1899 - عَدمُ الإحتِجابِ‏

1899. TO NOT SECLUDE ONESELF [AWAY FROM ONE'S SUBJECTS]

6798.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - من كِتابِهِ للأشتَرِ لَمّا وَلّاهُ مِصرَ - : فلا تُطَوِّلَنَّ احتِجابَكَ عَن رَعِيَّتِكَ ، فإنَّ احتِجابَ الوُلاةِ عَن الرَّعِيَّةِ شُعبَةٌ مِن الضِّيقِ ، وقِلَّةُ عِلمٍ بالاُمورِ ، والاحتِجابُ مِنهُم يَقطَعُ عَنهُم عِلمَ ما احتَجَبوا دُونَهُ ، فيَصغُرُ عِندَهُمُ الكَبيرُ ، ويَعظُمُ الصَّغيرُ ، ويَقبُحُ الحَسَنُ ، ويَحسُنُ القَبيحُ ، ويُشابُ الحَقُّ بِالباطِلِ ... .¹

6798. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to Malik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, 'Do not keep yourself secluded from the people for a long time, because the seclusion of those in authority from the subjects is a kind of narrow-sightedness and causes ignorance about their affairs. Seclusion from them also prevents them from the knowledge of those things which they are unaware of and as a result they begin to regard big matters as small and small matters as big, good matters as bad and bad matters as good, while the truth becomes confused with falsehood.' ²

6799.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : مَن تَولّى‏ أمراً مِن اُمورِ النّاسِ ، فعَدَلَ ، وفَتَحَ بابَهُ ، ورَفَعَ سِترَهُ ، ونَظَرَ في اُمورِ النّاسِ ، كانَ حَقّاً علَى اللَّهِ أن يُؤمِنَ رَوعَتَهُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ ويُدخِلَهُ الجَنَّةَ .³

6799.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Whoever takes up any of the affairs of people and is just, opens his door, uncovers his veils, and fulfils the needs of people, it will become the right of Allah to save him from fear on the Day of Judgment and make him enter Heaven.' ⁴

1898 - ما يَجِبُ عَلَى الوالي في استِعمالِ العُمّالِ‏

1898. WHAT IS OBLIGATORY FOR THE RULER WHEN EMPLOYING WORKERS

6793.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : مَنِ استَعمَلَ رجُلاً مِن عِصابَةٍ ، وفِيهِم مَن هُو أرضى‏ للَّهِ مِنهُ ، فَقَد خانَ اللَّهَ ورَسولَهُ والمُؤمنينَ .¹

6793.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Whoever employs a worker from a group wherein someone else is more content with Allah than him [the person he chose], then he has betrayed Allah, His Messenger and the believers.' ²

6794.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنّا واللَّهِ لانُوَلِّي على‏ هذا العَمَلِ أحَداً سَألَهُ ، ولا أحَداً حَرَصَ علَيهِ .³

6794.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'By Allah, we do not appoint for this work someone who has asked for it, nor someone who is avidly eager for it.' ⁴

6795.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله - لِعَبدِ الرَّحمنِ بنِ سَمُرَةَ - : يا عبدَالرَّحمنِ بنَ سَمُرَةَ ، لاتَسألِ الإمارَةَ ؛ فإنَّكَ إذا اُعطِيتَها عَن مَسألَةٍ وُكِلتَ فيها إلى‏ نَفسِكَ ، وإنْ اُعطِيتَها عَن غَيرِ مَسألَةٍ اُعِنتَ علَيها .⁵

6795. The Prophet (SAWA) said to Abd al-Rahman b. Samura, 'O Abd al-Rahman b. Samura, do not ask for authority, for if you were to be given it by asking for it, then you will be entrusted with it to your own self [and held accountable], and if you are given it without having asked for it, then you will be helped with it.' ⁶

6796.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - فيما كَتبَ للأشتَرِ لمَّا وَلّاهُ مِصرَ - : ثُمّ انظُرْ في اُمورِ عُمّالِكَ ، فاستَعمِلْهُمُ اختِباراً ، ولا تُوَلِّهِم مُحاباةً وأثَرَةً ؛ فإنَّهُما جِماعٌ مِن شُعَبِ الجَورِ والخِيانَةِ . وتَوَخَّ مِنهُم أهلَ التَّجرِبَةِ والحَياءِ مِن أهلِ البُيوتاتِ الصّالِحَةِ ، والقَدَمِ في الإسلامِ المُتَقَدِّمَةِ .⁷

6796. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to Malik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, 'Thereafter, look into the affairs of your executives. Give them appointment after tests and do not appoint them according to partiality or favouritism, because these two things constitute the sources of injustice and unfairness. Select from among them those who are people of experience and modesty, hailing from virtuous houses, having preceded in [embracing] Islam.' ⁸

6797.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - مِن كِتابِهِ للأشتَرِ لَمّا وَلّاهُ مِصرَ - : ثُمّ تَفَقَّدْ أعمالَهُم ، وابعَثِ العُيونَ‏⁹مِن أهلِ الصِّدقِ والوَفاءِ علَيهِم ، فإنَّ تَعاهُدَكَ في السِّرِّ لاُمورِهِم حَدوَةٌ لَهُم‏¹⁰على‏ استِعمالِ الأمانَةِ ، والرِّفقِ بِالرَّعِيَّةِ .
وتَحَفَّظْ مِن الأعوانِ ، فإن أحَدٌ مِنهُم بَسَطَ يَدَهُ إلى‏ خِيانَةٍ اجتَمَعَت بِها علَيهِ عِندَكَ أخبارُ عُيونِكَ ، اكتَفَيتَ بذلكَ شاهِداً ، فبَسَطتَ علَيهِ العُقوبَةَ في بَدَنِهِ ، وأخَذتَهُ بما أصابَ مِن عَمَلِهِ ، ثُمّ نَصَبتَهُ بمَقامِ المَذَلَّةِ ، ووَسَمتَهُ بِالخِيانَةِ ، وقَلَّدتَهُ عارَ التُّهَمَةِ .¹¹

6797. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to Malik al-Ashtar when he appointed him governor of Egypt, said, 'Then you should check their activities and have people report on them, who should be truthful and faithful, because your watching their actions secretly will urge them to preserve trust with and be kind to the people. Be careful of assistants. If any one of them extends his hands towards misappropriation and the reports of your reporters reaching you confirm it, they should be regarded as enough evidence. You should then inflict corporal punishment on him and recover what he has misappropriated. You should put him in a place of disgrace, blacklist him with [the charge of] misappropriation and make him wear the necklace of shame for his offence.' ¹²