The compilation consists
of 238 khutab (orations); 78 rasa'il (epistles); 473 hikam (aphorisms); and 9
gharib (sayings including rare words). In modern times, it has been translated
into some thirty languages.
One of the letters that
included to the Nahjul Balagha is letter from Imam Ali (a.s.) to Malik
Al-Ashtar.
Upon the appointment of
Malik Al-Ashtar as the governor of Egypt, Imam Ali (a.s.) wrote a long letter
to him explaining the Islamic principles of administration and justice.
It was a normal practice
of the time that two letters, containing instructions, were handed down: one to
the governor/officer; and other to the people of the region where the
governor/officer was deputed.
In the preamble of the
letter Imam Ali (a.s.) writes:
In the name of Allah,
the Merciful and Kind God. These are the orders issued by the creature of God,
Ali, the son of Abu Talib, to Malik, the son of Ashtar when he appointed Malik
as the Governor of Egypt to:
- collect zakah there;
- to fight against the
enemies of Islam and the Egypt;
-
to work for the welfare of
its people and look after its prosperity.
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