[ Ash'ath bin Qays was a hypocrite and time-sever. For sometime he attached himself to
Imam Ali (a) pretending to be his sincere follower. The ulterior motive behind this was to
amass wealth and to grasp power. Imam Ali (a) had appointed him as the Governor of
Azarbaijan. He started collecting and procuring wealth by every means possible. When this
was reported to Imam Ali (a), he wrote the following letter to Ash'ath: On receipt of this letter
he wanted to abscond with the wealth so amassed but good counsels prevailed upon him and
he was persuaded by Hujr bin Adi Kindi to got to Imam Ali (a). When his accounts were
audited he had to surrender 400,000 dirhams. ]
Verily, you have neither been entrusted with the governorship so that you amass wealth nor is
it a tasty and juicy morsel to be swallowed up. On the contrary it is a trust committed to your
care and trust. Its responsibility lies upon your shoulders.
Your Amir (meaning Imam Ali himself) has appointed you as a shepherd and a guardian of
the people. You have no right to do as you like and to act independently without seeking his
advice and permission. In all important affairs of the State and the public, your decisions must
be based on true facts and sound reasons. In your control and custody there is one of the
treasuries of Allah, you are only a treasurer, you have no right to make personal use of any
part of this wealth, it is your duty to pass it on to whom it belongs.
I hope you will not give me a chance to prove myself a hard task-master and a harsh
administrator. May you see the light.
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