Journal of Social Issues & Humanities, Volume 3, Issue 9, September 2015 ISSN 2345-2633
Principle of Political Management of Society in View of Imam Ali (Amir Al –Mumin) in His Letter Addressed to Governor of Egypt (Malik AlAshtar) (Letter 53 of Nahjolbalagha) Iman Hakimi, Khalil Safari, Akbar Jadidi Abstract— Inability of policies and politicians in management of human contain: backward movement of human in path of a reasonable life, knowledge without obligation, and difference in management ( Brandt, 62) ,science without bound to the principle of human values, social disorders arising from ideologues claims and politicians diplomacy (Brandt, 148); specific benefits of selfish man, incapability of creation of true education in order to establish the preservation of nature and to prevent it from selfishness , incapability of quality values because of mind occupation with quantities, alienation in use of power (Russell, 30); false claim of evolution and progress (Bazargd, 98); abuse policy in human management of creative science and culture (Brandt, 260), abusage of great characters ( Lorenz, pp: 141-142); break tradition, fetal competition of man with himself/ herself, human alienation from himself/ herself, sluggishness in feeling, hereditary degeneration, unsolvable problem regarding man and woman issue even with development of science, losing the target of life arising from decomposed reality over time (Beaufre, 11); lake of progress of high susceptibility of human; false claim regarding progress and civilization, to prevail groundless self- slaughter; inattention to spiritual aspects of human; authority of money; racism illness; extreme nationalism. Index Terms— Political Management, Malik Al- Ashtar; Amir Al –Mumin.
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1 INTRODUCTION
P
OLICY in view of Imam Ali is management of man in rational life to achieve best targets of life. Cooperation of man to justify and manage collective life that is political dimension of life is an essential work. In view of Islam, God was ordered to create rational life in social and individual life. So, cooperation of man in justification and management of rational life is a divine assignment that everybody with having power dose not participate in mentioned affair is considered as a guilty person. Man, in view of Islam is bound to participate in discipline and management of social and individual life. According to this principle, Imam Ali with following expression was called God to witness for the statesmanship goals: “oh, lord, you know the acts that have been done by us to achieve ruling was not for competition to acquire authority and unstable world commodity, but also it was to observe principle and reality of your religion in order to provide a secure place for oppressed slaves (Nahjul balagha, sermon 131)”. In other sermon, he considered all politicians as the pastors who are reliable against people. In sermon 167 of Nahjul Balagha, he said: “help to people of God since you are reliable against them even about agricultural land and animals.” Imam Ali considered improves of personality as the main element to rule the society and it was obvious in his instructions to Malik al- Ashtar. ————————————————
Department of Executive Business Management, Payame Noor University, PO Box 19395-3697 Tehran, Iran. E-mail:
[email protected] Department of Executive Business Management, Payame Noor University, PO Box 19395-3697 Tehran, Iran. E-mail:
[email protected] Department of management, Payame Noor University, PO Box 193953697 Tehran, Iran. E-mail:
[email protected]
2 INSTRUCTIONS OF IMAM ALI TO CREATE PERSONALITY OF MALIK HAS BEEN DIVIDED INTO 4 TYPES: (JAFARI, 123)
Ali’s description about the term of “servant”: in this regard he at first said: “if I am superior to you, I know God is superior to me”; then he called Malik as “Servant of God” and for description of this term said: “servant of God means to free the chain of modeling factors and unfounded wishes and to become free from cultural captivity, traditional customs and lust. Invocation and devotions that Amir al- Muminin said at the end of his commands:” I beg God to help for doing of our duty based on the divine will. I beg God to help me for construction the buildings of oppressed people that has been ruined by oppressors.” Direct instructions that Amir al- Muminin said to Malik in more than 16 cases for training of his characteristic consists of : observation of divine virtues and to justify relationship between “ Self “and “the other” in path of perfection, to order for political virtues beside personal virtues, to change the natural nature to evolutional nature, lake of priority on God and his messenger, to follow God’s commander, to assist God :” help your God with your heard, hands and tongue since God guarantees to assist someone who help to servant; to contrast with sluts “ control your slut when it arises and you should refuse to give your bridle to lust since concupiscence always stimulates man to evil works”; to effort for storing of good deeds: “the best storage for me and you in afterlife is good deeds”; self-control” oh Malike control your behavior and emotion; refuse from illegal acts since justice for self is refusal from concupiscence. He also referred to mercy, love and kind131
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ness toward people of society:” give your kindness toward people and love toward them and know people are 2 group: one group is your religious brother and other group is also human”; refuse to look at yourself as an commander:” do not speak with people in shape of chief and you should refuse to command people. When you order people, your religious becomes unstable”; resist against turbulence with regard to greatness of God: “when you obtain a significant situation, pride and selfishness come near you, so, be aware that everything is under God dominance even your power. This reality suppresses your pride and returns your lost wisdom to you.” Behave based on the justice:”establish the justice between God, people, your family and other favorites, if you do not this affair, you oppress people and anybody who is oppressive, is enemy of God. To perceive science from scientist and philosophy from sages:” learn reality from scientists and keep company with sages to learn your society goodness and to establish the manner of correct life what is heritage of great man”. To allocate best life time to preserve relationship with God; to avoid egoistic:” avoid pride and what incite your spirit to become proud since stimulation of concupiscence is one of the opportunity of Devil.” Indirect instructions that Amir al- Muminin has issued for direction of society (Jafri, 213): perfection attributes of Islamic governor in view of Imam Ali relating people and governor’s tasks consists of: 1- kindness, love and tenderness of heart toward peasant:” present your kindness toward peasant and do not injure them like a predatory.”2- Exert your forgiveness toward people in cases that is possible:” grant your kindness toward people since they are human and they may mistake, if you do not pardon them, they do great mistake that are irreparable. So pardon them in some cases as you like god pardon you.”3- applying justice and to acquire people satisfaction:’ the most popular affair for God is to establish justice and satisfaction of people in society.”4- to give priority persons who alerts justice to others even in bad situation:” 5- to remove any kind of rancor from people and to establish rational satisfaction in their heart.6- to have good opinion of people;” aware that nothing like to optimize eases the difficulties. The best person in view of your suspicions is somebody who fails your test.”7- To restrain yourself from cavil: “do not reveal people’s fault since your duty is to wipe ugliness that has been appeared for you”. 8- Do not confirm gossip although he shows himself as benevolent person.9- To pray in the aid of God and to observe right and patience in direction of success. 10- to avoid regret during forgiveness;”you never should regret from your forgiveness toward someone.’11- to avoid happiness during punishment.” Punishment is done to adjust person and society, so you never become happy for punishment of another person”. 12- to avoid hurry during anger:” if you have another remedy, don’t rush for anger over somebody”. 13- To avoid consultation with greedy, timorous and miserly person.14- To avoid equal look toward beneficent and wicked persons:” do not look beneficent and wicket persons equally since it humiliates beneficent persons and it incites wicked persons to do evil work. 15- To avoid breaking tradition that authorities have been act based on competence of Islamic soci-
ety:” do not break tradition that authorities have been acted to them considering competence of Islamic society. 16- To do duties that should be performed directly:”you should directly do some duties relating to your ruling. So, look into the affair of your administrators when your secretaries are unable to examine their affairs”. 17- To do affairs of every day on the same day since every day provide an opportunity for you. 18To allocate the best time of night and day for relationship with God:” set your best time to connect with God, although all the time where you devote your life to settle social life of people belongs to God”.18- To reach your piety in dignity with sincerity and other divine duties. 19- To observe moderation in collective worship:” when you set up collective prayers, you should not make hate people from prayer since there are some people among them who are unable to pray for long”. Amir al- Muminin added this statement to Malik: “When Prophet Muhammad sent me to Yemen, I asked him: how I pray with Yemen’s people? He answered: pray with tem based on their conditions and be gentle with believers”. 20- Close contact with people: ” you should not council yourself from people since long hiding of governor from people make him to be not informed from situation of people and society and it keeps away them from you, therefore, great issues become small in their view or vice versa and right and wrong is mixed”. To avoid preference of relatives over other people:”appoint your administrators not with favoritism or arbitrariness. Always there are some relatives who always want to outrun others and they want to take advantage of you, so breaks off your relation with them since they expect bias from you”. 22- To Interpol yourself for acceptance of your faults: “if people suspect you, reveal your pretext for people since it acquits you from suspicion and to find reality is mortification for your spirit and a kindness for people”. 23 - To avoid the illegal killing:” Oh, Malik avoid illegal killing since it is effective on decline of blessing more than other factors”. 24- To avoid grace against kindness toward people. 25- To refrain from a breach of promise:” a breach of promise causes enmity between God and people. If somebody breaks his promise, the enmity establishes between God and him’. 26- Try for discovery of truth and to avoid laziness to accept and do the manifested truth. 27- To avoid neglect in performance of important affairs; to avoid gaining supremacy over other in affairs that people are all the same in this case: “ you should avoid to gain supremacy over others in affairs that people are all the same in it and you should refrain from the affairs that you are responsible for them. Oh Malik, do not assume that you have preference over other near god since all are equal in the eyes of God. If you consider yourself as superior others, you did wrong. 28- To avoid neglect and listlessness in carry out obligation. 29- To control vanity and outburst of anger and tongue:” control your pride and tongue. You cannot confirm this self- control unless you think about future life and return to God”. 30- to learn a lesson from pervious righteous rules :”it is necessary for you to pay attention whatever has been happened in previous righteous governments and it is necessary to refer the good tradition or any effects of Prophet Muhammad or precept of holy book and you should collate your behave with
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them”. - Ultimatum of Amir al- Muminin: “Oh Malik, in this quid line that I offer to you, there are everything relating to your necessities and merits and social territory of governing. If you suppose that there is something that should be noted, you can elicit it from facts relating to government and governing. I said my last word to you and somebody who are undertook Islamic ruling. If somebody with this guideline establishes a fault or deviation in ruling, governor is not exempt from the rule”. All affairs and regulation relating to ruling can be elicited using 2 ways by instruction of Amir al- Muminin to Malik: A) possibility of discovery and explanation of human nature in 2 fields of necessities and merits; also possibility of perception and explanation of all cases relating to rational life in social and political life with exact concerning to rules and commanders” (Jafari, 275). - Praise of Amir al- Muminin at the end of his command: “I request to God that you and I will succeed in increase of generosity and prosperity of cities; I also request what is his pleasure, will fulfill. I beg God, our futurities will end well. It is clear that we will return to him. - They (Malik and imam Ali) emphasized on the connection of political and legal dimensions of society with attraction of divine perfection and ethic in the meaning of truth prosperity in human’s spirit; self requirement to success in performance of duty; prayer for leaving the good work from he and Malik; Prayer for blessing of God; prayer for martyrdom for both of them. - Condition of governor in view of Amir al- Muminin (jafari, 279): Grown reason: “The governor needs to a strong heart that has reason and expressive word for adduction of right”; the governor also should have the following condition: faith in God; Justice; maturity and knowledge of religious jurisprudence; the most power people in ruling; lake of staginess (generosity); without been greedy, legitimacy of ruling (sermon173 of Nahjul Balagha). Different classes of people in society in letter of Amir al- Muminin consist of ( jafari, 407): armies of God, private and general secretaries, justice judges, some persons who collect taxpayers generally, merchants and artisan, poor people and organizations and firms that all classes have a similar value near God. Amir al-Muminin notified dependence of social institution to God when he described the different classes of society. This obvious reason separates policy, ruling, governor and classes of Islamic society with other society. There was no definite quality and quantity for different classes of society in letter of Imam Ali (Jafari, 413- 412). So, quality and quantity of human’s relationships with each other and with the environment where they are lived may be changed. The main reason
of existence of various classes in society in view of Islam is real necessity of people’s life. It is clear that the quality of ruling because of their necessities will not be limited while the necessities are not limited. So each class of society forms the figure of society that the value of it only depends on the amount of their capital that are participated in stature of social life by people’s awareness and authority. Therefore, overall it can be said that the main reason of existence of classless in society are: difference in creation, cultures and historical factors and various necessities of human. - Research and examination of each class in view of Imam Ali: A) Secretaries: Meaning of secretary in political issues was different with the meaning that today is expressed in view of author and secretary. It seems that value of secretaries in ancient times was higher than the meaning of a “minister” since the affairs of a secretary was more important and larger than a minister (Jaffari, 432). - Condition of secretary: his perception from affair should be more than other. If there is a person who is merited than other, he should be appointed. Secret letters and documents containing ruling information should be near the secretaries. They must be nobler in moral qualities, more genuine in dignity and less concerned with ambitious designs and they should perceive more penetratingly the consequences of affairs. It can be said that necessary justice for this rank must be higher than the meaning of common justice. In addition, his attention and skill to receive the important letters that are sent by governors, commanders and judges is necessary. Any contract or agreement that is contracted by secretaries should be based on the principles and rules and they should evaluate themselves whether they are necessary condition to do this important affair or not (Jafari, 426). Islamic governor should be appointed a secretary at top of each affair. Character of secretary manifests both basic pillars of Islamic society: 1- first pillar: government and governor.2- second pillar: people of Islamic society (Jafari, 429), because secretary with regard to his rank are manifestation of reflection and piety of political system of society. - Circumstance of secretary selection by governor(Jafari, 429): selection of secretary is the right of governor. This selection should be done carefully since expert persons with recognition of governor pretend to be benevolence and complaisance. The criteria of Amir al- Mumin to recognize these persons consist of: the work that they have done for government, the best work that they have performed among people, and also their truthfulness and trustworthiness. B) Minister and ministry( Jafari, 432): Condition of minister: in this letter, duties of minister have not been expressed directly and it seems that their duties were same duties which there were in political criteria of other countries and nations such as consultation, to notify affair of society to governor, examination of rules by enactment of law to recognize goodness or perversion of society and explanation and adaptation of laws to subjects and events. Administer
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should not be bad record regarding participation in sin. In this regard Imam Ali said: someone who has participated in sin or crime cannot help Islamic governor who is fair. - Army and army officer: Army is protectors of people and ornament of governor and it create glory of religious; it always is provide security for society (War is continued until human do not enter to evolution and development path). Imam Ali in his expression about condition and futures of army officer said that it is necessary for army officers to prepare defense’s requirements for protection of people’s life and to open rational path for movement. Basic condition and characteristics of army officers: army officers with permission of God are protectors of people. There is 3 points in the word of “God’s permission”: a) if permission and kindness of God does not apply to army officers and they do not consider their power as a divine trustworthiness, their power will become humanoid predators) if army officers pay attention to this point, they will perceive importance of their responsibility. C) For army officers, it is necessary to know that victory always do not obtain and it is divine permission and decision for victories and defeats (Jaffari, 437). If army officers are powerful against foreign enemy and internal offenders, they cause greatness of ornament of governors. Imam Ali said: “army officers cause glory of religious “. This expression means they are glory of religious people since there is glory of religious in itself. The army officers create security by various ways. In view of Amir al- Muminin conditions to select great commanders consist of (Jaffari, 445): benevolence, continence, and patience, high morale of compassion toward poor, resistance against oppressive, generous and bold characteristic, having righteous family. Duties of governor about army officers contain following: governor should look into the affairs of his administrators especially commanders; he should not neglect the small issues because of concentration on big issues. It is better to perform their rational wishes; continued thanksgiving from commanders, to honor army officers ‘affair. - Jurist and essential features of judges and condition of judgment in view of Imam Ali (Jafari, 457): jurist should have high degree of science, virtue, ethics and faith; the judges should control his emotions and excitements. When jurist realize that he judges by mistake, he should immediately owns his own mistake and he should compensates it in any way. In addition, when he recognize right, he should refers to it; in judicial research, subject and judgment should confirm each other and the jurist must tries to recognize them; jurist should stresses on correct reasons; he should have rational capacity that repeated references of parties do not disturbed him; jurist should be most patient people to recognize true affairs. One of the important duties on governor is to look into the affairs of jurists. Also he should provide the jurist’s livelihood.
administrator based on the private relationship and priority of some people over others is forbidden. Unfortunately, this work has been done commonly in ancient time before government of Imam Ali. He said about the reason of selection of administrator based on the criteria no relationship:” they are a set of oppression and it is clear that protector of oppression and treachery cannot do any work except depravity and corruption. After selection of righteous administrators, the duty of governor is to provide requirements of their life since it has three consequences (Jafari, 466); 1- first consequence: increase of self- reliance of administrators. 2- Second consequence: lake of greed toward properties by administrators. 3- Third consequence: if governor provide administrator’s requirement when a crime takes place by one of the administrator, he cannot claim about his treachery. So, affairs of administrators should be look into by hidden observers who are faithful and honest. Imam Ali said about this instruction to Malik: “your investigation of their affair in secret will incite them to carry out their trust faithfully and to act kindly toward the subjects.” Therefore, there are three points in this regards: a) training and increase of culture level especially, to strengthen the character and intention of administrator, b) to provide necessary means of administrators’’ livelihood; c) hidden observers that Imam Ali determined as a duty of governor. Assistants and especially their affairs should be examined carefully. Imam Ali said to Malik about this regard:”If one of the your assistants or administrators should extend his hand in treacherous act, concerning which the intelligence received against him from your observers concurs, and if you are satisfied with that as a witness, subject him to corporeal punishment and seize him for what befell from his action.
Manner of selection of administration, their duties in Islamic government and duties of governors regarding them (Jaffari, 463): Administrators of government should be appointed based on the experience; they should be selected among people who are modest, self possessed and from righteous family. Selection of
4 CONCLUSION
3 TAXES AND ITS PRINCIPLES To assess tax is not only to give money from people, but the main aim of it is adjustment of welfare of taxpayers and then to adjust economical section that society requires giving tax. Governors should stress on improvement of cities, establishment of farmland and other production sections to profit their productions. In assessment of tax, final judgment and right should be observed so that taxpayers can subsist live on agricultural productions (Jafari, 468). Imam Ali instructions to governor of Egypt regarding artisans and merchants: To administrators and employees should be ordered about this class of society that they behave with people base on the charity. With prevention of hoarding, the transaction is done by justice and generosity. The prices should be adjusted based on the right so that rights of nobody should be infringed (Jafari, pp: 473- 476).
The right should be observed regarding all people; revealing of people’s faults (without legal factors) is forbidden. It is necessary to prevent the creation of hatred in sprit of human. The jurist should be determined among the best persons; in view of economic aspect, all people must be equal; spending the tax 134
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in a proper condition is one of important points in taxes. It is necessary to provide requirement of society rapidly. Governor should give your kindness toward all people equally. The most beloved affairs near the governor should be the most moderate affaires in right and attraction of people’s satisfaction. He should try to attract satisfaction and optimism of people. Each true tradition which based on security and union of people has been created, should not be broken. Virtue is a value in Islam. The best solidarity of governors’ spirit is created by establishing right in society and kindness toward the subjects. In order to adjust the state of administrators, the loyal observers should be appointed to investigate their affairs in secret. Governors should spend the best time for connection with God. Collection of tax without development and establishment of cities causes to perish the people. The desired goals of Amir al- Muminin for Malik in order to ruling on the Egypt: a) To collect tax and to investigate the economical affairs b) Fight with Islamic enemies and to create security for society; to investigate human’s spiritual affairs and maintenance of their divine nature; to investigate development affairs of cities and welfare of people. It is necessary to note that in view of Imam Ali, the basic requirement for mentioned issues is improving the economical condition (Jafari, 111) Finally, Amir al – Muminin said in his aphorisms:” saints of god are those who considered the inner of the world while people considered the appearance of the world. They engaged themselves in affairs that consequences of them will be received in their future life, while ordinary people occupy themselves in mortal affairs. So, the saints of God released themselves from world’s captivity.
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