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AMIR AL MU’MININ’S STYLE OF GOVERNANCE

For ages, the system of rule by the kings has been dominating on the human race. As a result of this system, the craving for power had become a part of the human instinct. Therefore, the ancient Egyptians and the Japanese had a belief that the kings were born to rule over the people and that others were their serfs and servants! This created an inferiority complex in other people of those races. They were used as bonded slaves of the ruling elite. Despite all the tyranny, they thought they had no right to protest against the injustices of their masters. They thought the purpose of their lives was to abjectly surrender to the will of their rulers.

When the voice of Islam rose from the desert of Arabia, the conditions there were almost the same. The weak were helpless in front of the persons with power. The poor persons always remained in the clutches of the usurers or the shackles of the masters. Slavery was rampant. Islam gave them the tiding of freedom and equality. It removed the differences of color and race. It abolished the rule of men and established Allah’s Rule! The meaning of Allah’s Rule is that the people believe that He is our Master and observes all our words and deeds. We are subservient only to His Commands and answerable to Him! This new concept did away with idolatry and hypocrisy and the minds and hearts were endowed with brotherhood and equality.

The prophet of Islam (a.s) was not having the political power and pelf in his view. The purpose of his Annunciation was to establish Allah’s Rule among the people. Therefore, he gave the lesson of the Unity of Allah to the people. And invited all people to gather at one focal point and give birth to a clean society. The society in which there was knowledge instead of ignorance and where there was justice in place of tyranny. The Prophet (a.s) was not doing this only for his own time. His message was for the posterity as well. He advocated a system that is termed Divinely commissioned leadership. The one to establish the divinely commissioned leadership was to set an example to the people with his beliefs and actions in accordance to the Commands of Allah. The people should obey him accepting him as the Representative of Allah amongst them. The acceptance of Allah’s Commands is to follow his directives! Therefore, Allah says:

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يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ.

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority from among you. (4/59)

This is an undeniable fact that after the Prophet (a.s) the weak democracy that was the basis of the governance was the forerunner of the monarchy of the type followed by Caesar and Khusrow. Instead of Allah’s Rule, the hegemony of individuals was enforced on the people. In divinely commissioned government, there is no place for personal aggrandizement. The yardstick of Allah’s Rule is neither power nor pelf of individuals but the one who administers and enforces the norms and Commands Revealed by Allah. No doubt, those who came to the caliphate were called Muslims. But the Islamic Rule does not mean that a person who has embraced Islam comes on the top to rue. But it is the implementation of the life style that the Prophet (a.s) had enunciated. If anyone establishes rule contrary to those norms, then that is not an Islamic regime. Therefore, the rule of Yazid, Marwan, `Abd al-Malik and persons of that ilk cannot be called as Muslim rulers. In fact, they were the images of Heracles and Caesar in an Islamic environment!

`Ali’s rule was truly Islamic. He had accepted the caliphate only on condition that no one should interfere in his running the administration exactly in accordance with the norms laid down by the Shari`ah of Islam. Although his period was dominated by intrigue and troubles created by his enemies, that in his brief rule he presented an administration that was in accord with the style of governance of the Prophet (a.s) and implicitly followed the Commands of Allah. If he had not taken the reins of governance in his hands, people would have forgotten what is divinely commissioned government. Running the governance on the Islamic norms is something and acquiring power through politics is something else.

Amir al-Mu’minin’s entire life is a proof that every act of his was in accordance to the Commands of Allah. If he accepted the caliphate, he did it with the condition that it would be the divinely commissioned government and not personal rule. He gave real interpretation to “Who has not a partner in the kingdom, (17/111)” through his actions as the caliph. If he were interested in personal aggrandizement, he would not have dismissed the functionaries of the previous regime against many well-meaning advisers. He went against their advice because he knew that those functionaries were promoting their own interests instead of governing according to the norms set by Allah. He had accepted the caliphate only to do away these personal and corrupt

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coteries. If the Imam (a.s) was interested in his personal power, he could have closed his eyes to the misdeeds of those persons. But in his eyes, personal power and influence had no meaning. His intent was to educate and inform the people about the Islamic norms. Once he was mending his foot wear when he told Ibn `Abbas:

“By Allah! If in my view the establishment of the Truth and the destruction of the Falsehoods was not there, this footwear would be dearer to me than being the ruler.”[1]

Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s) has described the purpose of his rule in two simple sentences. The first is the establishment of the Truth and the second the destruction of the Falsehood. During his rule, he kept these two things in view. His main aim was to propagate the Islamic norms and practices. Not only he was firm on his stand, but also he created movement in the stagnant natures of the people with his actions. Although he was not interested in the annexation of other territories, but conquering hearts and developments of the minds is a bigger achievement. No doublets the other rulers annexed large territories and were termed conquerors, `Ali (a.s) tried to put the Islamic society on healthy ground. Despite all the unrest and mischief in the realm, `Ali (a.s) proceeded with his task of reforming the society. He heard the complaints of the people against their exploitation by the functionaries of the state and removed unnecessary restrictions imposed on the people. He crushed the destructive and disruptive forces and kept an eye on the activities of the functionaries. He fixed the duties and responsibilities of the persons responsible for the collection of zakat. He abolished the racial discrimination among the people and promoted equality and fraternity among all.

`Ali (a.s) had such an ideal society in his view that it should be free of injustice, cruelty, bribery, cheating and other such ills. He promoted legal and societal equity among the people. He wanted to inculcate the sense of responsibility among the people and he used to sound them, from time to time, with his writings and sermons. At the top of these writings and lectures there used to be an exhortation to the people to adopt piety and a reminder about the Day of Reckoning. Although every writing of his is a document of advice, but the letter that he wrote to Malik al-Ashtar while nominating him as the governor to Egypt is a reflection of the Divine Instruction. The document covers the norms of statecraft in such perfection that until today the human mind cannot think more than that on the subject. With all the

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developments taking place, no additions could be thought of on the basic norms enunciated therein. George Jordac, a Christian Scholar, comments on the comprehensiveness of the document in these words:

“Among his writings this is a great document of advice and instruction. It is a comprehensive instrument of the laws of citizenship and city life and encompasses the rights and privileges of the common man.”[1]

In this document, the Imam (a.s) has encompassed the lowest rung of the society to the elites, the rights and duties of each stratum, and has mentioned about the rights of the workers, the traders, artisans, soldiers, judges, advisers and viziers. He described the functions of the departments of finance, interior, foreign affairs, the covenants of the state, the relations between the Muslims and the Dhimmis; about administration of justice, the duties of the functionaries in all the departments and their staff…

This document, as far as its efficacy is concerned, is not bound by conditions of time and place. `Ali (a.s) had created this document 1,400 years ago and the picture that he had drawn of the administrator and the administered still holds good, and will hold good until this world exists! The wonderful thing about the document is that it is as efficacious to the democratic societies as it is to the totalitarian environments as well! If the countries that raise the slogans of universal peace and equity take guidance from this document, neither then there will be any conflict between the landlord and the tiller, nor will the factory worker raise the slogan of injustice by the factory owner. There will not be any grouse about iniquitous distribution of wealth nor will economic inequality exist. Such peaceful environment will result that it will be an example of welfare and justice!

Instead of copying the document here, we recommend to the reader to peruse “Nahj al-Balaghah”, the compendium of `Ali’s writings and sermons. However, in this book, we shall present the relevant extracts from the book as we proceed with our writing.