مالك الأشتر

This is what Allāh’s servant ‘Alī, Amīr al-mu’minīn, has ordered Mālik ibn al-Ḥārith al-Ashtar in his instrument (of appointment) for him when he made him Governor of Egypt for the collection of its revenues, fighting against its enemies, seeking the good of its people and making its cities prosperous.

I have placed Mālik [1] ibn al-Ḥārith al-Ashtar in command over you and over all those under you. Therefore, follow his commands and take him as the armour and shield for yourselves, because he is one of those from whom I have no fear of weakness nor any mistake, nor laziness where haste is more appropriate, nor haste where slackness is expected of him.

To the people of Egypt sent through Mālik al-Ashtar when he was made the Governor of that place

When news of the assassination of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, reached Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, he wrote to Malik ibn al-Harith al-Ashtar, may Allah bless him with mercy, who was then residing at Nasibayn. (He wrote): "You are surely among those from whom I seek help to keep the banner of Islam high and to crush the haughtiness of the disobedient and to fortify the threatened borderline. I had appointed Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, may Allah bless him with mercy, to govern Egypt, but the rebels attacked him and as he was inexperienced about warfare, he was martyred - may Allah bless him with mercy. Now, come over to me so that we may look into the matter concerning Egypt, and appoint in your place a reliable, sane person from your companions." Then Malik - may Allah be pleased with him, appointed Shabib ibn Amir al-Azadi to succeed him, and proceeded till he arrived to meet Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him. Then he (i.e. ‘Ali) explained to him the situation in Egypt and informed him about its people. Then he said: "There is no one for this assignment except you, so be ready to go. And if there is anything, about which I have not guided you, you will depend upon your judgement and seek assistance from Allah for your intention. (In your dealing with them), mix severity and harshness with tenderness and gentleness, and be friendly for as long as friendliness serves the purpose. And be resolute when there is no alternative to severity." He said: Then Malik al-Ashtar - may Allah be pleased with him, rose and prepared for his journey to Egypt. And ‘Ali, peace be upon him, sent a letter to the people of Egypt, before (Malik) arrived there: "In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Benevolent, I praise Allah, none to be worshipped but He; and beseech Allah to bless His Prophet, Muhammad and his progeny. Surely, I have sent unto you a servant from the servants of Allah, who does not sleep in the days of fear and does not recoil from the enemy fearing any disaster. He is from the strongest among His servants and the noblest; and to the transgressors, more threatening than the burning fire. And from ignorance and blemish, he is the farthest. He is Malik ibn al-Harith al-Ashtar, neither a cutting tooth nor a blunted edge. He is patient amid threats, calm and composed at the time of war. He has an original judgement and an agreeable patience. So listen to him and obey him. If he commands you to march forth, march, and if commands you to halt, halt. For he does not advance or halt except by my order. I have sent him to you in spite of my need for him, for the sake of your welfare and because of my deep concern about your adversaries. May Allah guard and protect you with guidance and keep you steadfast with Taqwa. May He bless us and you with what He likes and loves. May peace and mercy of Allah and His Blessing be upon you." When Malik al-Ashtar completed his preparations for journey to Egypt, the spies of Mu’awiyah from Iraq wrote to inform him. He was very much distressed, because he had his eyes set on Egypt. He knew that he would lose Egypt if al-Ashtar arrived there and to him al-Ashtar was a more powerful person than the son of Abu Bakr. So he contacted a chief who paid the revenue at a place called al-Qulzum, informing him that ‘Ali (as) has appointed al-Ashtar to govern Egypt and if you got rid of him on my behalf, I shall gift away the revenue to you for as long as you live. So plan to kill him in every way possible. Then Mu’awiyah collected the people of Syria and said: "Verily, ‘Ali has sent al-Ashtar to Egypt. Come and let us pray to Allah that He may relieve us of him." Then he prayed, and so did the people with him. Al-Ashtar travelled on till he came to al-Qulzum. The chief received him and greeted him and then said: "I am among those who is liable to pay the revenue. And you and your companions have a right upon all that grows on my land. So be my guest and allow me to serve you and your companions and let your animals freely graze on my land, and I will count it from my liability." So, al-Ashtar became his guest and he served him (al-Ashtar) and his companions for all their needs. And he brought to them food, including some honey, which had poison. When al-Ashtar drank from that honey, it killed him and he died because of that. Mu’awiyah got the news, so he collected the people of Syria and said: "Happy tidings for you! Allah, Most High, has answered your prayers; has relieved you of him and has killed him." They rejoiced. And when the news of Ashtar’s death assailed Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, he sighed and grieved, saying: "What an excellent man Malik was! Had he been a mountain, he would have been its firm rock, and had he been from stone, he would have been solid. By Allah, some men in the world will be placated by his death; but it behaves for the mourners to mourn over him." Then he said: "We are for Allah and unto Him shall we return; and all praise to Allah, the Lord of all Universe. I shall seek reward from You for this sacrifice, for surely, his death is among the greatest worldly calamities. May Allah bless Malik with mercy; no doubt, he faithfully dispersed his charge and completed the appointed term (of life) and met his Creator; while we have reconciled ourselves to forbear every adversity after being bereaved of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, for that was the greatest calamity."

When `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) went with us to the land of Siffin, he disembarked in a village called Sanduda’. Then, he ordered us to come to it. Then, he disembarked with us at night in a barren land. So, Malik b. al-Harith al-Ashtar went to him and said: O Amir al-Mu’minin (as)! Why would you cause the people to disembark in a place that does not have water?! So, he said: O Malik! Surely, Allah will feed us water that is purer than honey, softer than butter, colder than snow, and clearer than ruby. So, we became astonished; and there is nothing more astonishing than the words of Amir al-Mu’minin (as). Then, he began to drag his cloak, with his sword in his hand, until he stood on the barren land. He said: O Malik – you and your companions, dig. So, Malik said: We dug until we found a great black rock with a ring that shone like silver. So, he said to us: Throw it. So, we tried to throw it – and we had one hundred men gathered – but we could not move it from its place. So, Amir al-Mu’minin (as) came forward with his hands raised to the sky, supplicating and saying: … amen, amen O Lord of the Worlds, Lord of Musa and Harun. Then, he took it and hurled it forty armlengths away from a river. Malik b. al-Harith al-Ashtar said: Then, water that was purer than honey, softer than butter, colder than snow, and clearer than ruby appeared to us. We drank from it and fed from it. Then, he returned the rock, and ordered us to throw dust atop it. Then, we continued when, not far away, he said: Which of you know the location of the river? So, we said: All of us, O Amir al-Mu’minin. So, we returned, and we looked for the river, but it had been extremely hidden from us. So, we thought that Amir al-Mu’minin (as) was overburdened with thirst, so we went out and found the hermitage of a monk. We approached it until we found a monk whose eyebrows covered his eyes from old age. So, we said: O monk! Do you have water that we could feed our master with? He said: I have water that I purified two days ago. So, he brought us water that was bitter and rough. We said: Is this what you purified two days ago?! How would you be if you had drunk from the water that our master had given us? So, we told him about the matter, and he said: Is this master of yours a prophet? We said: No, but he is the deputy of a prophet. So, he came down to us after his absence and said: Take me to your master. So, we took him, and when Amir al-Mu’minin (as) saw him, he said: Sham`un? The monk said: Yes, Sham`un, this is the name that my mother gave me. No one knows this except Allah, and now you, so how did you find out? He said: What do you want, Sham`un? He said: This river and its name. He said: This river is Rahuma, and it is from Paradise. Three hundred and thirteen deputies have drunk from it, and I am the last deputy to drink from it. So, the monk said: This is what I found in all the books of the Gospel, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that you are the deputy of Muhammad (s). Then, the monk went with Amir al-Mu’minin (as) until he reached Siffin. The monk was among the first to be martyred. So, Amir al-Mu’minin (as) went down with his eyes saddened, saying: A person will be with whom he loves. The monk will be with us on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be my friend in Paradise.

Now, I have sent to you a man from among the servants of Allāh who allows himself no sleep in days of danger, nor does he shrink from the enemy at critical moments. He is severer on the wicked than a blazing fire. He is Mālik ibn al-Ḥārith, our brother from (the tribe of) Madhḥij.

443. When the news of the death of (Mālik) al-Ashtar (may Allāh have mercy on him), reached Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, he said:

To the people of Egypt when he appointed (Mālik) al-Ashtar as their Governor.

To Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr on coming to know that he had taken over the position of (Mālik) al-Ashtar as Governor of Egypt after the latter had died on his way to Egypt.

Imam Ali (AS) said, He (‘a) said about al-Ashtar al-Nakha‘ī: He is the sword of Allah that does not fail to strike and is not blunt in its edge; he is not impressed by any innovations nor is he led astray by misguidance [and temptation].

Imam Ali (AS) said, He (‘a) said about al-Ashtar al-Nakha‘ī when he was informed about his death (may Allah have mercy upon him): If he was a mountain, he would have been a great one, no hoofed animal would have reached its peak and no bird would have been able to fly over it.

I have come to know of your anger at the posting of al-Ashtar in your place, but I did not do so because of any shortcoming on your part or to get you to increase your efforts, but when I had taken away what was under your authority I would have placed you at a position which would have been less exacting and more attractive to you.

Imam Ali (AS) wrote in one of his letters to al-Ashtar, when he appointed him governor of Egypt, 'Do not discontinue a good practice that the pioneers of this community acted upon, by virtue of which there was general unity and through which the subjects prospered. Do not innovate a practice that will infringe on these earlier practices in any way, for the reward of those who had laid them down will continue, whereas you will be the one to bear the burden for discontinuing them.

I asked Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, about the saying of the Commander of the Believers, peace be upon him: «Indeed, our matter is difficult and complicated; it is not acknowledged except by an Angel who is brought near (to Allah), or a Prophet that is sent (with a Divine Message), or a servant whom Allah has tested his heart with faith.» He said: Because among the Angels are those who are brought near and those who are not brought near, and among the Prophets there are those who are sent and those who are not sent, and among the believers there are the tested and the untested. Hence, this matter of yours was presented to the Angels, and none acknowledged it except for those who are brought near, and (it was presented) upon the Prophets, and none acknowledged it except for those who were sent, and it was presented upon the believers, and none acknowledged it except for those who were tested. He said: He then said to me: Continue in your conversation.

I heard Jabir ibn Yazid reporting from Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, peace be upon him, who reported from his father, and from his grandfather, peace be upon them all, that when Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, left Madinah for Basrah to confront the renegades, he stopped at al-Rabdhah. And then as he left from there, he was met by Abdullah ibn Khalifa al-Taee, at a place called Qudaid. Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, welcomed him. Then Abdullah said:"Praise be to Allah who restored the right to its owner and kept it in its rightful place, regardless of whether some people were pleased or displeased. By Allah, they had hated Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, resisting and fighting against him. But Allah turned their guile against them, and made the disaster to befall them. By Allah, we shall fight by your side in every situation, protecting (the message of) the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny." Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, welcomed him and made him sit by his side, for he was indeed his helper and friend. Then he started inquiring about people till he mentioned Abu Musa al-Ashari. He said: "By Allah, I do not trust him, and I do not see you secure against him if he finds support." Amriul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, replied: "By Allah, he was neither trustworthy nor a good counsel in my estimation. But those who preceded me were captured by his fancy and gave him authority to govern the people. And I had decided to remove him, but al-Ashtar asked me to confirm him, so I did it reluctantly. Thereafter, I had to sustain his dismissal." He said: He (i.e. Amirul Mu’mineen) remained with Abdullah this way, till a great multitude was seen coming from the mountains of Tay. Amirul Mu’mineen said: "Look out, who are they?" So, some of the horsemen ran to find out, and soon came back to report that they were the people of Tay who had come with their sheep and camels and horses. Some of them had come with their gifts for ‘Ali, and some intended to go with him to fight his enemy. So Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah reward the people of Tay a good reward, and ’He (i.e. Allah) has a far richer reward for those who fight for Him than for those who stay at home.’(4:95)" And when they drew close to him, they greeted him. Abdullah ibn Khalifa said: "By Allah, I was pleased with what I experienced from their group, and by their excellent form. They spoke and confirmed their stand. By Allah, I have not seen a more eloquent speaker than their spokesman." And Adi ibn Hatim al-Taee stood up, praised Allah and lauded Him and then said: "I had embraced Islam in the days of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, and I paid my Zakat (dutifully) in his time, and after he had departed, I fought the apostates. I did all that to earn the pleasure of Allah, and indeed, the reward of one who does good and guards against evil is from Allah. We are informed that some men of Makkah have reneged on your loyalty, and have turned against you as aggressors. So we have come to help you on the right path, and here we are, before you. So command us to do whatever you wish." Then he recited the following: "And we have helped (the cause of) Allah before you, and you have come to us with truth, so you will be helped. All of us shall be sufficient for you against them all, And indeed, of all man, you deserve this most." Then Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah reward you on behalf of Islam among all living people, and on behalf of all Muslims. You have indeed submitted voluntarily and fought the apostates, and are determined to help the Muslims." Then Saeed ibn Ubaid al-Bahtari from the tribe of Bani Bahtar rose and said: "O Amirul Mu’mineen, some men are able to say what they have in their minds, while others are unable to express what they think in their hearts. And if they are forced to do it, they find it extremely difficult. And if they keep silent, the grief torments them and makes them restless. As far as I am concerned, I can not convey to you all that I have in my mind, but I will try my best to be explicit, and Allah is the custodian of success! I am surely your best counsellor, privately and in open, and I will fight by your side in every situation; and I see you with the Truth, the way I never saw those who preceded you, nor any other person among your contemporaries! This is because of your merit and excellence in Islam, and your relation to the Prophet. I shall never part from you till you win, or I die before you." Amirul Mu’mineen, peace be upon him, said: "May Allah bless you with mercy, Your tongue has indeed expressed what you conscience has concealed. I pray to Allah that He may bless you with good health, and reward you with Paradise." Then others from them spoke, but I do not remember the speech of any other but these two men. Then Amirul Mu’mineen decamped, and from them six hundred followed him till they reached Zuqar. When he arrived there, he had One thousand and three hundred men.