The Eighth Principle
Whenever you can accomplish matters with gentleness and kindness, do not handle them with harshness or violence. The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said, “Any governor who is not gentle with his subjects will find that Allah is not gentle with him on the Day of Resurrection.” On another occasion he prayed, “O Allah, be kind to every ruler who is kind to his subjects, and be severe against every ruler who is severe toward his subjects.” He also said, “Authority and leadership are a blessing for the one who gives them their due, but a calamity for the one who falls short.”
Anecdote: Hisham ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, one of the Umayyad caliphs, once asked Abū Ḥāzim, who was among the scholars, “What course secures deliverance from the burdens of the caliphate?” He replied, “That every dirham you take comes from a lawful source, and that you place it only where it rightly belongs.” Hisham asked, “Who is able to do that?” He answered, “Whoever desires the bliss of the Gardens and fears the torment of the Fires.”
The Ninth Principle
Exert yourself so that your subjects are pleased with you through your adherence to the Sacred Law. The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said to his Companions, “The best of my community are those who love you and whom you love, and the worst of my community are those who hate you and you hate them, who curse you and you curse them.” A ruler should not be deceived by everyone who reaches him with praise, nor imagine that the populace are as pleased with him as he is with himself. Indeed, the one who flatters him does so only out of fear. Instead, he should appoint trustworthy individuals to inquire about his condition among the people so that he may learn of his faults from their tongues.
The Tenth Principle
Never seek anyone’s approval by contravening the Sacred Law, for the displeasure of one who is angered because of your adherence to it can do no harm. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—may Allah be pleased with him—used to say, “I awake each morning with half of creation displeased with me, for anyone from whom a right is taken is bound to…”