Will of Hazrat Ali (Allah be pleased with him) to Maalik Ben Ashtar
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2.19 You must allocate a specific part of your time for the complainants and make it a point to meet them setting aside all other jobs. On such occasions, your meeting should be open to all; whosoever wishes to see you, should boldly walk in and you should act as a servant for the sake of Allah in such sessions. Keep the military, police and other officials away from such gatherings, so that the incoming people be able to talk their heart out to you. I have heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that a nation can not flourish where the weak are not given their due rights violated by the strong. Do not forget that such meetings will be full of the common public who may be discourteous to you or may not be able to express their stance clearly; so do not be annoyed, bear up and do not scold them proudly. Allah will shower His blessings and reward on you for the obedience, if you act upon my advice. 2.20 Be generous in giving to someone so that the recipient feels happy but if you are unable to give them it should be with justification. There are certain affairs which are to be handled by you alone; one of them is to reply the letters received from the notables in your own hand as your steno cannot do it. Another matter is that of disbursing the money to the deserving the moment it is in your hand; this may make your staff unhappy because of their vested interests. 2.21 Finish your work everyday as the workload of the day is important and being in number is to be disposed off the
Guidelines for Managers
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same day, else it may become difficult to catch up with the backlog. Allocate the best of your time to Allah; indeed all times belong to Allah, provided the intention is fair and peaceful for the subject. While assigning the religion purely and exclusively for Allah, keep in mind that duties are done without any disruption to the best of ability. These duties exclusively for Allah and there is none else to share in them. 2.22 And look, when you lead the prayers, do not lead in a way that the people standing behind you get exhausted nor in a manner that an important part of the prayer is left incomplete. Remember, among them there may be all kinds of people; healthy and sick or the needy ones. I had once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), when I was being assigned to Yemmen as to how should I lead the prayers? I was advised, while leading, your prayer should be like a fellow who is the weakest among you and prove yourself to be kind to the believers. 2.23 Beware! Do not ever give any land to a colleague or a relative; if you do that, then these people would oppress the subject under your name, get all the benefits themselves and you will get a bad name for their misdoings here and hereafter. 2.24 A fair judgment, may it be against any one must be enforced; may it be against your near relation or a stranger; you have to be firm and expecting the good from Allah.