316. Imām Ali (a.s.) – in his instructions to Mālik al-Ashtar: “Therefore, you should act in your rule like him who desires to secure the praise of the subjects, the reward of God and the pleasure of the Imām. There is no power save in God.”1
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Kindness to the Subjects and Love for them
317. Imām Ali (a.s.) – in his instructions to Mālik al-Ashtar: “Infuse your heart with mercy, love and kindness for your subjects. Be not in face of them a voracious animal, counting them as easy prey, for they are either your brothers in religion or your like in creation. They are subject to mistakes, deficiencies overcome them and evil deeds are committed by them intentionally and by mistake. So grant them your pardon and your forgiveness to the same extent that you hope God will grant you His pardon and His forgiveness, for you are above them and he who appointed you is above you and God is above him who appointed you. God has sought from you the fulfillment of their requirements, and He is trying you with them. Set not yourself to war against God, for you have no power against His vengeance, nor are you able to dispense with His pardon and His mercy.
Know that there is nothing that brings about the trust of the ruler in the subject more than to be kind to them, to lighten their burdens and abandon coercing them in that in which he possess not any right over them. So, you should attain a
situation in which you can have trust in your subjects, as trusting them will sever from you a lasting strain. Surely he who most deserves your trust is he who has succeeded when you have tested him and he who most deserves your mistrust is he who has failed when you have tested him.”2
[In Tuhaf al-`Uqul the following is added to the above:] “Try to realize that this position can be for or against you, so that you will be more cognizant in doing good and having a good impression with people in addition to the reward that God shall have for you on Judgment Day.”3
1.. Tuhaf al-`Uqul, p. ۱۳۸.
2.. Nahj al-Balāghah, Letter ۵۳, Da`ā'im al-Islam, vol. ۱, p. ۳۵۴ – ۳۵۶.
3.. Tuhaf al-`Uqul, p. ۱۲۶ – ۱۳۰.
