Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

letters
letter
5

To
the hypocrite Ash'ath bin Qays

Ash'ath bin

Qays was a hypocrite and time-sever. For sometime he attached
himself to Imam Ali (a) pretending to be his sincere follower. The
ulterior motive behind this was to amass wealth and to grasp
power. Imam Ali (a) had appointed him as the Governor of
Azarbaijan. He started collecting and procuring wealth by every
means possible. When this was reported to Imam Ali (a), he wrote
the following letter to Ash'ath: On receipt of this letter he
wanted to abscond with the wealth so amassed but good counsels
prevailed upon him and he was persuaded by Hujr bin Adi Kindi to
got to Imam Ali (a). When his accounts were audited he had to
surrender 400,000 dirhams.

Verily,
you have neither been entrusted with the governorship so that you
amass wealth nor is it a tasty and juicy morsel to be swallowed
up. On the contrary it is a trust committed to your care and
trust. Its responsibility lies upon your shoulders.

Your
Amir (meaning Imam Ali himself) has appointed you as a shepherd
and a guardian of the people. You have no right to do as you like
and to act independently without seeking his advice and
permission. In all important affairs of the State and the public,
your decisions must be based on true facts and sound reasons. In
your control and custody there is one of the treasuries of Allah,
you are only a treasurer, you have no right to make personal use
of any part of this wealth, it is your duty to pass it on to whom
it belongs.

I hope
you will not give me a chance to prove myself a hard task-master
and a harsh administrator. May you see the light.