارِمونَ وَابنُ السَّبيلِ.
ومَنِ استَهانَ بِالأَمانَةِ، ورَتَعَ فِي الخِيانَةِ، ولَم يُنَزِّه نَفسَهُ ودينَهُ عَنها، فَقَد أحَلَّ بِنَفسِهِ الذُّلَّ وَالخِزيَ في الدُّنيا، وهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ أذَلُّ وأخزى. وإنَّ أعظَمَ الخِيانَةِ خِيانَةُ الاُمَّةِ، وأفظَعَ الغِشِّ غِشُّ الأَئِمَّةِ. وَالسَّلامُ.²