The 7th century letter of Ali ibn Abi Talib to Malik al-Ashtar was sent by the Islamic leader

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...

Malik al-Ashtar Malik al-Ashtar ( ar, مَالِك ٱلْأَشْتَر), also known as Mālik bin al-Ḥārith al-Nakhaʿīy al-Maḏḥijīy ( ar, مَالِك ٱبْن ٱلْحَارِث ٱلنَّخَعِيّ ٱلْمَذْحِجِيّ), was one of the loyal ...

, a loyal supporter who served as the governor of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. The letter advises Malik al-Ashtar how to treat the people of Egypt justly. It has come to be seen by some as a model of just Islamic governance. It is the 53rd letter in ''

Nahj al-Balagha ''Nahj al-Balagha'' ( ar, نَهْج ٱلْبَلَاغَة ', 'The Path of Eloquence') is the best-known collection of sermons, letters, and sayings attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib, fourth Rashidun Caliph, first Shia Imam and the cousin and so ...

''.

Background

At the time, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was the governor of Egypt.

Amr ibn al-As ( ar, عمرو بن العاص السهمي; 664) was the Arab commander who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt and served as its governor in 640–646 and 658–664. The son of a wealthy Qurayshite, Amr embraced Islam in and was assigned impo ...

, one of Mu'awiyah's companions, wanted to become the governor of Egypt. So he rallied 6,000 soldiers and headed towards Egypt."Biography of Malik al-Ashtar." N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013. After learning this, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr wrote a letter to Ali seeking support. Ali wrote back assuring him that he would send his best

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

and one of his closest companions, Malik al-Ashtar. Ali then added: "Malik, may Allah have mercy on you, go to Egypt. I have absolute trust in you. Rely on Allah! Use gentleness in its place and intensity in its place."Sayyid, Kamāl, and Jasim Alyawy. Malik al-Ashtar. um, Iran Ansariyan Foundation, 1996. Print. In 658 CE, after the

Battle of Siffin The Battle of Siffin was fought in 657 CE (37 AH) between Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth of the Rashidun Caliphs and the first Shia Imam, and Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the rebellious governor of Syria. The battle is named after its location ...

, Ali installed Malik as

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and ordered Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr to return to Ali's capital city, Kufa. Ali later said of Malik al-Ashtar: "Verily, Malik was to me as I was to the

Prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

Context

According to Robert Gleave, in this letter Ali "outlines his conception of legitimate and righteous rule" and advises

to implement the Sharia, not purely as a means of social control but as a path to religious awakening and the spiritual wellbeing of the community." With its focus on justice, Ali's letter is seen by some as a model for good governance and some Shia assert that the letter reflects Ali's own profound wisdom. He described his purpose thus: "God; my Lord! you know that our goal of rebellion is not a love of power and access to the world's increasing comfort and it is only for the purpose that brought back your religion's signs to where it was and reforms your cities to be safe your oppressed servants and brought back your lost." Muhammad Jawad Mughniyah, a Shia jurist in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, believes that the letter provides a constitution that is universally applicable. In the letter, Imam Ali advised Malik al-Ashtar to take care of people in power and those who follow them. Mughniyah wrote that Ali's order is expressed in controlling over the means of production and regulating five – seven or ten-year programs for taking care of the

general welfare In philosophy, economics, and political science, the common good (also commonwealth, general welfare, or public benefit) is either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, or alternatively, what is achieved by ...

. Ali wrote:

Letter

Ali's letter makes the following points on the responsibilities of a leader: * He should be a fair governor for his staff and citizens * He should choose the most qualified yet virtuous, honest, truthful, and pious men for his administration * He must be just * He must punish back-biters and scandal-mongers * He must supervise the activities of his staffs and be sure that justice and social equality are observed at any situation * He should consult with his staff and not issue authoritative orders made solely by himself * He should fight against corruption, injustice and evil usages of authority against citizens * He should pay attention to any fault in his officers as long as he knows and takes it * He should keep regular and persistent communications with his governors, commissioners, etc * He should avoid self-admiration and self-appreciation * He should not take for himself or his relatives any common property or in which others have equal rights Other advice includes ensuring that, if the people accuse you of excess, apologize to them and be truthful because this will bring relief for the people and healing in the soul; doing good to those in need; being companions with the needy in public; being humble before God; keeping a military presence to a minimum. Also checkurl=https://www.al-islam.org/richest-treasure-imam-ali/imam-ali-s-letter-malik-al-ashtar-richest-treasure

Transmission

Asbagh bin Nabata copied Ali's letter, then other copies were made by various Muslim scholars including Nasr ibn Mazahim, Jahiz Basari, Syed Razi,

Ibn Abi'l-Hadid ‘Izz al-Dīn ‘Abu Hamīd ‘Abd al-Hamīd bin Hībat-Allah ibn Abi al-Hadīd al Mutazilī al-Mada'ini ( ar, ابو حامد عز الدین عبدالحمید بن ابی الحُسین ھبۃ اللہ بن محمد بن محمد بن الح ...

and Mustafa Bek Najib, the Egyptian scholar.

Reference

External links