Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

468 Financial andjudicia~y institutions at the time of 'Ali
Whoever seeks to collect taxes without paying attention to prosperity
will harm the country and destroy the people, and he cannot last as
governor except for a little while. If they complain about burdens,
problems, shortages of water or damage to the land because of
flooding or drought, then you should reduce their burden as much as
you think may help them out, because the more you focus on
prosperity, the better results you will get. The ruin of society results
from the poverty of its people, and the poverty of the people results
from the greed of governors and their focus on collecting taxes.
Because of their misguided thinking, they will stay there for a long
time, hoping to live for a long time, and not learning from the lessons
of othersm3
The way Amir al-Mu'mineen 'Ali (&) viewed the treasury is
something that went beyond collecting money; it encompassed the
economy of the country as a whole, as the land tax formed the main
source of income at that time. 'Ali (&) was known for being very
, ,
strict in keeping an eye on his agents in all that ~ edid. y The treasury
and financial affairs were important matters that Amir al-Mu'mineen
'Ali ibn Abi T2ih (&) kept a close eye on. He used to send spies
and intelligence gatherers to find out about these rnatter~.~ The
governors had general authority to spend from the wealth and public
treasq of their provinces. The governors who were in direct control
of the treasury and tax collectors at the time of the caliphs used to
spend in legitimate ways from the wealth that they had when it was
needed. They used this wealth for matters of jihad, such as preparing
weapons and mounts, paying soldiers' salaries and other expenses.
They also gave salaries to official workers and employees in the
province.5 In addition to that, they used to cany out construction
projects, such as building bridges and digging channels, springs and
rivers, all of which required spending from the money that they
collected from their provinces.6