2. In the same book, Rabi`a and `Ammāra are quoted as saying:
A group of Ali’s (a.s.) companions went to him and said: “O Commander of the Faithful, give these riches away, and give the noble and the dignitaries of the Arabs and Quraysh superiority over the non-Arab liberated ones and also [give preference and advantage] to those opposition you fear their harm.”
Rabi`a Said: “They said this because Mu`āwiya treated those who went to him in this way”. Ali (a.s.) said to them: “Do you order me to seek victory by means of tyranny? By God, I would not do that as long as the sun keeps rising, and a star is shining in the sky. By God, if these riches belonged to me, I would treat them equally, how is it possible when they are the public properties.”1
3. Sahl ibn Hunayf, Imām Ali’s (a.s.) governor in Madina sent him a letter reporting that a group of Madinans had joined Mu`āwiya. Imām wrote in reply:
“Now, I have come to know that certain persons from your side are stealthily going over to Mu`āwiya. You should not worry if the number of your men is reduced and their help is lost. Indeed they have joined misguidance and you have been relieved of them. They are running away from guidance and truth and advancing towards blindness and ignorance. They are seekers of this world and are proceeding to it and are leaping towards it. They have known justice, seen it, heard it and appreciated it. They have realized that here, to us, all men are equal in the matter of right. Therefore, they ran away to selfishness and partiality. Let them remain remote and far away from the mercy of Allah. By Allah, surely they have not gone away from oppression and have not joined justice. In this matter, we only beseech Allah to resolve for us the hardships and to level for us its unevenness, if Allah wills; Wassalām!”2
4. Avoidance of Using Unlawful Means in the Enforcement of Commands
An ideal human society, as it must be, is a society full with human values. It is a society in which law and justice create relations or break