I'm pleased to be writing for Values and Voices again. My letter for this year is Letter 7. My previous letter can be found here. I return to the letter of Imam Ali (as) to Malik al-Ashtar.
In the seventh century, Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, successor to the Prophet Muhammad’s religious and political authority, wrote a letter about good governance. This letter is recognized through history as a model for good leadership. Although it is grounded in a Muslim ethical worldview, it is broadly applicable in practice. One of the points of the letter that I would like to bring to your attention is this line: “A nation in which the rights of the weak are not wrested in an uninhibited manner from the strong will never be blessed.”